The Bittersweet trails are operated and maintained by the Bittersweet Cross Country Ski Club. Situated in the Assiniboine River valley, they are a short 1½ hour drive from Winnipeg, 50 km SW of Portage la Prairie on highway 242 between highways 1 & 2, just north of the Assiniboine River bridge at the top of the hill.
The 21K of classic trails and 12K of skate trails are in a hilly wooded area. They are continuously groomed and offer an experience for all levels of skiers, from beginner to expert. The trails range from easy to challenging. To maintain the intimate, woodsy feel of the trails, most of the skate and classic trails are separate to minimize trail width. The skate ski trails can only be accessed from the Oak Meadows Trailhead.
There really are hills in Manitoba (Bittersweet video)
Signs at the three trailheads state that dogs are not allowed on the trails.
There is a heated Nordic Centre building at the Oak Meadows Trailhead. It features a large south-facing deck, big windows that overlook the trails, comfortable seating, hot drinks, and (one of the grand ideas from Maplelag Ski Resort) a “bottomless cookie jar”! A new Terrain Park is also located at the Oak Meadows Trailhead.
The wood-heated Ski Hut is located among the trails for your convenience, either as a rest stop or as a lunch spot to meet with your fellow skiers.
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Bittersweet has developed a new map for its trail system. It uses the Avenza Maps app and a georeferenced PDF file (Bittersweet Trails Map). The Avenza Maps app uses your phone’s (or tablet’s) built-in GPS to precisely track your location with a moving blue dot in real time. It does not require cellular service or internet access to function. The app also provides a number of other features, including the ability to zoom in or out, record your track distance and time, drop and label placemarks, attach photos, and more.
To use the Avenza map:
— Install the free Avenza Maps app from Google Play (Android), the App Store (iOS), or the Windows Store.
— Download the Bittersweet Trails Map (2.8 MB PDF). (The map can also be printed or viewed without using the Avenza Maps app.)
— Open the Avenza Maps app, configure Settings from the menu, and import/copy the downloaded Bittersweet Trails Map into the app. Tap the map to begin using it.
Info and support:
— avenzamaps.com
— avenza.com/pdf-maps
The updated map has been printed on aluminum and mounted at all trail junctions. There are also large versions in the Nordic Centre and the Ski Hut.
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Membership to the Bittersweet Cross Country Ski Club can be purchased on-site or by going to zone4.ca and searching for Bittersweet Ski Club.
The club produces a newsletter in the Fall and Winter that it emails to members. Non-members can be added to the distribution list by contacting McMaster@xplornet.com .
Non-members must sign their names and the date in the registration books provided at our trailheads, and are thus covered as day users by our liability insurance provider for that particular day. Appropriate signage to this effect will now be posted at our trailheads. We thank you for your cooperation in this matter. We hope that the benefits you gain, access to our beautiful trails, will justify the trouble of reading and signing the necessary forms. Also, please make a donation in the locked box to help the club with the expense of operating the Nordic Centre and grooming the trails.
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Bittersweet’s annual recreational skiing event is held every year on the Sunday of the Louis Riel long weekend. It’s listed on CCSAM’s Events Calendar.
Group Admins
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Kevin Miller posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 5 months, 3 weeks agoA post on the A Cross Country Ski Club Facebook group on Sunday evening says:
Fantastic late season skate ski at Bittersweet today. A couple of pieces of bark on the trail but otherwise perfect April skate conditions with no bare spots! Started around 11:30 and it was a touch icy but conditions improved greatly once the temperatures hit zero. -
Laura McMaster posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 6 months agoSome skate trails renovated Sunday: Skater’s Waltz and Oak Meadow. When the temperature rises a bit they should be quite good.
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gebert posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 6 months agoHey Laura… Does that description include the skate trails? Or some of the skate trails?
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Not yet? They’re going to try Sunday morning, I believe. I’ll update when I know for sure.
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Thanks so much Laura…
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See my report above!
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Ah jeez Laura sorry. I meant to reply and thank you for the info days ago. As it was i had a great fatbike at Minnedosa Sunday. and i would guess the skiing is done after this week… or, April Fools? lol.
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Laura McMaster posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 6 months agoThe groomer took advantage of the cold temperatures and tried some renovations. The results are good to fair but definitely skiable!!! Only eastern trails are open and can be accessed from either trailhead. Do not attempt ungroomed trails: they are icy and dangerous. If we stay off the trails when it’s above zero we might get another week of skiing!
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Cory B posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 6 months, 1 week agoClassic tracks and skate trails still in tact Saturday morning. Surprised not to see more visitors! Like many other locations, days are numbered.
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Ardythe McMaster posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 6 months, 3 weeks agoOur groomers continue to work at improving our skate trails! We can now report that Ridge Runner trail is in good condition, while World Cup condition is rated as ‘fair’.
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Ardythe McMaster posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 6 months, 3 weeks agoOak Meadow and Skaters Waltz skate trails groomed today and in very good condition.
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Laura McMaster posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 7 months agoAll trails, classic and skate, groomed and ready for the warm weekend! Heads up: the deep snow in the bush has lead to significantly increased deer activity on the trails. Watch for tracks and other surprises 🙂
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Laura McMaster posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 7 months agoReporting live from the trails…we are finally ready to set tracks. Starting from the Nordic Centre- skiing by lunchtime!
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Laura McMaster posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 7 months agoWe’ve been dealing with a ton of snow and even more wind leaving us with massive drifts throughout the system. We packed and rolled yesterday and hope to have at least some classic trails ready to go later this morning for holiday Monday folks.
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Thank you for the update:) What a challenging year for groomers and skiers!
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Ardythe McMaster posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 7 months, 2 weeks agoAfter a week of warm temperatures and freezing rain, the icy conditions proved to be too much for our grooming machines. They are unable to break the ice into small, manageable crumble that can be groomed. After skiing a bit on some trails, we can report that the tracks have skiffs of snow in the bottoms, and that skiing is possible if one is…[Read more]
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Ardythe McMaster posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 7 months, 2 weeks agoThe icy conditions created by the past week’s arm temperatures and freezing rain have proved too much for our machines to renovate. We are unable to improve the conditions that exist. So, skiers who are aware, careful, and experienced can find skiing at Bittersweet only fair. The big hills should definitely be avoided, but the skiff on snow lying…[Read more]
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Kevin Miller posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 7 months, 2 weeks agoFrom Ardythe McMaster on Wednesday morning:
After Tuesday’s warm temperatures and light rain, our trails are icy, requiring klister. Skiing is not recommended, and the big hills are dangerous. We are waiting for conditions to improve before renovating our trails, and we will post when we have done so. -
Kevin Miller posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 7 months, 2 weeks agoFrom Ardythe McMaster on Saturday evening:
All classic trail were groomed today. Our groomers will be out tomorrow morning, ( Sunday ) to groom the skate trails for all our skating friends. Join us! -
Kevin Miller posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 7 months, 3 weeks agoFrom Ardythe McMaster on Friday morning:
We have lots and lots of snow, and some of it is blown into big drifts across trails. Our groomers plan to groom on Saturday morning, after the forecast snow on Friday night. Please be patient. There should be good skiing by Saturday noon. The parking lot has already been plowed. -
Ardythe McMaster posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 7 months, 3 weeks agoFound on the skate trail as it crosses our yard, a pair of men’s sunglasses. Black frames with blue lenses. Please contact us to claim them. Ardythe McMaster
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DaleK posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 7 months, 3 weeks agoWeekend update from Facebook site: Conditions today on the trails are perfect thanks to the groomers that were out doing repairs Friday evening and Saturday morning
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DaleK posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 7 months, 4 weeks agoConditions today (27th) were excellent on all of the classic trails east of the main parking, thanks to wonderful grooming probably done this morning. Only one trail to stay off. North Star was visited by a school who did the trail backwards flattening the grooming especially on Reggies Run, the major hill, also walking the trail with snowshoes,…[Read more]
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Kevin Miller posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 8 months agoFrom Bittersweet Ski Club’s Facebook page on Saturday morning:
The groomers are headed out now. They are starting with the east side trails And will finish on the west side classic by the end of the day. -
DaleK posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 8 months, 1 week agoClassic skied starting at the farmhouse on Omega to Archie’s Swamp, Deep Woods, down Coyote to Cranberry, back up to Cottonwood, Red Hill and back to Archies and Omega avoiding the big wind. The grooming was perfect, the hills safe, and 10.5 km. a little more than an hour and a half. Yesterday, we did most of the other classic trails which were…[Read more]
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