Lovell: Top 10 Tips for Winter Survival

Sydney, N.S.

Robert Lovell

With our first few snowfalls in the books, there have already been some serious accidents and no doubt several close calls. It seems every year some people forget what a winter here is like, even while others are experiencing it for the first time. So, in a likely futile attempt to curb winter driving mishaps and make your Cape Breton Winter as comfortable as possible, I present to you my tips for surviving a Cape Breton Winter:

1. It is okay to yell f**k after you get into your car when it’s freezing out. Everyone does it. Completely normal.

2. Invest in a good ice scraper. There’s nothing sadder than someone wiping car windows with their sleeve.

Canadian Tire has some fancy ice scrapers, but this one for $8.99 should do the trick.

3. Some days the only way to clear the windows is to idle the car and blast the heat.

4. It is perfectly acceptable to drive 30km/h or slower if there’s snow on the road. Just give yourself an extra 20 minutes to get to class. Most professors are understanding if you’re late because of bad roads (most).

You wouldn’t want this to be your car.

5. Watch out for black ice; it could be hiding in the shade where the sun hasn’t melted it yet. Pro tip: See a darker spot on the edge of the road? If it’s water you can hear it on your tires, if it’s ice you can’t.

6. Snowball fights are a favorite winter pass-time, but instantly become unfun when you get a face full. Please be considerate.

7. Don’t let the weather keep you inside! You can still do many of the activities you enjoyed in the warmer part of the year. A couple weeks ago I went hiking when it was 2 degrees and windy!

See? I went “hiking”.

8. Layers are your friend. I can’t stress this enough. You can be comfortable outside in almost any weather if you wear enough layers. For hiking I wore a T-shirt, long-sleeve shirt, a sweater and my humungous waterproof snowboard jacket. Get too warm? Just remove a layer.

You probably won’t have to go to this extreme… Poor Ralphie (A Christmas Story).

9. Scarves. They’re fashionable, keep the snow out of your shirt, and protect your face from windburn—’nuff said.

10. If it is freezing cold, breathe through your nose. The nose has special folds that warm inhaled air. Yay anatomy!

Got any other tips? Let us know in the comments on Facebook! I’d like to do a part 2 when classes get cancelled.