David Sax is not wrong in this recent opinion piece in the Globe and Mail:
Adults suck at winter. We see it as a long, dark, cold, uncomfortable season that we have to endure and survive. The older you get, the harder winter is. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
There are some cities that do better at winter. For whatever reason, Montreal has always felt to me like a city that embraces it more than say Toronto. Maybe it's because it's generally colder and snowier. Maybe it's because they have mountains nearby. Or maybe I'm wrong. It has just always seemed that way to me.
The trick, as David points out, is to find something you love that you can only do in the winter. For me, and many others, that thing is skiing and snowboarding. Here is a photo from yesterday afternoon taken from within the trees at Brighton Resort in Utah:
One of the things I love about Salt Lake City / Park City is how much ski and snowboard culture permeates everything. Drive around and you'll see people waiting at bus stops with all of their gear on and their skis in hand. The locals also tell me that if there's an epic storm, you can expect a lot of people to show up in the office around lunchtime.
This is one way to love winter. Admittedly, it's harder in a city without mountains and snow accumulation, and only cold winter weather. (Cities like Toronto.) So what are your options then? If you have any ideas or things you love to do, please share them in the comment section below. Us adults should suck less at winter.
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Winnipeg is another city that does winter well (or at least did while I was growing up there). I think it has to do with sun in part. (Almost always sunny). And consistancy. It's cold and snowy and sunny from Halloween to March/April. No mountains. No oceans. No distractions. Just cold, crisp, snowy, sunny winter. I loved it.
I was actually thinking of Winnipeg while writing this post. I have heard it's a great winter city. Never been, though.
My favorite method of loving Winter after growing up in Michigan, and spending 25 years in the Chicago area. Then 11 in the Upper Peninsula and N. Wisconsin, while peppering in a Winter in Maine and one in Colorado, was to move to Southern Arizona.
Lol, that's totally fair
100% agree. Have fun in your formative years in the snow and it lasts a lifetime. That’s where cities should focus. MTL is fun for all but young people love the snow there.
I love Montreal for so many reasons. The proximity to the mountains is a wonderful perk in my view.