Vancouver and snow

[muses_nightmare]

Okay, so this is less about me hating things as it is my amusement at them.

I live in Burnaby, BC. Now I'm aware that this area of the province doesn't usually get a lot of snow in the winter, in fact last winter it sprinkled a tiny bit of snow one day and that was it. BUT it is not unheard of for it to snow here, maybe not as much as up north where I'm from, but it does snow. What I can't figure out is why everyone is sooo surprised when it does snow. Seriously, it's the TOP news story on the provincial news! Snow is not news, aside from maybe the weather portion of the news. It does not need to take priority over murders and certain political goings on now does it?

That being said, when it does snow it is a source of amusement for me, watching these people who year after year are wholly unprepared for something that happens more often than not in the winter, last winter was not the typical winter. It usually snows to some degree. Yet people can't seem to grasp the concept of having a snow brush/ ice scraper in their car. I watched someone try and sweep half a foot of snow off their car with a credit card. Even when I don't have a brush handy I figured every idiot knew that sweeping off your car with your arms is a lot faster and easier...so I just chuckle at them.

That being said I'd like to add : WOOHOO it's actually snowing here! First thing the bf said when he saw it was snowing was ask me if I wanted to go for a drive with him. you know you're from the North when...

[Rebel]

Hey. This is my first actual winter here in Vancouver (I don't count last winter at all).
And I'm gonna say it now, I was not prepared for it, but I have the excuse of being an Australian who has never seen snow before (seen frost, but not snow).

I had to buy a scarf, beanie, and gloves during my dinner break tonight at work. And I was wearing sneakers (but at least I had 2 pairs of long socks on as well as a winter coat).

But...

People were coming into my liquor store wearing shorts, singlets, and flip flops, and then complaining about the cold. Almost no-one was wearing a winter coat, and I got to watch cars going sideways out of the parking lot every time I decided to sneak a look.

So bad side, my feet were cold and wet when I arrived home.
On the plus side, I had my first snowball fight!

[muses_nightmare]

Well, I mean it's fair enough for you to not be prepared, but people who have lived her for awhile really should be. The amount of people with summer tires on in the snow boggles my mind, it really does. I feel for you, coming from a warmer climate and all. It's just entertaining to me cause I come from somewhere that's a few hours drive from Alaska (okay so the very bottom little bit, but still it's Alaska!) so I grew up with cold snowy winters.

It's weird here, because on days when it's maybe 10 degrees at the coldest people are in full on parkas, yet when it snows they seem to forget those same parkas at home. I will never understand it. Given, I'm of the opinion that it never really gets "cold" here, a hoodie and a light waterproof coat are fine up to like -10 or so. But I'm from a place where people wear shorts and t-shirts in the snow on purpose and don't complain about the cold. I still wear my runners, but that's mainly because I have yet to find a decent looking pair of boots, why do they make all winter boots so ugly?

Enjoy the snowball fights! Those and walks at night in the snow are my favorite things about winter.

[lordlundar]

Wait, Vancouver gets snow? I thought they just got colder rain.

[muses_nightmare]

Wait, Vancouver gets snow? I thought they just got colder rain.

Well it's sorta like snow when it sticks around long enough to be white!

[protege]

The same thoughts could be directed at Pittsburgh. It usually snows here in the winters. But, people can't handle it. In fact, who knew that one little snowflake could turn every road in the county into a damn parking lot. People literally freak out over it--which isn't helped by the local media interrupting shows to drone on about the half-inch of white stuff that "may" be coming. Seriously, was it necessary to bump the *real* news to the end of the 11pm hour?

I laugh at the idiots who insist that you "need an SUV" or 4WD to get around here in the winter. Trust me, you don't. All you need is a decent set of tires and to not freak out. I've lived here for nearly 35 years, been driving for 20...and never once have I needed an SUV to get somewhere. Sure, I've slid, and some hills are a bitch, but I've never hit anything. Of course, I know to downshift, and to not use the brakes unless I have to. Plus, I know that if I keep the car in 2nd, I can literally 'walk' right up hills with no problems at all, much to the annoyance of stuck SUV owners

Also, I usually don't get cold much. Multiple blizzards, delivering newspapers in the snow, and my mother not wanting to turn the heat on, saw to that. Even so, I'm not stupid. I don't go outside in shorts when it's 20 F out, and I'm always bundled up.

[Eisa]

Hey, it snowed here in Idaho! We have a couple inches.

People here are usually not too stupid, but people get blase about it and decide that yeah, even though there's 6 inches of snow, they should still speed. Or they MUST go the speed limit...in a blizzard. There's a point where you just drive as slowly as you can and hope for the best...

Also, you can tell who just moved here and isn't used to snow 'cause they freak the hell out, it's funny.

[muses_nightmare]

I think people around here don't realize that you actually need winter tires for that white stuff on the ground.

The biggest danger for me and the BF while driving in the winter? Other drivers who have no effing clue what they're doing.

Someone actually commented on the news in surprise that there was snow in mid/late November. Though I suppose for down here that is kind of unusual. I feel like one of those old people that says "in my day..." all the time, but growing up 4ft of snow was pretty much normal for this time of year. Though, it seems that climate change has caught up with us, because winters up North aren't quite the same as they used to be.

[Lace Neil Singer]

*ahem* Snow in England. This is most people's reaction:

"OMG it's snowing I need to run down to the supermarket and stock up with twenty loaves of bread and fifty bottles of milk! Panic panic panic!"

Not to mention the government's failure to grit the roads. -.- Last January, the gritters didn't even come to my village; they just bypassed it completely.

Admittedly I did stock up a little; I bought tins of soup, chocolate and cigarettes. All the important things.

[AdminAssistant]

I don't think this city knows what salt is or that it can melt ice and snow and keep roads and sidewalks clear. Hell, they'll make everybody come to school, and they haven't even shoveled or salted (well, 'sanded' the college doesn't use salt either) the sidewalks and stairs. One friend said it was so bad one day, that the stairs that go 'up the hill' weren't safe. So people were on all fours crawling up the hill to get to class. Ridiculous. I'm just waiting for someone to seriously hurt themselves and sue the university.

[blas87]

In Wisconsinland, one of the places of the most brutal snows and cold temps, our snow removal systems suck horribly.

That and for weeks last winter, I drove my garbage to the dumpster because the parking lot (in the middle of all 5 complexes) was complete glare ice that they didn't care to tend to.

[bhskittykatt]

I live just about an hour south of Vancouver. I stocked up early, as I do every year. I had to stock up a bit earlier this year, but I got my coat, snow shovels, cable chains, extra cable chains, etc. all ready to go. I've run out of coffee though....I must make my way to the store and remedy this...

What sucks here is that we seldom get snow, so the city sucks at clearing the roads. Our city only owns ONE snowplow...extra plows and sanders we have to borrow from the county or the state. Right now, all the snow has melted and refroze into sheets of ice everywhere. It's been a couple days, and the major roads are okay, but the side roads are a nightmare. Many haven't had any sand or salt at all, and it's been four days.