I will be coming to Calgary at the end of September. I hope to get a job working in the ski resorts around banff and lake louise. Failing that I will try to get a job in Calgary.

My major concern is the weather. I have been to Mont tremblant when it was -20c. It was bright and dry no wind so it wasnt as bad as i thought thu if my gloves were off for more than 1 minute I felt a burning sensation of cold!

In calgary and banff does it get much colder than -20c. What are the winters
like?

Is there much snow how often does it snow?

Is there a lot of brightness and sun?

Is there a lot of windchill?

How often does the chinook take place and how long does is last for?

When does the weather start getting cold?

when does the weather start getting milder?

I know that there is no absolute answers or guarantees to these answers but
some general advice would be great.

It is either calgary or vancouver but

the rain in van put me off plus the cost of living and the lack of jobs and maybe the people are more friendly in calgary?

Am i insane to go to calgary?


Can I anybody advise me?

thanks

gar

No, you're not insane to go to Calgary. It's becoming a more popular place for immigrates to go.

One thing that you must understand about Alberta's weather is that it's incredibly unpredictable. You want to know just when what happens. Sorry, that isn't possible for Alberta. Southern Alberta has the world's most variable climate. For example, on Christmas day, it could be +20 C, or it could be -35 C.

My major concern is the weather. I have been to Mont tremblant when it was -20c. It was bright and dry no wind so it wasnt as bad as i thought thu if my gloves were off for more than 1 minute I felt a burning sensation of cold!
Do that in January or February in Calgary and you'll risk frostbite.

In calgary and banff does it get much colder than -20c. What are the winters
like?
It gets down to the mid -30c's, windchill takes it down to the -40C's. People say it gets a lot colder than that and that we have had mild winters since we got here. Banff is colder than Calgary. When we first came here, I thought Calgary had two seasons - blink and you'll miss spring and fall.

Is there much snow how often does it snow?
It can snow anytime of the year - we've been here 3 years and I think July is the only month when we haven't seen snow in at least one of those years. Snow in June is normal, we expect is to return in September. The most I've seen is a couple of feet overnight, although a couple of years before we got here they had six feet overnight - it actually brought the city to a standstill.

Is there a lot of brightness and sun?
300+ days of sunshine on average per year, just don't look directly at the snow on a sunny day.

Is there a lot of windchill?
Yes - it makes a big difference.

How often does the chinook take place and how long does is last for?
Maybe every 2 or 3 weeks in the winter, maybe it'll last a few days - it blows long enough to melt the snow. It's one of the things that makes life unpredictable here. The flipside of the chinooks are what we have right now - an arctic air mass that's settled over the province and freezing us.

When does the weather start getting cold?
Tough question - chinooks screw things up - it usually gets colder in September. August has been crap this year - it's been very cold and wet, normally it's quite warm.

when does the weather start getting milder?
Spring turns up around June - we seem to get a big dump of snow around the long weekend at the end of May. It can get quite warm in March or April, but it usually gets colder again for a couple of weeks afterwards. One of the challenges of gardening in the chinook zone is that you have to pick plants that won't get fooled by the fake springs.

I know that there is no absolute answers or guarantees to these answers but
some general advice would be great.
Just remember the word "unpredictable".

It is either calgary or vancouver but the rain in van put me off plus the cost of living and the lack of jobs and maybe the people are more friendly in calgary?
People aren't amazingly friendly in Calgary, but they aren't amazingly unfriendly. I haven't made the same sort of friends I had in the UK, but I probably know a lot more people.

Am i insane to go to calgary?
Quite possibly, but it will help you settle in

Thanks for the information.

Glaswegian I couldnt have gotten a better reply. No point getting there and not being ready for a long winter.

Maybe Vancouver would be a better choice after all!
at least I am used to the rain

Lots of food for thought

thanks

gar

Just curious why Vancouver or Calgary? Is it just a mountain thing?

Well, the thing to remember is that on a sunny day the minus temperatures will not feel so cold! On the local mountains here one day it was -15 and so sunny I was in a teeshirt and saw folks skiing in shorts (god they must have been hardy!)

I know people here in "sunny" BC who miss the blue skies of Alberta and find the rain in winter quite oppressive. However, I live in one of the rainiest parts of a rainy area - I can't see what the problem is!!


Clare

I would think that if you are looking to work - then the important thing would be "where can I get a job" not "where is the weather better". If you moved to the Bahamas - the weather would probably be gorgeous most of the time, but if you couldn't get a job - couldn't afford somewhere to live or food to eat - then that might not work out to be as great as it first looked!

to iaink

I am open to suggestions where else shud I go unless I try the inner BC - dont know what winters are like there

halifax puts me off due to the long winter and heavy snowfalls

Toronto not for me I think - too sprawling GTA AREA

Montreal was great - culture,atmosphere favorite city in many ways but the winter again!

Vancouver - the setting

Calgary - close to the rockies


Work is important but I am looking more for an experience than a career. I suppose i am taking a late gap year aged 34 not emigrating so weather will be important plus other factors

gar

I live in Kelowna in the interior of BC and the weather is somewhere between Vancouver and Calgary. We don't get much rain but the winters aren't nearly as cold as Calgary. There are also lots of ski resorts in the interior. The nearest Ski resort to kelowna is Big White. Not sure what kind of visa you plan to come with but Big White is currently recruiting people for the 2004/05 ski season in a variety of jobs. In the summer there are tourism related jobs because of the weather/lake plus fruit picking. None of these jobs are very career orientated but good if you just want to have a year out and have some fun.

Hmmm. If work is not a factor and you are not looking to settle down somehere, why not start on one coast and work your way across the country, that would sure be an experience. You could plan to end up in Vancouver for a wet but warmer couple of months in the worst of the winter months. Wish Id thought of that before getting tied down!

FWIW there is more to Ontario than just the GTA,and as a province it is larger than France and Spain combined. Although not like coastal BC for mild winters (or rain for than matter) it doesnt seem as cold as Alberta, or as snowy as The Eastern provinces.

Hi

I live in the interior of BC and the weather is awesome! Long hot dry summers and relatively mild winters. If I were to spend sometime living or working at a ski resort I would go to Whistler or Silver Star in Vernon. Maybe Big White (Kelowna) but it is known for its greyness and lack of blue skies. There is plenty of choice here in the Okanagan for ski resorts but I still think my first choice would be to hang out at Whistler for awhile!

JJ

JJ

Just a thought ... don't know what sort of work you're looking for, but ....

Canmore is a big ski area - the Nordic Centre was built for the Winter Olympics and I believe, is a world class facility. I don't ski, but I've run cross-country on ski trails during the summer - the views are awesome. Banff is in the national park, so development is limited - Canmore is free to be more adventurous.

Calgary has Canada Olympic Park - they run a lot of ski and snowboarding courses over the winter - try contacting them too.

To joggerjo What is the weather like in the interior of BC in the winter. Is is as mild as Vancouver. Do you get spring in March.

The rockies must make a big difference if there is so much difference between
EAST B.C. and alberta.

Some nice places in the okanagan - would they be an active social life ? or is it quiet

I am looking for any wokr I can get thu casual work would suit to travel around. Formerly Network Administator but have given up on getting such a job in Canada.

Hi

The winters are cooler than down in Vancouver but we don't get their rain! The first 2 winters we were here it was very mild and we had about 3 seperate days of snow which were gone by the next day. This year it was colder and we had snow on the ground for longer. However, still very mild for Canada. Spring is on its way in March and is about a month later than the UK. This April it was HOT.

Kelowna which has a population of about 120K has lots going on, pop concerts, shows etc. As it is fairly big it has all the amenties, shops, resturants. If you were considering Vancouver then Kelowna might be a good choice for you. I think you might find the other places in the Okangan a bit small for you. Here in Penticotn we do have night clubs and bars etc but it can be pretty dead in the winter and can be busy in the summer due to tourists. If you want an outdoor/sporty kinda social life then Penticton is the place to be as there is so much going on. The present major is big into sport and so it works well for our city and I have heard that is goal is to make it the sporting capital of BC (if it isn't already). Anything you want to do sport wise here then you can.

Workwise - lots of casual temp jobs especially in the summer and plenty of them at the local ski resorts in the winter. Other than that it would have to be in the construction industry or tourism. Kelowna has more to offer in the way of work.

JJ

"People aren't amazingly friendly in Calgary, but they aren't amazingly unfriendly"......not a fair comparison, after all there's no people in THE WORLD more friendlier than Glaswegians.