Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
in the U.K. has been to open markets based on French or German themes in the
downtown areas of many cities in the weeks before Christmas, focusing especially
on speciality foods from these countries. Hot drinks and foods are available, as well
as local entertainments, to add to the festivity of the winter events that are enhanced
by coloured light displays. What seems important in the vitality of these winter
activities is the inclusion of many different types of events at specific locations, not
only to attract diverse people but also to maintain the interest of others. In addition
it has been found that greater success occurs if they last a long time to keep people's
attention, overlap with one another, and emphasize local themes—in specific activi-
ties or food and drink—to give the place a distinctive feel. Yet such events rarely
occur spontaneously and need effective and creative management, either by the
urban authorities or local business organizations, to ensure success.
Even without the presence of a distinct festival many of the individual elements
that dominate these events are also found in many northern settlements and con-
tribute to their
winter recreational opportunities
. This means that many residents
prefer the winter season over others. It has led to such popular winter pastimes
as: toboggan (glissade) runs, downhill and cross-country skiing, ice-skating along
water courses, as well as snowmobile trips, ice-fishing and hunting in those towns
surrounded by forests. One well-known example is the way that Ottawa's Rideau
canal, which traverses the downtown area, has become a major ice-skating recre-
ational area in winter, whilst some who live along the route use it to commute to
work on skates. These uses have required city maintenance crews to regularly clear
the snow from the ice to make it suitable for skating. Other winter cities have cre-
ated large open-air skating rinks in winter that are turned into pools in the summer,
demonstrating an all-season approach to structures that will attract people to out-
door activities. Since the late nineteenth century, in Canada and the Scandinavian
countries in particular, the growth of the winter sport of ice-hockey was nurtured in
local ponds and outdoor rinks created and maintained by local community groups.
Today it must be admitted that most children and adults skate in indoor, purpose-
built rinks that guarantee ice-time irrespective of the weather. This also allows the
sport to be extended from the fall, through winter and spring, a trend that also ap-
plies to the sport of curling. Sweden in particular has developed ski or snow-shoe
trails in and around most towns, each with suitable rest and comfort stops as well
as warming areas based on fire-pits or shelters and food facilities. These facili-
ties have long provided an important leisure experience in winter. However as the
recent Edmonton Wintercity plan (CE
2013
) has noted, there is usually a need to
provide information about these opportunities, such as by developing a Wintercity
information hub and clear signposts pointing the way to recreational opportunities
in parks, many of which need to be restructured to provide winter activities as well
as the typical summer use. In Scandinavia many of the winter trails are converted to
walking or bicycle trails in the summer, although the warming effect of urban areas
means that it is more difficult to keep snow on the urban trails in early or late winter.
Intensive use of these facilities leads to increased levels of fitness and socialization
through shared experiences among the participants. Indeed many Swedish schools
provide their students with ski lessons in an attempt to encourage outdoor activity
