Freeze frame

Some cold hard facts about winter

Most snowfall in one day In Ontario: 101.6 cm in Nolalu (near Thunder Bay), March 24, 1975

In Canada: 145 cm, Tahtsa Lake West, B.C., February 11, 1999

In the world: 193 cm, Silver Lake, Colo., April 14, 1921

Amount of snow that prompted Mayor Mel of Toronto to call in the army back in 2000: 39 cm

For the 1,200th time, they don’t know!!!

Even though the OPP’s call centre in Orillia doesn’t provide road conditions, it still receives more than 1,200 calls per hour during a snowstorm, six times the usual number.

Take that snow and shove it

A cottager who weighs 127–137 lbs will burn 15.7 calories/minute shovelling heavy snow. That’s more than swimming 55 yd/min (12.5 cal/min), skating (9.3 cal/min), aerobic dancing (always popular at the cottage – 6.6 cal/min), or sex (4.5 cal/min).

Hold the second cup

A 12 oz hot chocolate with whipped cream equals 437 calories, or 28 minutes pushing the snow shovel.

World’s most politically correct Frosty 

The tallest snowman on earth was built in Bethel, Me., in February 1999. He was 34.63 metres tall, with two three-metre trees for arms and six car tires for a mouth, but no corncob pipe. The local chamber of commerce didn’t want to promote smoking. 

Waiter, there’s an ice worm in my drink

In The Ballad of the Ice-Worm Cocktail, by poet Robert Service, the “worm” turned out to be a spaghetti noodle. Ice worms do exist, however, living off algae that grow on Pacific Rim glaciers. 

- Michelle Kelly

Published in the November/December 2001 issue of Cottage Life magazine.
Copyright © 2001 by Cottage Life. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any article, photograph, or artwork, for other than personal use, in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher is strictly forbidden.