Lovin’ the ‘Lude

Here’s an easy problem for you: Winter + Beavertails + Ice = ?

Winterlude of course.

It’s on for three weekends from February 4 to 21. So after scouring the schedule for fun, family-friendly events, here’s what’s on our agenda:

1. A visit to the Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom at Jacques-Cartier Park. The only thing that could make this experience more Canadian is if we could walk around with a double-double in one hand and poutine in the other. (Wait, we can do that!) There are snow slides, a snow maze, snow sculptures, and more. You can even try your hand at skiing, sledding and inukshuk-building. Consider parking at the National Gallery or taking public transit, because parking is very limited at this site.
2. The Canadian Museum of Civilization is offering free admission to all exhibitions on Friday February 4, between 5 pm and 11 pm. There’s also a ‘chill-out chalet’ with activities for everyone.
3. We’re going to admire the work of professional ice carvers at the 24th Rogers International Ice-Carving Competition at Confederation Park (Rogers Crystal Garden).
4. We will warm our bellies at the 20th Annual ByWard Market Stew Cook-Off (located outdoors, at the corner of George and William St., Friday February 4 at noon). Proceeds will be donated to a local charity.

What to Bring Checklist

1. Prep thermoses (thermii?) with hot chocolate for the family to share. You can buy hot chocolate and hot cider at various places along the canal, but the line-ups can get long on weekends. (On the flipside, we will willingly wait 45 minutes for a Beavertail. Go figure.)
2. No one wants to suffer with cold toes. We love MEC’s selection of socks for snow sports, especially the Bridgedale Kid’s All Mountain Socks which have cozy cushioning on the leg and foot. Hand and toe warmers are also a great idea.
3. Protect young noggins and make sure the kids wear helmets while skating. Reasonably priced hockey helmets can be found at Canadian Tire, and at places like Tim’s Used Sports in Westboro.
4. Speaking of young heads, finding hats to fit comfortably under a helmet is a perennial parental dilemma. Block Heater Hats are designed specifically to fit under hockey helmets. They are the brainchild of Ottawa-area parents who struggled with dressing their kids for outdoor rinks…inspired by the ‘lude, perhaps?
5. Bring a sled and an extra blanket, because no matter how young or old your kids are, they’ll get tired and cold. And even if they don’t want to get dragged around for a little while, their gear will need to be.

And here’s what’s new and cool: to help us keep track of all the fun, the NCC designed a new Winterlude app. It’s a map, a complete list of events organized by site and date, and a source for updated ice conditions for the Rideau Canal Skateway…all at our (exposed and freezing) fingertips!

Winterlude? It’s no problem at all.

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