For sliding down hills or gliding along trails, there are plenty of places to go skiing in Manitoba. Winnipeg itself has some of the best groomed cross-country sites in all of the province, set within an urban winter wonderland.
Winnipeg’s urban trails
Windsor Park Nordic Centre is the crown jewel of city outdoors. Managed and operated by the Cross Country Ski Association of Manitoba, it has 15 kilometers of trails. They are groomed daily, seven days per week, for both classic and skate skiing. As such, it’s home to professional skiiers, absolute beginners, and everyone in between. As well, one of the most beautiful times to be there is after dark, when its lit up for night skiing.
There are many choice trails within Winnipeg’s city limits. Harbour View Complex is the perfect entry-level distance, measuring in at three kilometers. St. Vital Park offers more than five kilometers, much of them along the river. Assiniboine Park has eight kilometers that take you past Lyric Theatre. While Kildonan Park is home to nine kilometers.
Downhill skiing in Manitoba
Asessippi Ski Resort, near the town of Inglis, has specially designated beginner areas. Instruction for skiing and snowboarding is offered for group, private and semi-private lessons. Known as Manitoba’s largest downhill ski resort, they’ve got 26 downhill runs, three chair lifts, and two terrain parks. Also four snow-tubing runs, snow-biking, and snow-shoeing.
Falcon Ridge Ski Slopes is tucked away in the boreal forest on the shores of Falcon Lake. They have 12 alpine ski runs, the no-messing-around terrain park, and a tube run. Four lifts include one t-bar, two rope tows, and handle towing for beginners. There are 30 kilometers of world class nordic ski trails for skate and classic, free for anyone to use.
The closest downhill site to the city is Springhill Winter Park, merely 15 minutes from downtown Winnipeg. Their hill stands at 150 vertical feet with four lifts (one quad chair lift, one handle tow, two rope tows), a terrain park, tube run, and bunny hill for learning.
