Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta, is often called the “ City of Festival ” , as this place is full of events and festivals on a regular basis. Here are some of the best winter events in Edmonton for you.

Snowshoeing

If you want to appreciate stars in your snowshoes, head to the Ek Island National Park. This park is a great option for a full-day or a half-day trip. You can rent snowshoes at most locations. It’s actually quite a fun family activity to enjoy the white snow outside.

Cost: rental starts at $7 / hour

Typical hours: 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm

Northern Lights

Edmonton is located in the northern part of Alberta where sighting Northern Lights during winters is common. Edmonton is an awesome location to watch stars.

Cost: free

Typical hours: after midnight

Ice on Whyte Festival

Ice on Whyte is an ice carving festival. Many international artists arrive in Edmonton carve ice and display their works of art during this festival. This is a must-visit item! Ice carving competitions are held at the festival every year. It is held on the last weekend of January and the first weekend of February.

Cost: $7 +

Typical hours: 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Snowball Fights

The Rundle Park is a beautiful park which overlooks the North Saskatchewan River, so you can imagine how beautiful it is. When you reach there, it’s like a snowy winter wonderland waiting for you to kick in the river valley adventure. Have a snowball fight and have fun there.

Cost: free

Typical hours: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Binge-watching is when a person watches more than one episode of a show in quick succession（一连串，连续）"． With developments in the speed and connectivity of the internet， increases in technology and the rise of on-demand entertainment companies， people can now have their favorite shows streamed directly to their television at their convenience．

This behavior is nothing new． In fact， " binge-watching" has been officially listed in dictionaries since 2015． The entertainment companies recognize this behavior and many take steps to encourage it． Often， instead of releasing each episode on a week-by-week basis， an entire series will become available concurrently． Once the episode finishes many platforms will display pop-ups with "you might like suggestions， or will automatically play the next episode"．

However， recent research suggests that out of the more than half of British adults who watch more than one episode of a show back-to-back， almost a third have admitted missing sleep or becoming tired as a result； and one quarter have neglected their household chores． Next we'll be missing work!

Bingeing has other connections-binge eating， binge drinking and binge smoking． All of them are often associated with a lack of control and a possible route to addiction． Lindsey Fussell， consumer group director， said： "The days of waiting a week for the next episode are largely gone， with people finding it hard to resist watching multiple episodes around the house or on the move．" If people find binge-watching hard to resist， coupled with the fact that it has shown to lead to negligence in many， are we witnessing the birth of a new type of addiction？

The countless of information and entertainment that television and online media can bring us is， many would say， a good thing． However， when the activity begins to bleed into other areas， causing us to stop functioning then it becomes a problem． So， what's the answer？ Moderation! Neither a tiny amount， nor too much． After all， as the old proverb says， "A little of what you fancy does you good．"

Jason had been watching the X Games on TV. Athletes from all over the world were competing in the most amazing sports. Just then his grandmother walked into the room. "I want to be extreme. Would you really let me do that? You always worry about my safety!" said Jason.

"You will have to follow some rules, said his grandmother. "You can only ride in the park--never on the streets. You have to promise to wear a helmet (头盔). If you hurt yourself too much, I have the right to take your skateboard away Is it a deal?"

"You bet!" Jason was so excited that he jumped off the sofa. A week later he had a board and a helmet.

On Saturday, his grandmother dropped him off near the park. He was happy to have a grandmother who let him try new things.

Kids in the park were moving quickly up and down the ramps (坡道). They flew into the air and landed as easily as birds. When he watched the X games, Jason felt like he was doing the tricks himself. But watching these kids up close, he knew that none of it was going to be easy. He felt a little bit scared.

Very slowly he carried his board to the ramp. Taking a deep breath, he put his right foot on the board. He kicked off with his left foot. For a few seconds he glided (滑行) along, just waiting to fall. Then he came to a stop Kicking off again, he waited for the worst to happen. Again, he stayed up. The third time he kicked, lost his balance and fell hard on his left knee.

It hurt, but it was no big deal! Why had he been so scared? Now he felt calm because things had gone wrong and he was fine!

Next time he kicked off harder and went fast and farther. " Excellent! "said a girl as she passed him "Extreme!" laughed Jason to himself. "Not quite."