Nova Scotians get creative (and a little obscene) with big snowfall

Massive piles of snow are inspiring creativity among winter-hardy Nova Scotians who are risking numb fingers in the name of fun.

From animals to shelters to the obscene, Bluenosers are proving there's more to snow than snowmen.

In Avonport, Robert Smith stuck to a Maritime theme, sculpting a giant killer whale along a snowbank by his property.

Netflix and chill

Meanwhile, in north-end Halifax, Gillian Good went with something a little more utilitarian and built a quinzee — a type of snow shelter — in her backyard, far away from the plows.

Last week, she brought candles and an iPad inside and was able to comfortably watch Stranger Things on Netflix.

Snowball tournament

A number of eyebrows were raised in Musquodoboit Harbour on Sunday when six teams took to the snow-covered ball field for a softball tournament.

Participants of the aptly named Snowball expected snow — but the knee-high drifts came as a surprise.

"We weren't planning on 50 centimetres of snow being on the field so we made the best of it," said Patricia Spence, one of the players.

The Snowball was a fundraiser for a softball team from the area going to Hamilton for a tournament.

The games lasted eight hours and Spence said the weather was beautiful. Despite using yellow balls, Spence said it took a lot of time to find them in the deep powder.

She said more people should try to enjoy the winter weather while it's here.

"I see people grumbling and groaning and, 'Oh my God, more snow!' And you know what? You just got to try and make the best of it," she said.

'Unusual creativity' in Yarmouth

Some teens in southwest Nova Scotia got some laughs with their artistic endeavour — and some unwanted attention from police.

RCMP were called to a home in Yarmouth on Sunday afternoon after getting a call about a giant frosty phallus.

"The matter involved a prank that demonstrated some unusual creativity of young people who were enjoying the recent snowfall," Cpl. Jennifer Clarke told CBC News in an email.

The people who built it were asked to take it down "due to its questionable nature," Clarke said.

John Thibeau, whose girlfriend lives next door, took pictures of the sculpture from start to finish and documented it on Twitter (Warning: graphic content).

It took about five hours for the teens to build it, Thibeau said.

"Most people thought it was absolutely hilarious," he said.

"We had people stopping in front of the house for a couple of hours taking pictures, they were driving back two or three times, they were laughing."