While I can’t compete with the Inuit who have 50 words for snow or the Scots, with their whopping 421, here are my top five words for snow that you’re likely to hear in Canada.

Snowman snow: That sticky, heavy snow that clumps to the bottom of your wooden hand-me-down cross-country skis and breaks the backs of those unfortunates who must shovel, but is perfect for building snowmen and snow forts. Warning: it also packs a mean snowball!

Champagne powder: The light and powdery white stuff that flies off the tips of your skis and blows across your face as you blast through it. It’s fun, like a glass of champagne.

Charlie Brown snow: Those big, beautiful snowflakes that fall gently from the sky, turning the grey world into a winter wonderland that takes you back to your childhood.

Snowmageddon (also snowpocalypse): What Americans call a few inches, but is the Canadian reality from December to March.

Snowbigdeal: What folks in Canada call a few feet.

What’s your favourite word for snow?