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Winter Proud: Great Recreational Trails and Subzero Adventures

Winter Proud: Great Recreational Trails and Subzero Adventures. Winter Cycling Congress - The Forks, Winnipeg February 14, 2014 Murielle Bugera, President, Crow Wing Trail Association Chemin Saint-Paul. The Crow Wing Trail.

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Winter Proud: Great Recreational Trails and Subzero Adventures

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  1. Winter Proud: Great Recreational Trails and Subzero Adventures Winter Cycling Congress - The Forks, Winnipeg February 14, 2014 Murielle Bugera, President, Crow Wing Trail Association Chemin Saint-Paul

  2. The Crow Wing Trail Re-creation of an 1800’s ox cart trail as the section of the Trans Canada Trail from Winnipeg to Emerson.

  3. 191 kms of Varied Scenery • Red River Floodway • Fields of wheat and canola • Heritage museum sites • Suspension bridge • Provincial park • First Nation • Pastures of native grasses • River bottom forest

  4. Year-Round Use • Trans Canada Trail requirements: • at least 2 summer activities • at least 2 winter activities • non-motorized • Our focus has been on summer use. Until recently, when….

  5. Actif Epica Came Along And that changed the whole picture...

  6. Photo Taken January 25th This winter bike race, held for the third year in a row now, attracts racers from around the world, to gather in the frozen winter landscape of North America’s geographic centre. They bike - or run - 130 km of the Crow Wing Trail, in unforgiving temperatures, brutal winds and bare landscapes. They celebrate human resilience, community spirit and fun, and are embraced by Friendly Manitobans. And with The Forks hosting the finish line, it makes for a great rural – urban event!

  7. Why the Crow Wing Trail? Organizers chose the Crow Wing Trail for their route as it is well signed and our Association provided a ready-made local team to work with. The historical aspect and the fact that it is also the Trans Canada Trail are definite bonuses.

  8. Good Fit For Us Racers take the trail the way it is. It’s all part of the experience!

  9. Winter Maintenance is a Challenge This 3-km offshoot of the Crow Wing Trail is maintained by local volunteer since 1979.

  10. Even in a Provincial Park As the St. Malo Provincial Park is not staffed year-round, locals created The Friends of St. Malo Park in 2008, to allow them to use the park during winter.

  11. The Chicken or The Egg Use = Maintenance Maintenance = Use Build it and they will come? If Actif Epica comes with no maintenance, imagine what maintenance could do!

  12. Maintenance = Use We do have proof that dependable and consistent maintenance does increase trail use in summer. “I am renewing my membership with the Crow Wing Trail Association based on the work that Trail Boss Wayne Arseny accomplished. I will be cycling on this well maintained trail in 2013. With this renewed commitment to maintenance, I am sure to come back more often,” Winnipeg cyclist.

  13. Leadership • Clear indication that leaders encourage winter trail use. • Dependable maintenance by paid staff or volunteers with honorarium. • Appropriate winter maintenance equipment. • Recognition of multi-use. • Recreation Directors focusing on winter programming. • Public warming shelters/washrooms.

  14. Through Visitors’ Eyes January 27th, 2014 – www.communitynewscommons.org In the shadow of the frosty stained glass windows and the cold grey gravestones of the St. Adolphe Roman Catholic historic site, members of this year’s Actif Epica get together for some spiritual karma building and equipment testing. The Saturday morning quiet in this sleepy prairie town is disrupted by the bustle of out-of-season cyclists and people on foot with colorful and strange looking equipment, laughing and carrying-on, right on the main drag. Locals take second looks to see who dare disturb their town in such a fashion.

  15. Imagine…. The early settlers of Manitoba traveled right through this spot hundreds of years ago, to bring goods for trade in Minneapolis and in the towns along the route. The descendants of those rugged traders are still here today, and some are probably these very same people whispering in coffee shops about the foreigners they see outside their window.

  16. But… What’s There To Do? Allow me to use recent personal experience… • In December 2008, my son and his wife welcomed Australian friends (30 to 60 year olds) • For 3 weeks, they gave them a Manitoba Winter Experience to remember! • First step: Make sure they had the appropriate clothing! Hot tubbing in -30°

  17. Sleigh Ride Tobogganing Horseback Riding Snowmobiling

  18. Food Moose Hockey Bombardier Ride Trapping

  19. Snow Angels Ice Fishing Skating at Forks Ice Sculptures

  20. Wow!Maybe our winters are not so bad after all?

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