Top 5 Places To Snowboard In Manitoba

Top Tuesdays Originally uploaded by AccessWinnipeg

It’s November and the city of Winnipeg has been topped with a thin blanket of white snow. You know what that means? Coldness, darkness, and FUN! HAVE COME. We’re mere weeks away from Winnipeg’s snowboarding season and I am stoked. Let’s face it, Winnipeg isn’t a Banff, or a Whistler but, we still make due of what we’ve got. So where are the “Top 5 Places To Snowboard In Manitoba?”

5. Stony Mountain Ski Area aka Stony
One of the first places I’ve snowboarded. Located in the town of Stony Mountain, Manitoba. It’s only a 10 – 15 minute drive from Winnipeg. The Ski area is divided into 3 runs (a terrain park, a jump/ run side, and a shred side).

So why does this park come in at number 5?
Well the only way to get up the hill is by means of tow ropes (1 high speed and 1 slow speed). Although the tow rope is simple to the average snowboarder/skier it’s a bit difficult to use for a beginner. Think of it as a beginner’s krypotnite. I’ve known many people that have avoided the park simply because of the tow ropes. Also your looking at maybe a 30 second snowboard/ski run.

4. Frostfire
One of the most popular parks around Manitoba. It’s located in Walhala, North Dakota which is 10 minutes away from the U.S. and Canadian border. The park has a handful of runs ranging from various skill levels that each rider can enjoy. Depending on how you ride, the average run length here is about 1 1/2 minutes which is pretty average for runs in and around the province.  The park runs 2 Chair lifts 1 double Chair Lift and 1 Triple Chair Lift. The park is home to the closest Half pipe to Winnipeg…FOR NOW…

So why is this park ranked #4 in my opinion?
Well the size and the amount of lifts don’t add up. 1 lift (Double Chair) is mainly for 1 run  and the other lift (Triple Chair) is the only lift that can be used to access all the other runs. So on a busy day look for a longer wait for a lift chair.

3. Springhill Winter Sports Park aka Spring
“Spring” is thee closest ski/snowboard area to Winnipeg. Located right beside Oasis beach on highway 59, the area is only a mere 10 minutes away from the city. Not the biggest area but not to worry. Staff have been working on renovations to the park which include an expansion of the hill (more run time), more parking and a halfpipe. The park is divided into 2 sides, a terrain park and a shred side. It operates off of 1 quad chair and 1 tow rope. The quad chair is used on the shred side and the rope is used for the terrain park.

The terrain park here is amazing. The crew here work endlessly to keep the terrain park up in good condition and always have something new to offer. The terrain park rarely looks the same for more than 2 weeks. The tow rope is perfect for the terrain park because of it’s ability to get you to the top of the hill quickly enabling you to get more runs in, during a short period of time.

So what makes this park better then the other 2 that were mentioned?
Besides being super close to the city and having very affordable season pass lift tickets, the terrain park is home to some of the best snowboarders that Winnipeg has to offer.

2. Asessippi Ski Area
Asessippi can also be called Manitoba’s mini Banff. Located in Russel Manitoba (near the Manitoba/ Saskatchewan bored), Asessippi is furthest destination on the top 5. A trip there will take you well over 3 hours (depending on the speed of travel). Housing a whopping 20 runs, “pippi” is easly the largest ski area in Manitoba. The park uses  3 chair lifts ( 2 triples, a quad and 1 user friendly rabbit carpet.)

So why is this park #2 and not #1?
Simple, with the park being 3 hours away, it seems almost pointless to visit it on a day trip so you would almost want to stay overnight. What sucks about staying overnight? Well there aren’t that many place to stay around the ski area and the main local hotel “The Russel Inn” can be fully booked more than 6 months in advance. At least it was at the time that I was trying to book it (Purely shafted I tell ya!)

1. Holiday Mountain
Holiday Mountain is the best all around park in Manitoba. Located in La Riviere, Manitoba. It takes about an hour and a half to drive there. I think it’s the perfect length of time to get there, I mean it’s far enough to be a road trip but close enough to make it home comfortably after a long day of riding. 

The park is average size wise containing 11 runs. Holiday offers 4 lifts (A triple chair, a double chair, a t-bar lift and a Magic Carpet).  Usually by mid season the terrain park is up and going, the terrain park has it’s own run, enabling riders to jib rails, hit boxes, and hit kickers all in one shot. The beginners side has the best slope for beginners to learn how to carve also it has a Magic Carpet which is like one of those flat escalators that you see in airports. It’s perfect for beginners and it’s not intimidating for children.

Also, if you get hurt theres a bar hahaha SCORE!

Whats your favorite park to ride?