A Five-Minute Walk That Turned into a Mount Everest Climb
By Stephanie Venegas
My snow day story takes place in December 2024, when I was commuting from Richmond to the BCIT Burnaby campus. Since the trip typically took an hour and a half, I usually woke up at 5 a.m. to catch the SkyTrain by 6. That morning, I woke up an hour earlier in hopes of beating the morning traffic. I arrived on campus with time to spare, feeling victorious about the decision I made.
However, my high spirits sank when I saw the sight in front of me.
My usual shortcut to Building SE6 was buried in a complete whiteout. The area was covered in snow, turning what was normally a 5-minute walk into a much longer battle. Although I had time to take a detour, I went ahead anyway, momentarily forgetting all the safety precautions around snow—and the risk of hypothermia.
My fashion-over-function boots, which barely reached my knees, were immediately engulfed by the deep snow. What came next was the most gruelling fifteen minutes of my life; my knees ached from repeatedly taking laboured steps through the heavy snow. It felt like climbing a mountain with my knees above my head—an exaggeration that perfectly describes the struggle I endured.
When I finally arrived at my destination, I was shivering from the cold, my boots packed with snow, and my pants completely drenched. What made it worse was that I was stuck in those wet clothes for the rest of the day until I finally got home.
The takeaway? Here’s what that snowy day taught me:
Always wear the right shoes: Invest in some proper, knee-high waterproof boots.
Be prepared and make sure you are staying safe: Even if it means that you have to take a longer route. Also, keep a small bag in your backpack or car with dry gloves, a warm hat, and even a spare pair of pants. You never know when you might need to change into them.
Stay updated with campus notifications: Your phone is a lifeline. You can use it to check BCIT’s official social media account or website for campus closure updates or hazard reports for specific buildings. Real-time information can save you from unnecessary and risky journeys.
Snow Day Survival: Ctrl + Alt + Freeze
By Ayaka Nakamichi
When I woke up that morning, Vancouver had apparently decided to blanket itself in snow. The ground that was usually soaked with rain was now covered in white—like the city had been Photoshopped overnight. For a second, I thought I’d woken up on the set of The Chronicles of Narnia.
Growing up somewhere that rarely received snowfall, I was thrilled. I grabbed my phone and, of course, posted my excitement on Instagram right away. A friend from northern Japan later teased, “You were so cute, getting that excited over snow.” She wasn’t wrong. I laughed, realizing that for her, snow meant shovelling driveways—not aesthetic Instagram posts.
My excitement didn’t last long, though. That evening, my Photoshop class was moved online because of the storm—my first virtual class at BCIT. I thought, “I’ve already survived plenty of online meetings. How hard could it be?” Spoiler: very.
Trying to follow the instructor’s demo on a thirteeninch laptop while switching between layers and tools felt like a race against an avalanche. Every click lagged. My screen froze twice. I couldn’t tell whether it was my Wi-Fi or my willpower that was weakening. The instructor’s voice turned robotic—“Cl-cl-clone stamp tool…”—as if the microphone itself had frozen in the cold.
There was no chatting, no laughter—just the quiet tension of students everywhere silently battling their computers. By the end of class, I had a finished file, three new wrinkles, and a deep respect for anyone who edits photos on a small screen.
The next day, classes were back in person, which meant I had to face my first snowy commute. I wasn’t sure whether the buses would even be running, so I left home early just in case. The snow hadn’t fallen much overnight, but what remained had turned into a sheet of ice. Every step felt like walking on a skating rink for the first time: one wrong move and I’d be flat on my back. I shuffled down the sidewalk like an uncoordinated penguin, moving so carefully that a 5-minute walk to the bus stop took ten minutes. I missed the bus, unfortunately, but still made it to the BCIT Downtown Campus on time—proud, cold, and slightly traumatised.
That snowy week taught me 3 things:
Never overestimate your balance: Tread carefully on slippery sidewalks.
Embrace the chaos: Whether it’s a frozen screen or an icy sidewalk, flexibility (and humour) goes a long way.
Leave early and lower your expectations: Buses, Wi-Fi, and the weather are all unpredictable.
Snow may stop buses, but it didn’t stop class—or life: Somewhere between the computer crashes, the lags, and the slippery sidewalks, I realized that chaos doesn’t just test your patience—it builds it.
Transit on the Snowy Tracks
By Selena Teixeira
Vancouver is known for responding poorly to unexpected snowfalls during the winter season. When snow covers the slick, paved roads of the highway, things can get hectic. No one in the city seems to know how to drive properly, leading to accidents that clog highway exits and make it almost impossible to arrive at school on time. Luckily for me, I don’t drive—but I do have to take the SkyTrain to school.
Last winter, the moment I opened the door to leave my house and felt snow falling on my head, I knew I was in for a chaotic commute. Since I didn’t own a car, transit was my only option—and it came with its own struggles. On snowy days, the buses get stuck, the lines are long, and the SkyTrain can barely run when there’s even a thin layer of snow on the tracks. As I walked to the station, I saw the wait times projected on the neon signage: “VCC Clark — 12 minutes.” There were warnings on the screens too, reminding everyone to walk—not run—in fear of slips and falls. I sighed as I stood beside thirty people whom I knew would try to cram into the train as soon as the doors opened, packing us in tighter than sardines in a tin can. Once I got on, I immediately started to overheat in the coat I’d worn to keep myself warm.
Because of the snow on the tracks, the train moved more slowly than usual, but I didn’t dare complain—at least it was moving. As it approached Brentwood Town Centre Station, I prepared myself to push through the swarm of people also getting off at the stop. I tried hard to maintain my balance as I treaded carefully through the slush left behind by dozens of boots.
After finally making it out of the station, I walked toward the 130 bus stop and saw a massive line of students also trying to get to BCIT. I trudged my way through the snow and reached the end of the line, watching bus after bus pass by—each one overflowing with students desperate to make it to their lectures. After fifteen minutes, I finally made it onto a bus. Once it reached capacity, I was pushed toward the very back with barely any space to stand or hold onto anything. When we arrived at my stop, everyone rushed out, trying not to slip on the snow piled up on the curb.
Despite the long journey, I was thrilled that I was only ten minutes late to class.
The best advice I can give to a fellow student on a snowy day:
To bundle up in warm clothes to brace the long wait times outdoors.
Remain patient because mornings like this can be extremely frustrating.
