Rediscovering snow

I can’t remember the last time I got all bundled up to play in the snow. Since I moved to Denmark four and a half years ago, I’ve been out sledding twice, I’ve been skating outdoors twice, and haven’t really had use for proper outdoor footwear.

Besides the few snow angels I made when walking the house dog in university, snow related activities belong to that part of my childhood when snow was still a novelty and not burden; when tobogganing down the railroad hill was fun, snowshoeing was done on old-fashioned wooden “racquets” tied with mock-sinew, and snowsuits weren’t the definition of dorky. Back then a little imagination and a pair of cross-country skis, poles and a scarf could go along way. I still remember rigging up an elaborate system of ski gear—I can’t recall the purpose— from the tree house in my backyard with one of my best childhood friends.

But at some point the innocent fun of playing in the snow turned into tiresome wading through knee deep drifts to get to and from school. When the practical Sorel or Kamik boots become un-cool and a pair of sneakers was the preferred footwear.

This year my impending relocation to Ethiopia and the unusual amount of snow and below zero temperatures has raised the latent snow-lover in me. The snow-hater is still there, don’t get me wrong, but suddenly the idea of spending an afternoon skating on a frozen pond or engineering an igloo-turned-fort seems like a great way to spend an afternoon. The presence of nieces and nephews helps too.

So on Saturday I spent part of the afternoon building a snow fort with my cousin and her kids. The children lost interest before the adults did, and it turned into an architectural/building project where we developed best-practice techniques to ensure a stable construction. It’s amazing how much fun you can have even when determination and the inner perfectionist takes over.

Perhaps it’s the threat of plus 30 degree temperatures in my near future or the unusual nature of the winter this year, but which ever it is, I’ve rediscovered the joy of winter this year.