From outside magazine, this is the outside podcast.

In mountain ranges, in many parts of the United States, winter has gotten off to a strong

start, and skiers are loving it.

Today's several Tahoe ski resorts announce plans to move up their season openers.

For outdoor athletes here, big snowstorms and cold temperatures mean fun, powder days at

resorts, adventures in the backcountry, sledding with the kids. But the arrival of winter in other

places can mean something very different. For the people of Ukraine, freezing temperatures

present a serious threat as the country defends itself from Russian forces. In early November,

the New York Times reported that Ukraine was planning for the possibility of a complete

blackout in the capital of Kiev due to major damage to the electricity grid. Government

workers have been setting up some 1,000 heating shelters that could double as bunkers.

Fighting a military conflict in the coldest, darkest time of the year requires both extraordinary

resilience and a unique skill set. Today, we have a story from our archives about a time

when another country had to defend itself from the invading Soviet Union and what's known

as the winter war. That country was Finland, which shares an 833 mile border with Russia.

Today, its soldiers are some of the most advanced winter warfare specialists anywhere.

They're called the Yegor Brigade, and you're listening to them train soldiers from all over

the world in winter combat. Peter Frick Wright and Robbie Carver produced this piece for us back

in early 2018, when the fans were feeling nervous about Russia's intentions. Given what's happened

since, the story is more precious than ever. Here's Peter.

Last winter, writer David Wallman went to train with the Yeggers.

My name is David Wallman. I'm a writer and journalist based in Portland, Oregon.

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