It's All About the Snow

December 20, 2012

For us winter is all about snow.

When you live in Canada you either move to the coastal regions where the climate is more mild (there's a good reason why so many Canadians love the west coast), you stay put and complain like heck (oh my goodness do Canadians ever like to kvetch about the cold), or you bloom where you're planted (so to speak, as nothing blooms in winter).

We are members of the third grouping. I grew up on the Canadian prairie at the same latitude of Moscow, Russia. I now live in a more mountainous, treed and southern (barely) latitude and I consider that an improvement. Yes, it's cold but not as cold as Alberta. There are mountains (nothing like the rockies though) and best of all there's snow. Because frankly winter is not worth living without snow.

Tomorrow is the official first day of winter and Solstice. But we have been enjoying and living winter ever since the snow fell. Last week we started skiing.

We got an e-mail this week from friends in Maine, where apparently there isn't much snow. "We need to come north. There's no snow here. Want to go on a backcountry ski trip together next week?"

We aren't able to pull off a backcountry ski trip a few days after Christmas but we can host a ski vacation right from our home. One day at the ski hill where we live. A day in the backcountry. Snowshoeing and sledding right from our door. Bring it on.