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Alberta In Winter: Embracing Our Defining Season

LOOK: Embracing Alberta In Winter
Alamy

In Alberta snow has fallen, and stuck, as early as August.

Whether we like to admit it or not, Canada is a winter country and Alberta is true to that reality.

Paper drink umbrellas and lounging chairs on sandy beaches don’t define us. Snowshoes and skis over fire places do. And there is one thing that all who inhabit this nearly perpetually frozen land will recognize as truly Canadian – the Hudson’s Bay blanket. Yes, a white, heavy blanket is – if by necessity – one of our most recognizable icons.

Yet, many Albertans survive winter by running from warm car to warm building, spending long winter nights in front of the tube and with the only thing keeping them sane being their dream of a Cuban vacation or hope that maybe, just maybe, it will be warm enough for sandals by June.

But then, there are those Albertans who don’t just survive winter but thrive in it and find the beauty and poetry in a quiet, clear winter night or in the crunch of the fresh snow under one’s feet.

And for those adventurous enough to wander into the long cold winter nights, or fortunate enough to stumble upon to them, theirs is a trophy for the senses, as the brightness of the moon and stars lands on a mantle of snow and is magnified into a mid-day brightness, or are unexpectedly bathed in the dancing glow of the northern lights.

So, during this most festive of winter seasons, we showcase what makes Alberta winters worth embracing.

Crosscountry Skiing

Embracing Alberta Winters

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