I'm being told that apparently it snows so much in Canada over the winter(obviously more in some places than others), that you have to spend 30 mins every night clearing your drive otherwise you don't anywhere in the morning. And then on top of that you have to get up 30-45mins earlier in the morning to shift the snow that fell during the night.

Also that even if you are just going down the road you have to wrap up really warm.

Is this a bit over the top?

That sounds about right for most of Canada.

The snow season where I live runs from October to May and in total, you're looking at two to three metres. It doesn't snow all the time but last winter I reckon I shovelled two or three days per week from early December until Easter. You can't let it build up or sit there in the sun to partially melt and then freeze.

Temperatures above zero are rare from December to March. Minus 40 is very cold indeed.

Dunno. I preferred -40C in Edmonton to 4C in a typical UK winter... it may be colder, but it felt much less nasty than British weather.

Though having icicles form in my hair while sitting in the hot-tub in the back yard was kind of weird .

Nope it gets really cold but not the same as in UK a dry Cold it is, Once snow has fallen you have to shovel the sidewalk and the driveway outside your property as in most cases its a bylaw and needs to be done

30-45 mins for your car in the morning :scared: what rae you doing polishing it, No seriously only takes 5 to twn mins if that, and 20 mins before you leave you start the car from your house

ahhh command start I love it

Just also have to get used to snow driving and ice :scared:

Feeling the hairs in your nose freeze instantly is a bit of a shock the first time, too.

I agree, though, that winter is nicer here, even if it is cold. Where I live, it is also spectacularly pretty.

The real problem is what to do with the beer. The garage isn't an option, as I discovered to my cost.

One thing's for sure it will be a shock moving from Dubai to Canada..

yep... but remember that could be 30-45mins with a snow blower some mornings... and yes in the evening as well

Buy a nose hair trimmer ... makes those cold days much more bearable

We had a situation last winter when it snowed heavily during the day. It took me an hour to shovel the driveway. Then the plough came along and blocked off the driveway. Fortunately, I work at home, so I was able to shift that lot immediately. We then had some freezing rain. People arriving home from work after that were greeted by one hell of a job. Some of them resorted to axes. And much swearing.

No, I wouldn't say it's over the top. Obviously it depends on how long your driveway is and the amount of snow that has fallen, but in January and February it is not uncommon to get 10-20 (or 30) cm of snow at one time. If that falls during the day then you will have to shovel at night to get your car in and out of the driveway, and if it falls overnight you will have to do the same in the morning.

As for wrapping up just to go outside for short distances, it is of course up to you if you want to go outside in shirt sleeves when it is minus 10, 20 or colder, but I would recommend a coat, gloves and boots if there is a lot of snow or slush. I guess there are some things you have to see for yourself. There are some brave souls who wear shorts all winter, usually for a dare or to raise money for charity, but I think they are slightly out of their minds.

The UPS guys in Calgary compete to see who can wear short pants longest - I've seen them out in shorts well below -20C.

I think I live in the freezing rain capital of Canada so the comments about snow turning into concrete after freezing rain really strike a chord!

We had a mildish winter last year. The one week where we had snow, freezing rain, rain, a thaw, a freeze (repeated several times) and another dump of snow was interesting to say the least. One friday I was out at lunchtime driving through flooded roads (snow in the gullies preventing them draining) an by 5pm that evening the slush on the car had frozen to the carpark surface and required 5 mins of chipping with a shovel before I could drive away!

That and the day after moving into a house with a 100ft drive we got 50cm of snow. That required a JCB to clear (for the massive sum of $20) although if you've got a jeep........(see pic!)

AX

hehehee..sorry that made me chuckle....icicles in hair....

Must be a UPS thing. There is one of them in Oakville who never wears long pants.