Stay Safe and Active this Winter

Tips to help your family get the most out of this winter

By Sarah Blades

Wear the gear

• Make sure proper safety gear is worn when taking part in winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, and sledding.
• It is recommended that a multi-impact helmet such as a skiing or hockey helmet is worn for these activities.
• A bike helmet would not protect your head properly if you were to fall on ice or hard snow.

Take care in extreme cold

• When the temperature dips below -25 Celsius, regardless of wind-chill, children should play inside.
• When the wind-chill dips below -28 Celsius, regardless of temperature, children should play inside. This is the “feels like” temperature where exposed skin freezes in minutes.
• Wet clothes are the biggest contributing factor to frostbite, so make sure children come in to change wet socks and mittens frequently.
• Tube shaped neck warmers should be used instead of long scarves that could tangle and cause a child to choke.

Inspect outdoor play areas

• Ice should be at least 15 cm thick for walking or skating alone, or 20 cm thick for skating parties or games.
• Snow banks at the side of the road are not safe places to play. The snowplow could come by and scoop up more snow, along with any children playing inside.
• Sled on hills that do not end in a ditch beside a road, and avoid any ice-jumps or extreme drop offs. Walk up the side of the hill when you are finished to prevent any collisions.