Bids for a two-metre mound of snow being offered on the internet auction site eBay climbed to over $3,000 Monday.

The snowbank, being sold by Michel Levesque, has attracted 54 bids. Levesque says in the posting that he will arrange for local pickup of the heavy snowbank from his home in St-Eustache, Que., about 40 kilometres north of Montreal.

"It was a joke that has snowballed," Levesque said. "I never expected this."

Proceeds from the sale will be directed to a charity called Operation Enfant Soleil, Levesque said.

Snowfall has been heavy over the past week in the Montreal area, with some 200 trucks an hour working to clear and dump thousands of tonnes of snow.

Levesque said response to the snowbank auction, which closes in four days, has been heartening.

"I keep getting messages of encouragement," Levesque said. "Everyone finds the idea stupid, but fun at the same time because it benefits charity."

With files from the Canadian Press