Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Camp Morton Provincial Park 5 months agoPleased to report that — despite bare patches, walkers’ pockmarked divots, icy snow and open water — Camp Morton is still very skiable! Assuming, of course, that your priorities are, like ours, to extend your ski season come what may… and not to enjoy a quiet commune with nature or pleasant conversation with your ski buddy. We sounded like a cou…[Read more]
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 5 months agoWe had hoped to ski Bittersweet today but luckily opted to give Ardythe a call first – sounds like skiing is done for the year. Trails have deteriorated too far: the track has sunk and the snow that’s left is ice. See you next year, Bittersweet!
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Sandilands 5 months agoSkied pretty much everything at Sandilands Saturday and it was glorious. Only Grey, Grey Connector, the southern bits of Green, and the northern half of Black have been recently groomed, but the other trails were firm and just as fast. The best skiing may have been across the road on Yellow and Blue, which were just lovely! Wore the rock skis but…[Read more]
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Shannondale 5 months, 2 weeks agoGreat skiing Saturday at Shannondale! We skied all the trails, including a groomed but not mapped section outside the valley, tracing the edge of the woods. Grooming was pristine (other than the massive skid I left, taking an epic tumble on one of the bigger orange hills). Snow was smooth as butter at -1•C, and tracks were deep set except on a f…[Read more]
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Pinawa 6 months, 1 week agoSkied Pinawa Sunday afternoon. Came to do the orange loop, but it hadn’t been groomed or even skier tracked since all the recent snow. Opted for the red loops instead. The Derek Martin loop was not groomed but had been reasonably well travelled. The rest of red was good skiing — tracking getting a little worn, but still decent. By the time we’…[Read more]
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Seven Sisters Falls 6 months, 1 week agoSkied Seven Sisters Sunday morning. Was intrigued by some olde timey round basket pole prints as we set off. Turns out the vintage skier knew what they were about: the pole plant area was quite soft with deep snow. The tracks, though, were deep and sure and fast. Good skiing.
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Birch 6 months, 1 week agoSkied a lap of the classic trail here yesterday after a visit to Pumpkin Creek. Lovely grooming – we were flying. The two friendly mousers in the clubhouse were a very welcome (and welcoming!) addition.
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Pumpkin Creek 6 months, 1 week agoSkied Pumpkin Creek yesterday and appreciated the great fresh grooming. Deep crisp tracks, lots of glide. In some places one track or the other would sink down a bit as you planted your ski, but hopefully the cold weather and all the skiers we saw will have firmed this up and packed this down for today. We love how the groomers lift the…[Read more]
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Spruce Woods Provincial Park 6 months, 2 weeks agoSkied the Epinette Creek and Newfoundland trails into Jackfish cabin for Saturday night, and out again this morning. They were groomed Thursday and conditions were very good! Then it snowed a bunch, so it’s a bit more work now.
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Beaudry Provincial Park 7 months agoWild Grape, Elm and Basswood all very good as reported below. Cottonwood, which doesn’t appear on the map but veers west off Basswood, is also groomed. It’s decent in the woods, but hard drifts have formed wherever it’s slighty more open – including one four foot precipice. Lots of leafy debris, but that’s Beaudry!
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Pinawa 7 months agoSkied the blue, green and red loops today. The JGG Freeway has not been groomed yet this year, alas. Red is excellent (for classic — sorry skate skiers); the others decent. Doesn’t look like blue / green has been regroomed since some snowshoers, walkers and huge wolves have been by, but enough skiers have gone through to have smoothed things out…[Read more]
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Birds Hill Provincial Park 7 months, 1 week agoAspen, Bluestem and Chickadee in good shape today!!
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Sandilands 7 months, 1 week agoSkied Green, Black, Purple and Grey loops on Saturday afternoon. All had been groomed well on Friday: snow was quick and tracks were excellent. Minor quibble that the packed snow surrounding tracks was on the soft side, so double poling was less efficient than it could have been. Already a snowmobile had destroyed a short section of Black (maybe…[Read more]
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Spruce Woods Provincial Park 7 months, 2 weeks agoThere is a special place in hell for hikers who walk directly in ski tracks, and one of its denizens tore up the entire outbound leg of the Sleeping Wolf trail. The Parks staff has generously packed the trails about ten feet wide to allow for multi-use, but this evil-doer still trod right in the grooves. However, snowshoers and fat bikers had…[Read more]
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Brandon Hills 7 months, 2 weeks agoSkied the A, B, and C loops in Brandon Hills this morning – my first visit here. Wow, can you ever descend forever on the home stretch! And great scenery on the backside. There’s enough snow and all three loops are groomed, although the tracks are quite shallow and there’s some leafy debris. Josh adds: ski that B cutoff in the designated dir…[Read more]
Also, the signage along the trails is great – maps posted at every junction.
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Turtle Mountain Provincial Park 7 months, 2 weeks agoSkied all the Turtle Mountain trails over Jan 4th and 5th, staying at the James Lake cabin overnight. The trails are beautifully groomed, though an unexpected jog or two made by the groomer on big hills keeps you on your toes. Lots of snow and it was extremely fast on the Friday. Still quick but crisping up by Saturday. The John Lake trail and the…[Read more]
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Riding Mountain National Park 7 months, 3 weeks agoSkied the Ochre River Trail over NYE. One might assume that the $85 one pays to book Cairns Cabin for a night might cover at least one pass with a groomer before the end of December, but one would be mistaken: apparently the Park doesn’t maintain these trails in winter any longer, and the volunteers had not been out yet. The posted trail…[Read more]
Elise Watchorn posted an update in the group
Bittersweet 8 months, 1 week agoBittersweet was impeccably groomed as always, and the snow was holding up quite well in the warm weather. Conditions were very fast but snow was soft and deep enough to throw out the occasional half snowplough where needed. We skied nearly every classic trail and the snow cover is good to great throughout – but watch out for one bare patch on Red…[Read more]
Where to Ski in Manitoba!
We met one of the groomers on the trail and were told that the reason for the soft pole plant area is that Sandilands has not received the amount of snow that Winnipeg has so that when they groomed the trail they had to bring the snow from the sides of the trail into the middle in order to set the tracks. Agreed, wonderful skiing nonetheless.