Photo Cred - zvileve Montreal has one of the harshest winters in Canada, and it can be quite the shock for anyone that’s never experienced it before. You may love it or you may hate it, but you’ll be sure to learn from it. Click here for 13 Things You Will 100% Learn From Living Through Winter In Montreal > How to walk on ice Since Montreal doesn’t seem to believe in clearing their sidewalks of ice, you’ll learn to walk on it pretty quickly. Essentially it has the same rules as running: don’t do it with your hands in your pockets and you really don’t want to be carrying any sharp objects. How to sleep through the world’s most annoying sound The snow plow warning bell is one of the most obnoxious sounds you will ever hear in Montreal, and is rarely sounded outside the hours of 10pm and 3am, so you either learn to sleep through it or don't sleep at all. Bitties will be bitties, no matter how cold If you thought that at a certain temperature the mini skirts would disappear, think again. Girls will keep wearing them out in -20 and still stand in line for two chow afterwards. How to push a car over a snow bank If you somehow missed the snow plow warning, chances are you car has been blocked in by a snow bank. Your only options are to either hack away at the solid snow for hours OR get some friends and just push it out. Snow is an acceptable form of food You don’t have to be a little kid to get away with eating snow in Montreal. They'll even mix it with maple taffy and serve it to you on a stick. Winter is no excuse for not having outdoor festivals Just because it’s horrifyingly cold out doesn’t mean we’re going to stop partying outdoors. Events like Igloofest, the multi-day outdoor winter music fest, have become Montreal staples. Photo Cred - Gelfer Stone Never trust the temperature spike Getting your hopes up when the temperature starts to rise will almost certainly end in disappointment, since it’s most likely going to plummet right back down again. Bikers can annoy you all year round Unfortunately for anyone that thought winter would bring a break from bikers cutting you off and ignoring the road signs, that’s just not going to happen. Montreal bikers stay out all months of the year, no matter the weather. You’ll finally understand the crazy amount of beards As it turns out, beards aren’t just there to look cool - they’re like a built in face warmer, which really comes in handy when it hits -30. You can classify people into two categories The people who complain about the cold, and people who complain about the people complaining about the cold. Neither one is particularly fun to be around. Shovelling is an acceptable form of exercise You can easily skip the gym during the winter because anyone that’s ever had to shovel snow after a serious Montreal snow fall knows it’s a workout and a half. Photo Cred - Vero and Vince Not leaving your house for multiple days in a row is completely fine Once it gets to a certain point, leaving your house is only for when it’s absolutely necessary. No one’s going to judge you for not having been outside in the last 3 days. Photo Cred - Concordia University Closing down for snow is essentially non-existent If you were hoping the insane amount of snow would mean a crazy amount of “snow days", then think again. Things like that very rarely happen in Montreal. Photo Cred – Alex Train Looking for more? Click here for 12 Struggles Only Montreal McGill Students Will Understand >
