Chills and thrills on the opening weekend of Winterlude

“It is cold, but this is great. The ice is the best it’s been in a long time. We’re loving it.”

Two-year-old Alaina Bailey flashed a big grin when she spotted Winterlude’s Ice Hog family of mascots at Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques Cartier Park on Saturday morning.

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The little girl made a beeline for the oversized characters, arms open wide. She got her hug and then turned to Mom, ready for the next thrill in the giant snow playground in Gatineau. Among the options were big hills for tubing down, an obstacle course to tackle and a maze to navigate.

“This is a big attraction for us,” mom Melanie Bailey said, referring to the snowy Kingdom. The family drove in from the Metcalfe area to enjoy the first full day of Winterlude, with plans also including skating on the Rideau Canal and checking out the ice sculptures on Sparks Street.

The 47th edition of Winterlude, Ottawa-Gatineau’s winter festival, opened on what skiers would call a “bluebird day,” with clear skies, cold temperatures and a nice blast of sunshine. While the wind chill may have deterred larger crowds from showing up to Snowflake Kingdom first thing in the morning, more people were expected as the day went on. 

The official Winterlude site at Sparks Street was slow to get moving, too, and, thanks to the tall buildings in the area, didn’t have the benefit of sunshine. Ice carvers were hard at work on their creations early in the day, but some of the other features weren’t quite ready.

Meanwhile, the Rideau Canal Skateway was a hive of activity on Saturday morning. Despite the efforts of Heritage Canada organizers to take the focus of Winterlude off the canal, Mother Nature made sure the skateway was the star of the show, at least for the opening weekend. The ice had been swept and flooded several nights in the past week.

Lured by the ideal ice conditions, hundreds of people of all ages flocked to the access points, many leaving their boots in the snowbanks because the storage shelves were full.

Among the skaters was a group of 12 family members, ranging in age from five months to 62, from Canada and the United States. Matriarch Tracey Stockdale, a Washington State-based Canadian who used to live in Ottawa, said she loved winter and wanted her grandchildren to experience it, too.

Most of the family was on skates, except for two little ones in a sleigh pushed by their dad.

“This is our first time back with all the grandchildren,” Stockdale, a retired nurse, said of the family vacation to Winterlude. “We want them to learn to skate and have fun and enjoy the Canadian winter.” 

As a former Ottawan who remembered the years when Winterlude also included horse races on the canal, she was impressed by the ice conditions.

“It is cold, but this is great,” Stockdale said. “The ice is the best it’s been in a long time. We’re loving it.”

Other activities taking place the first weekend of Winterlude included the Governor General’s Winter Celebration at Rideau Hall and the Winter Jazz Festival at Arts Court.

The Bytown Museum, ByWard Market and Lansdowne Park are also hosting Winterlude festivities.

Winterlude Photos