This is a competitive sport Canadians have been training for their whole lives. A giant snowman-building competition is happening this February as part of Ottawa’s Winterlude Festival and all locals are encouraged to participate.

Participants can build their best and finest snowman, snow woman, or snow animal for a chance to have their name engraved on the Snowphy Trophy and win a prize.

The contest runs in the Ottawa neighbourhood of The Glebe throughout the duration of the Winterlude festival, and a winner is chosen on February 21st, which is the final day of the event.

To submit your snowman for consideration, you’ll have to send a photo via email or social media tag — all the deets can be found here.

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If you want to watch the pros at work for some inspiration, Winterlude’s national ice-carving championship will be running on February 5th and 6th this winter.

A tag team of pro sculptors from every province will compete in the event. This year, the contestants will have 20 hours to sculpt 15 blocks of ice into a creation that falls under this year’s theme — ‘’Olympic and Paralympic spirit.”

You’ll have between February 11th and February 21st to vote online for your favourite ice sculpture, which will be on display on Sparks Street in Ottawa.

We Canadians know how to make the most of our cold winters and participate in some friendly competition while we’re at it.

Every year, Takhini Hot Springs in Whitehorse, Yukon hosts a Hair Freezing Contest, where participants dunk their heads into the water and create hilarious shapes out of their hair while it freezes. The winners with the most outrageous hairdos are given a pretty epic prize.

If there’s anything we know how to do well here in the north, it’s keeping the party going in sub-zero temperatures.