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Daveography

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Edmonton tops Canadian Geographic's list of Best Canadian Cities to Visit in Winter:

This northern Alberta city hasn't historically been known as a tourist destination, but a renewed focus on winter activities might turn that around. From a plethora of festivals — Ice on Whyte, Winter Light and Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival — to unique attractions like Candy Cane Lane and heated winter patios, this oft-underrated city is sure to surprise. Want something a bit more active? Sip & Slide toboggan events or Swing 'n' Skate at City Hall happen on regular Sundays. Read more about Edmonton's wintry reinvention in the November issue of Canadian Geographic Travel.


https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/best-canadian-cities-visit-winter
 
Edmonton ice castle back, bigger and better than before
The Hawrelak Park ice castle has been upsized in its second year, and promises to be bigger and better than before.

“It’s 50-per-cent bigger I’d say, at least,” said Brent Christensen, founder of and designer with Utah-based Ice Castles. “It’s going to be spectacular.”

The company built its first ice castle in Edmonton last year, one of about 15 that have been constructed across North America, where workers use sprinklers to spray freezing water that trickles down to create free-form spires of icicles.

At night, the ice is illuminated, bathing the ice castle in an ethereal glow.

“Once they come in through the entrance, they are surrounded in a place where they feel like they have never been before,” said Christensen. “We like them to come here and feel like they have been transported to a different realm.”

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/edmonton-ice-castle-back-bigger-and-better-than-before

Edmonton's ice castle back for a second year
 
How do you make Edmonton a warmer winter city?
How do we better embrace the cold? These three folks have some ideas, and they'll share them on Feb. 16, when NextGen and the Winter Cities Shake-Up partner to showcase Pecha Kucha talks that celebrate all things winter.

The event is at 7 p.m. and will be held at the Shaw Conference Centre. Metro spoke with some of the Pecha Kucha speakers to learn more about their cold-embracing ideas.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmont...er-city-ideas-from-pecha-kucha-speakers-.html
 
Edmonton Ice Castle to close Feb 26
The countdown is on to the end of the Edmonton Ice Castle season, after the Utah-based company that builds it announced Monday it would be closing the attraction's doors on Feb. 26.

Unlike last year, when unseasonably warm temperatures forced the castle to close early, this year they've managed to stick more or less to schedule, according to Kyle Humeny with Bottom Line Productions.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2017/02/13/edmonton-2017-ice-castle-to-close-feb-26-.html
 
Ice castle closed for maintenance due to warm weather
Edmonton’s week of warm weather is wreaking havoc on the city’s icy architecture.

Ice Castles Edmonton announced it is temporarily closing the castle in Hawrelak Park for maintenance starting Wednesday.

The castle will be closed from Wednesday Feb. 15 to Friday Feb. 17, and on Tuesday Feb. 21.

The company expects to reopen the castle Saturday under limited hours.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/ice-castle-closed-for-maintenance-due-to-warm-weather
 
WinterCity Strategy: 7 things Edmonton has done to embrace winter and where the city goes from here
It’s a bold goal but one the city said it is well on its way to implementing. The WinterCity Strategy aims to transform Edmonton into a world-leading winter city, to get people out enjoying the season rather than going into hibernation to avoid it.

“It’s really about realizing Edmonton’s full potential in the winter months,” said Sue Holdsworth, Edmonton’s WinterCity co-ordinator.

Edmonton’s WinterCity Strategy was adopted by city council in October 2012. A year later, the city accepted the strategy’s implementation plan, or road map, on how Edmonton will reach its goal of becoming a world winter leader. And this past December, the Winter Design Guidelines were passed, to ensure all city developments will consider how they can help transform hibernation time into a more social time.

Fast forward to 2017 and Holdsworth said she’s extremely pleased with the way Edmontonians have taken pride in the idea of embracing winter, as the community-based initiative can’t be done by the city alone. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child.

“It’s really cool to see how quickly our culture is shifting already,” she said.

http://globalnews.ca/news/3252540/w...o-embrace-winter-and-where-it-goes-from-here/
 
Edmonton Ice Castles closed indefinitely due to weather
One of Family Day’s premiere Edmonton destinations has been closed indefinitely.

Organizers announced Sunday that the famous Ice Castles were forced to closed due to warm temperatures and rain throughout the night.

“We will unfortunately be closed today, Sunday the 19th and tomorrow, Monday the 20th, and we will stay closed indefinitely,” Ice Castles YEG posted on its Facebook page, to plenty of unconsolable reactions on social media.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmont...stles-closed-indefinitely-due-to-weather.html
 
Edmonton the dirty: City reconsidering snow and ice removal
Edmonton looks dirty to out-of-town visitors. Its residential intersections are dangerous with glare ice and gravel. Seniors with walkers get trapped by the ruts and windrows.

There are alternatives. This doesn’t have to be just part of a winter city, said Doug Jones, Edmonton’s new head of city operations, who is setting up the largest rethink of the city’s snow and ice policy in years.

“Our practises are very vehicle-centric and also the climate has changed,” said Jones. “Now we get these mild spells … (The snow pack) turns to solid ice. You have to adjust your practices.”

For Jones and Eduardo Sosa, director of roadway maintenance, pretty much everything is on the table.

When they go to a meeting of city council in June, they plan to outline what it would take to plow all residential neighbourhoods down to bare pavement, how Edmonton could scale up to clear walking paths throughout the park system, and what it would take to get bike lanes cleared quickly.

In the meantime, they’re running pilot projects, commissioned an independent review from independent auditor KPMG and recruited a citizens’ panel to spend four Saturdays studying the issues.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...dirty-city-reconsidering-snow-and-ice-removal
 
Citizen panel wants new neighbourhoods to store their own snow, better enforcement of icy sidewalks
New suburban neighbourhoods should come with their own plan to store snow on site to prevent costly trucking across the city, say members of a citizen snow panel commissioned to take a new look at a long-standing issue.

06Edmonton should also ramp up enforcement, getting icy sidewalks cleared quickly when there is a complaint rather than simply issuing a warning, they said. Charge costs back to the property owner on their tax bill, and increase fines for leaving a car on the street during a snow ban, the panel recommends.

“People really wanted more enforcement,” said Edmond Chui, one of the panelists. “It takes a long time in Edmonton before the hazard is dealt with.”

About 50 people spent four Saturdays last spring learning about Edmonton’s winter roadway maintenance program and making suggestions. Then, frustrated at a lack of follow up from city staff, several sent the draft recommendations and other material to the Edmonton Journal.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...-own-snow-better-enforcement-of-icy-sidewalks
 
Ice Castle returns to William Hawrelak Park
Bundle up, ice lovers.

Construction is underway on Edmonton’s largest frozen attraction in William Hawrelak Park.

Back in Edmonton for its third year, the Ice Castle is expected to open in late December and stay open for visits until March — weather permitting.

When finished, the frigid creation is expected to take up about 0.4 hectares and contain 11 million kilograms of ice, stretching as high as 12 metres, according to a Friday news release from Ice Castles, LLC.

Workers hand-make the massive structure by harvesting large icicles on metal racks. Last year, 100 sprinklers ran around the clock while 25 workers moulded and shaped the crystalline creation.

Snow pants are a great idea because the castle will feature a tubular ice slide and small tunnels and crevasses to crawl through. Workers also install colour-changing LED lights inside the ice, which thrum in time to music at night.

“Every visitor to the Ice Castle will have a unique experience as the ice is always evolving — freezing, melting, and being reshaped by Ice Castle artisans,” the company said in a news release.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/ice-castle-returns-to-william-hawrelak-park
 
Edmonton group hopes to add saunas to frozen river valley

edmonton-project-sauna.png

River valley saunas are one of 10 ideas pitched to the Edmonton Project. The winner will be chosen in March. (Emma Sanborn)

Most Edmontonians wouldn't last five minutes wearing flip-flops and a bathing suit in -20 C weather. But one group is hoping to make it possible with a new addition to the river valley.

Emma Sanborn and Ranon Soans proposed the development of river valley saunas to the Edmonton Project, which is looking to add a distinct landmark to the city.

Sanborn got the idea when she was studying climate-sensitive urban planning in Sweden, where outdoor saunas are common.

"After that experience I thought 'Oh my goodness, why do we not we have this in Edmonton?'" she told CBC's Radio Active Friday. "We've got nice, cold, dry winters and a beautiful river valley. We need this."

The saunas would be accessible during winter if chosen as the winner of the Edmonton Project.

"It's a great way to be somewhere that's -20 C and actually stay and enjoy yourself for more than five minutes before your fingers freeze," she said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/river-valley-sauna-edmonton-project-1.4476595
 
'I’m seeing that shift in attitude': Edmontonians embracing the elements for winter events
story-322167-429530-image-rendered.jpg.size.xxlarge.letterbox.jpg

PICASA / METRO WEB UPLOAD
The City of Edmonton has been championing initiatives that encourage Edmontonians to embrace, rather than just survive, the season. Festivals like Ice on Whyte help encourage Edmontonians of all ages to enjoy some frigid fun.


It’s been a long winter in Edmonton, but festival organizers say the city’s inhabitants have been attending winter events with gusto.

“I’m seeing that shift in attitude in Edmonton,” said Flying Canoe Volant producer Daniel Cournoyer, who helped organize the event this past weekend which celebrated Edmonton’s long winter nights.

“We’re embracing the winter cold and long nights again, like when we were kids,” Cournoyer added. “(Back then) the outdoor rinks were always busy, even when it was minus 25. And when it snowed, it’d be a race to see who got to the toboggan hill first. Somehow, we got away from that, but we’re getting back.”

The City of Edmonton has been championing initiatives that encourage Edmontonians to embrace, rather than just survive, the season. This month alone, that includes Toque Tuesday, Winter Walk Day and Winter Bike to Work Day.

“Edmonton’s Winter Strategy wants to create our own uniquely Edmonton story that is deeply expressive of our northern-ness ... The physical and social aspects of getting outdoors in winter, being among others in the sometimes isolating frigid winter months, contributes to mental well-being,” said Isla Tanaka, winter city planner with the City of Edmonton.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmont...embracing-the-elements-for-winter-events.html
 
This pic shows the spot. The photo was taken from around the top bank looking south across the river. Basically the end of Jasper Ave. A friend of mine just moved into this amazing 100-year-old house that abuts Kinnard Park right there.
North Bank RiverValley 2020-02-23 326.JPGNorth Bank RiverValley 2020-02-23 073.JPG

Walking the trail east from there in Kinnard Park is amazing this time of year. A great view of the endless river valley. I was able to get fairly close to a mass of Bohemian Waxwings until they flocked off.
North Bank RiverValley 2020-02-23 194.JPGNorth Bank RiverValley 2020-02-23 197.JPG
 

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