As someone who grew up in Switzerland, I'm sick and tired of the British hysteria about a bit of snow

I’m told that in the Swiss town of Basel, one gentleman went for a leisurely swim in the Rhine last weekend, no wetsuit required. It was minus 7 degrees outside. And Londoners are still acting like they're the gritty survivors of an apocalyptic event

Josie Cox
Wednesday 28 February 2018 16:05 GMT
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UK Weather: Red warnings for England, Wales and Scotland

I was leaving the office on Tuesday evening – specifically, stepping out into a puddle of greyish slush, which was similar in consistency to a bowl of abandoned sorbet – when I got a text from my sister who lives in Berlin.

“It’s minus 14 degrees here,” she wrote, “and I’m just riding my bike home.” This was in response to a message I’d sent her about the British hysteria surrounding the current weather.

I looked across the street, where proud commuters were braving the elements, gifting each other shy, chronically un-Londoner-like glances of solidarity as they trudged to the tube: little acknowledgements of the fact that yes, we are the survivors, the hardy lot who tackled the storm valiantly.

The storm, that is, that lasted all of half an hour over lunchtime, leaving a flurry of frost in its wake, and coating rooftops and cars with a dusting of flakes, snapshots of which will inevitably clog up social media feeds for days and weeks to come. Hashtag Snowmageddon.

The Beast from the East has featured prominently in headlines, front pages and newsreels of the national press, topping articles about grounded flights and the Siberian blast paralysing public transport networks. You’d be forgiven for thinking that we were battening down for war, or at the very least bracing for some supernatural meteorological phenomenon that strikes once in a millennium.

But no. Truth is, it’s cold outside – about minus 4 degrees at worst – and we Brits are simply obsessed with panicking about the weather.

Meanwhile, back in mainland Europe, it’s very much business as usual. It’s bitterly chilly – minus 20 degrees in some places – but schools are open, trains are operating, roads are gritted and people generally don’t appear to be carrying around a sense of pride akin to that of a record-breaking marathon runner, just for mustering up the courage to leave the house on time in the morning.

UK weather: Amazing timelapse video shows snow falling across London

I grew up in Switzerland and never once enjoyed a snow day. The village where we lived had several feet of snow almost every year. It often lasted for weeks, but the only real source of sustainable angst or stress stemmed from who might win the neighbourhood snowman-making competition.

What’s even more remarkable is that our continental cousins don’t waste their breath talking about it. The icy pavements are a fact, and admittedly a bit of a nuisance, but the world is still turning, politicians are still squabbling, wars are still raging, and – believe it or not – fascinating stories about scientists discovering revolutionary therapies for degenerative diseases are still deemed more worthy of column inches than something as mundane as the frosty temperature.

Or the fact that penguins in London Zoo are having the time of their lives (and yes, admittedly, they are very cute. But still.)

I know that up until about 2010, we enjoyed a consistent string of relatively mild winters, but since then I feel like we’ve indulged in annually bemoaning the under-preparedness of the country when the mercury dips, frequently in an overdramatic way.

Might it not be time to get used to the fact that snow is highly possible between the months of November and March, even in London? And how about we all try not to descend into an anxious frenzy when the powdery stuff starts to fall? Just buy a decent pair of snow shoes and a coat instead. Treat yourself to a merino hat if you need to. I saw two people wearing shorts on Tuesday and one woman in flip flops.

Obviously superior infrastructure would help. I realise that logistically and financially it’s unrealistic for us to be able to pre-emptively salt all roads, or have heated train and tube tracks like they do in parts of Scandinavia and Canada, but please can we just try and get on with our lives?

I’m told that in the Swiss town of Basel, one gentleman went for a leisurely swim in the Rhine last weekend, no wetsuit required. It was minus 7 degrees outside, but the river wasn’t frozen. I wouldn’t want to take responsibility for anyone’s hypothermia by encouraging dips in the Thames post-work, but God knows we could do with a bit of European grit. Even if just for the sake of a reliable bus service.

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