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life is for living

Thrill of the ChillGot the winter blues? Here's how 20 communities acrossthe country embrace the cold.BY DOUG O'NEILL

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Snowball fight! Yukigasse_nhastaken Saskatoon - and the rest ofCanada - by storm.

life is for living COMMUNITY

1PLAY YUKIGASSEN(JAPANESESNOWBALL) IN

SASKATOONYou're in a park in downtown Saskatoonin the depths of winter and a snowballcomes flying at you. Your gut response:It must be a misbehaving prankster. It'smore likely that you've stumbled uponan enthusiastic game of Yukigassen, aplayful form of Japanese snowballfighting that is taking Canada by storm.The game involves a team of sevenplayers that tries to capture theopposing team's flag and eliminaterivals with regulation-size snowballs -all in the name of good fun. And it's notjust in Saskatoon. Expect a friendlysnowball coming your way soon.yukigassensaskatoon.com

2HAVE A "BOIL-UP" INNEWFOUNDLANDFor Jill Curran of Ferryland, N.L.,

it's tradition to heat up the kettle in themiddle of the woods or down by theshore on a chilly day. "We say we'rehaving a boil-up:' says Jill. "It could betoast and beans, anything that makesfor a light meal while you're hiking,snowshoeing or cross-country skiing,"The Dictionary of Newfoundland Englishdefines a boil-up as "a brew of tea, andsometimes a snack, often taken duringa rest from work in the country oron a vessel." In times past, a boil-upcould have included salt fish andhomemade bread. newfoundlandlabrador.com

3SEE THE AURORABOREALIS INIQALUIT, NUNAVUT

There are actually respites from the-30°C temperatures and total darknessthat engulf much of Nunavut duringwinter. Many feel it's the best place inthe world to admire Mother Nature'slight show, the aurora borealis.gov.nu.ca

4 PLAY POND HOCKEYAT LAC LA BICHE,ALTA.

Each winter the Kinsmen Club of Lac laBiche floods the lake in this littlehamlet, located 220 kilometresnortheast of Edmonton. The rinks haveno boards or blue lines. It's simple. It'shockey "just for the fun of it:' accordingto organizers. Lac la Biche also hosts anannual polar bear swim. laclabichekinsmen.ca

5 PARTY OUTDOORS ATLE GRAND HE HO INST. BONIFACE, MAN.

Le Grand He Ho is a lively outdoorparty held at the Centre CulturelFranco-'Manitobain, as part of theFestival de Voyageur. Winnipegger JenZoratti says the rest of "the countryquestions our sanity as we 'Peg peopleput on our long johns, get hopped upon maple sugar and brave terrifyingwindchills to party like voyageurs - inthe middle of February," festivalvoyageur.mb.ca

The Prince George Icemanmarathon attracts participantsy0ung and old.

46 FEBRUARY 2012 I INSPIRING IDEAS FOR EVERYDAY LIVING

On a winter's afternoon on iced-overBald Lake, near Bobcaygeon in theKawarthas region of Ontario, you'll seesmall huts scattered over the ice, andhere and there you'll find solitarysnowsu'ited fishers on collapsible stools,patiently awaiting a tug on the line. PaulClark, who runs Kawartha Lakes Ontario,has fished Bald Lake and nearby PigeonLake his entire life. He promises a fry-upof crappie, blue gill and perch at the endof an outing on the lake. huntandfishkawartha.com »

11GO TUBE SLIDING INMONTREALWho can resist the temptation

to glide down a hill in an air-filleddoughnut? Head for the hills at ParcJean-Drapeau during Fete de Neige(held from the end of January toFebruary) or at Mount Royal Park on asnowy day. parcjeandrapeau.com

12-SKI, RUN, SKATE,. RUN, SPLASH INPRINCE GEORGE, B.C.

How do you embrace winter in a citywhere temperatures can dip to-30°C? Try the Prince George Icemanmarathon, in which participants skieight kilometres, run 10 kilometres,skate five kilometres, run fivekilometres and then head indoorsfor an 800-metre swim. Who does thissort of thing? According to marathonbooster Susan Hubbard, "Las\ yearI met a team whose members were68 years and older, and then a juniorteam which had kids as young as10 years old. We're a hardy bunch inthis town!" pgiceman.ca

13 TRY ICE FISHINGON BALD LAKE,ONT.

10 TRY AXETHROWING ANDSWEDE SAWING IN

WHITEHORSEYukoners go to extremes. These are'thefolks who host the annual Yukon Quest,a 1,600-kilometre dogsled race. Andduring the annual Yukon SourdoughRendez-Vous (Feb. 23 to 26 this year),locals head down to Shipyards Park inWhitehorse to cheer on their favouritelumberjacks, who ply their muscle atswede sawing and axe throwing.yukonrendezvous.com

A competitor takes aim during theaxe-throwing event at ShipyardsPark in Whitehorse.

8 BUILD AN IGLOO INGRAND FALLS, N.B.Last winter Eric Ouellette and his

mates in Grand Falls acquired 2,SOOiceblocks and built the world's largestdome igloo. It measured 9.3 metres indiameter and 5.4 metres tall, and heldabout 300 people. It was the secondtime Grand Falls earned the GuinnessWorld Record for the biggest domeigloo. Check out this year's igloo-building feats during the WinterFestival in February. grandfalls.com

9 PLAY SNOWVOLLEYBALL INYELLOWKNIFE, N.W.T.

Who needs beach sand to playvolleyball outside? Certainly not thehardy souls (in mitts and parkas) whosign up for the Yellowknife SnowVolleyball Tournament, held each Marchat Yellowknife Bay. ykbeach.com

6 SKI OR SNOWMOBILETHE CONFEDERATIONTRAIL IN PRINCE

EDWARD ISLANDIn the midst of winter, Islanders fromTignish to Elmira have 470 kilometresof railway lines repurposed asrecreation trails for snowmobiling orcross-country skiing. The trails weavethrough woodlots and fields, and runalong beachfronts. tourismpei.comjpei-confederation-tra iI

7 SURF ATLAWRENCETOWNBEACH, N.S.

Picture this: It's a cold winter's day atLawrencetown Beach, 30 minutes northof Halifax. Out in the freezing Atlanticare surfers - yes, surfers! - from nearbytowns and around the world, squishedinto protective wet suits, bedevilling therip currents and choppy waters. And onthe shore are scores of onlookers,stamping their feet and blowing intotheir mitted hands to keep warm. It's aregular winter's day at the beach.lawrencetownbeach.com

INSPIRING IDEAS FOR EVERYDAY LIVING FEBRUARY 2012 oJ?

Advertisementlife is for living COMMUNITY

DYES!We've done this together!

Explore your neighbourhoodtogether on ~ winter day orhave a tobogganing partywith other families! Don't let arunny nose slow you down- bring Puffs along.

CHILL OUTLearn about 20 otherCanadian winter diver~iionsat canadianliving.com/

february. I

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19 SEE THE DOGRACES {'ND CHAINSAW E~ENTS IN

THE PAS, MAN.The Trappers Festivall (which occurseach February) has be n described as"one of the most oddball festivals inCanada." It's attracted the likes ofCanadian comic Rick M rcer. A big partof the festivities includes the naming ofthe King and Queen Trapper of the year.trappersfestiva I.corrl

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20 HANG lOUTWITH L IF THELUCKY IN

CORNER BROOI<, N.L.Folks in western Newfoundland lookforward to the Corner Brook WinterCarnival each Februa~y. The weeklonglineup of activities indl des ice-sculpture judging, decorated housecompetitions, skating' a d snow carving.And, in a nod to the qrovince's Vikingroots, you have the chance to cuddleup with carnival mas90t Leif the Lucky.cornerbrookwintercar ival.ca_

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18 STRIP ~OWNFOR TH~ POLARBEAR SWIM IN

SAULT STE. MJi'I~IE, ONT.The Bon 500 Winter Carnival (Feb. 3 to12this year) is a big draw in northernOntario. Not only is there a hugelypopular polar bear swim, but you cancount on concerts, b m slides, skating,kids' entertainment al,d other cold-weather activities. VoL could even catcha 500 Greyhound ho~key game.bonsoo.on.ca I

17 HAVE A COLDONE AT THE ICEBAR IN REGINA

In summer months, locals flock to LaBodega Tapas Bar and Grill on AlbertStreet in downtown Regina for itshopping patio scene. But in winter,patrons like to order a cold one(literally) at the carved outdoor ice bar,complete with stools, a bar, bowls andtables sculpted from blocks of ice.labodegaregina.com

16 SKATE THE RIDEAUCANAL IN OTTAWAStrap on your blades and

glide along Canada's largest skatingrink, which is also a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site. Depending on MotherNature's whim, the canal usually freezesover sometime in January or February.canadascapital.gc.ca

15 GUZZLE A CARIBOUIN QUEBEC CITYThe Quebec Winter Carnival

(which takes place in January andFebruary each year) offers lots ofentertainment: the ice palace,Bonhomme and toboggan races toname a few. Be sure to sample thefestival's signature drink, the Caribou, aheady mix that often includes red wine,liquor (typically whiskey) and maplesyrup or sugar. carnaval.qc.ca/en

14 SEE THEKORTEBAANRACES (DUTCH

SPEEDSKATING) INEDMONTONThe Silver Skate Festival, in WilliamHawrelak Park, is Edmonton's longest-running winter festival, held at the e~dof each February. Not to be missed: theKortebaan races, traditional Dutchspeedskating sprint competitions.silverskatefestiva I.org

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I48 FEBRUARY 2012 I INSPIRING IDEAS FOR EVERYDAY LIVING