I cant wait to get out there this summer. I wonder how people got on during the winter. What was your 1st winter like out there in general. During the UK winter I am fine but I expect getting to work will be harder maybe in winter out there and also maybe more chance of getting sick during winter specailly when its your 1st winter there. Be interesting to hear all your stories of your 1st winter out there. Did you cope with it ok.

What season are you talking about?

What do you mean what season? I said winter? is that not a season? Around November to February.

Whereabouts in Canada though because winters vary depending on where you live. My Vancouver winter consists of rain, rain and more rain. We had a couple of weeks of snow where I wasn't quick enough to put the car at the top of the driveway so we had to shovel the snow out of the way but that was it. Just loads of rain (can't you tell I hate the damn rain!)

Hi Liquidsuite

Phil went out beginning of February and had to drive in snow straight away.

The weather in Alberta can vary from day to day - one day it would be - 25 and the next +10. Yeah they did have bad snow but as the skies are usually clear and the sun is out that helps you through the snow.

One thing that we were talking about last week whilst I was out there was driving in the snow and he said that the car dealer he bought the car off had said that a good idea is to get a AWD car until you get used to the amount of snow.

He hasnt had any accidents in the snow thank god - but one night there was a slight thaw of the snow on the top of his car and then a quick freeze therefore creating icicles attaching the car to the driveway ready for the morning = would have loved to seen his face

You just wrapped yourself up and get on with it - having said that I am not looking forward to it as I am a real cold bum

Wet.

Duck hunting, I think he means. I cope well because I fortunately do not look like a duck.

Winters are not a problem, you just have to dress properly.

The coldest I've experienced is -55c with the wind chill, -48c without. Cars don't like start if they haven't been plugged in, but you can plug in the block heater in a lot of car parks.

Here in Winnipeg people can go from their Garage to underground heated parking Downtown, to their office, go shopping and for lunch, drive home and never once get cold, if they so choose.

If you want to play or work in the cold you just need the correct cloths and then its no problem.

Hi Liquidsuite

3 winters so far - first two were a doddle - last one not so good.

First one had a dump of snow in late Oct (this is in Alberta by the way - nr Ed) which cleared very quickly - good driving practice though - ready for the real thing from end nov onwards! We were renting then with no garage. 1 snow day at school. Tip: If you are renting at first, check there is an outside plug for your car - you only need to plug in at -20 though.

2nd winter - no snow till Feb - everything looked brown for months - v depressing. Brown Christmas! After Feb, snow came in dumps till Aprilish. Plenty of time in between dumps for the roads to be cleared - very few delays - no snow days at school.

3rd winter - first lot of snow in Oct - continual snow till Feb - more dumps until May! Roads got backed up - not enough clearers - lost count of the number of times people fell off our driveway and had to be pulled out. We finally bit the bullet and bought a blade for our ATV. 2 snow days (more extreme cold days). Shovelling was a daily event.

RE cars - if you are a confident driver who "reads" other traffic and road conditions well, you should be ok in a newer 2-wheel drive car especially if it has traction control. Tip: Basic rules for driving in ice/snow - leave yourself enough time to stop - start and stop slowwlllyy - don't brake on a hill (up or down) - corner slowwwlllyyy - always assume the person in front does not know what he/she is doing!!

If you are like me - panicky driver who is often thinking about what to buy for dinner instead of concentrating on the road - get a AWD or 4-wheel-drive. We leased AWDs when we first got here which gave me a lot more confidence at first. Then bought cheaper, older 4-wheel-drive models last year. Let me also add - we are rural and have some very steep hills near us - especially the one up our drive which has been the death of many a gas-meter man! We also need the clearance often to get out of the subdivision - our roads are always cleared a couple of days after everyone else.

If you are in town - you will probably be ok without an AWD/4-wheel-drive at least on the main routes - things got very backed up in Ed last year - lots of complaints cos peeps couldn't get their cars out their drives even.

Lowest temperatures in 3 years for us were -38 (during 2 days) last year. Usually cold snaps last for a week or so at most and were around -30. The rest of the time -20 is coldest.

Apart from getting a good pair of snow boots (and kitting out the kids in snow suits for school) we haven't found the need for winter clothes per se. Just layer up and ensure you have plenty of hats and mitts. Mostly you're in the car or in the mall or work or home to be honest! Unless you are doing some outdoor activities - taboggoning, skiing, hockey etc and then you'll need some decent warm gear.

Hope that gives you a taster!

1st winter really mild - no reall snow until after crimbo and all gone by march - it was a breeze.

2nd winter OH MY GOD! We had 6 months of deep snow on the ground - yeah it's really pretty, yeah it's great to have a white crimbo, yeah we did expect something like this but it does get boring.

Bought some snow pants - only 'cause we have a dog and he likes to be walked - not much fun for his human when it's 25 below with a -40 wind chill and your nose hair freezes and your eyelashes stick together (lots of Aunt Sally looks if your going out with mascara on)

Nicer than being rained on daily though.

Oh as for illnesses, we have all suffered fewer colds/aches/pains etc since we have lived here.

Oh, c'mon duckie...

We have done two winters aswell, and during the 1st one we wondered what all the fuss was about.

During the 2nd one.......we found out. !! It wasn't so much the temps, it was the duration. As Ladymoose said, snows came in Oct and it remained on the ground until April, so it felt looooooooonnnnnggggg.....!!!

Then again, it beats looking at brown grass.

Next winter my youngest son will be old enough to start skiing, so hopefully more winter activities will open up to us to keep us occupied, not to mention a 2 week trip to the warmth somewhere next winter........thats a definate !!!

Landed on Jan 8th 2007 - weather not too cold. Within a week or so the temps dropped dramatically. Worst temp was about -29C but nearly every single day the sky was blue and the sun shone.

To cope with the chill we bought winter boots to withstand -40C, ski gloves and had a good thick jacket. Wore layers underneath ready to peel off when you go shopping. No problem with car starting. Roads kept cleared. Informed that we had very little in the way of snow compared to previous years. None of us have been ill since we arrived. Not even a sniffle.

I was told by my Canadian friend that there should be little chance of overnight frost after June 15th .

The last few days have been really hot at high 20Cs and high 30Cs on my deck.

I coped fine. But you have a real problem. Liquid freezes. Enjoy.

First winter ('05-'06), not much bad weather to deal with, but woefully under equiped to cope with snow removal. A shovel, hand-push plough blade, quad and trailer of sand/salt proved inadequate to cope with a 32 acre equestrian facility with over 2kms of roadways to keep clear!

Had to call in neighbours with snow blowers/tractor ploughs several times - fortunately the weather was pretty mild, and snow light.

This winter we had 25% above average snowfall - and earlier in the year we'd invested in a tractor with front loader, plough and at the end of fall a dump truck load of sand/salt. Spent 55hrs clearing snow between mid Nov and mid March (took approx 4hrs to clean up after a snowfall) - never really got cold, dressing suitably is the key.