Snowdrift

We get that they call us “Winterpeg,” but our city has truly learned to embrace winter and the onslaught of snow. One might even go so far as to say we find ways to get creative about it. Want proof? Check out Winnipeg Trails and Storefront Manitoba’s Cool Digs competition.

Cool Digs is a snow fort competition inviting design-minded teams to submit imaginative proposals for Winnipeg winter forts. These forts can be minimal, complicated, innovative, provocative, active— as long as it’s “cool” (not just literally) and celebrates winter in Winterpeg.

Republic’s winning proposal—fondly titled Snowdrift—is a mammoth undertaking. This structural marvel represents 55,000 – 60,000 lbs of snow and about 160 hours of manual labour to date. An inviting beauty with gentle curves, Snowdrift beckons visitors inside to rest on benches carved out of snow. Speaking of the white stuff, the word “snow” is carved into the drift, a playful touch that encourages friends to pause for a photo in the portal made by the “O.”

You’ll find Snowdrift at Coronation Park on St. Mary’s Road.