People visiting Place Jacques-Cartier in Old Montreal.NicolasMcComber
Marc-Olivier Frappier is an unapologetic lover of winter. “People always ask Montrealers: but what do you do in winter?,” says the chef and owner of award-winning Little Italy restaurant Mon Lapin. “It’s as if we were all hibernating, just waiting for spring.”
Quite the contrary, he says proudly: “[Here,] people go out even more in the wintertime.”
To enjoy a Canadian city like Montreal during the winter – where temperatures fall past 20 below, and, according to the city, an average of 190 centimetres of snow falls each year – you must learn not just to survive the cold, but to embrace it.
The city’s diverse array of vibrant outdoor offerings and cozy après-ski vibes entice locals and visitors alike. It’s partially an attitude, and partially the result of strong seasonal programming.
Montreal is known for its festivals, and it doesn’t take a break during the bitter months: Igloofest, an electronic music celebration that describes itself as “the coldest music festival in the world” will go on for its 16th year next Jan. 19 to Feb. 11, while Montréal en Lumière, a series of playful illuminated art installations accompanied by dance, theatre and food events runs from Feb. 16 to March 5, 2023.
In a city that boasts 21 large parks, dozens of neighbourhood playgrounds, community gardens and green laneways (ruelles vertes) get converted into ice rinks and snow castles once the temperature dips below freezing. For skating alone, you might lace up in the Old Port, on top of Mount Royal, in gracious Parc Lafontaine or on the new outdoor path in the Esplanade Tranquille in the heart of downtown.
Identify outdoor activities that you love
Landscape architect Chieu-Anh Le Van has always loved winter, but it’s cross-country skiing and skating that lure her outside each year. Montreal has more than 200 kilometres of marked trails and over 150 outdoor rinks, and Le Van has her favourites: Jarry Park, an urban oasis a few blocks from her home that boasts a huge skating pond and a looped cross-country skiing trail. For outings further afield, she heads to Cap St-Jacques, a nature park along the Rivières des Prairies. “On stormy days, it’s magical,” she says. “You can’t even see the horizon.”
Jarry Park is a favourite spot for director and musician Patrick Boivin, too, though not for skating or skiing. A committed runner, Boivin doesn’t let winter interfere with his goal of getting out for a jog four times a week. His cold-weather ritual has him putting dinner in the oven before he sets out to circumambulate the park in the late afternoon, getting home to a sheet pan meal that cooked itself while he was out.
Others might choose to hit the mountain, the namesake Mount Royal designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, perhaps best known for designing New York’s Central Park. Parc du Mont-Royal has it all: Jogging paths, cross-country ski trails, hills for sledding and tubing, a lake for skating and a 256-step stairway from downtown leading up to a spectacular view of the city and the St Lawrence River.
“Going up the mountain” is a Montreal ritual – often followed by hot chocolate at the Beaux-Arts chalet at the top (or hot bagels in nearby Mile End). And it’s uniquely serene during winter, when snow blankets the ground, cushioning the slope from the sounds of the city, so all that’s left is the occasional crunchy footstep.
Danny Pavlopoulos, co-founder of Spade and Palacio Non-Touristy Tours, says his “winter-freak dog” and a super-toasty Montreal-made Kanuk coat get him to the mountain throughout the season. Owning a car can be a hassle in the winter, so Pavlopoulos takes advantage of popular auto-share service Communauto to get to and fro.
There are quite a few who opt to ride on two wheels, instead – even after big storms, biking happens year-round in Montreal. More than 700 kilometres of bike paths, many of them protected and some of them two lanes, are frequented by hardy – and well-kitted – cyclists every year, who venture out into the slush with a brave face on.
And even car owners, often stuck digging their vehicles out of the snow, find a way to embrace it. Cook Chelsea Dwarika admits to the occasional frustration when her car is blocked in by two feet of snow on the driver’s side because of snow plowing, but she ensures she keeps her perspective – it’s a great way to bond with your neighbours. “You just have to laugh sometimes,” she says. “And ask for help.”
Dwarika has found another way to relax and connect in winter: Nordic day spa getaways with friends, in town or at the floating Bota Bota spa in the Old Port. “Swimsuits and toques, raclette and wine and reading by the fire: we’re all in search of coziness, warmth, and commiseration at this time of year,” she says.
Frappier, the restaurateur agrees: Go outdoors, hang out with your friends and loved ones, become one with the cold and then it’s time to chill. “We own our winter here,” he asserts. “I just love frosty windows in packed restaurants when it’s -25 outside.”