Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/514227
90 HOP on a SNOWMOBILE Get your motor running on 12,000 kilometres of groomed snowmobile trails that run the gamut from wide-open spaces to lush evergreen forests and rolling hills. More than 50 volunteer clubs maintain the vast trail system that makes up Manitoba's Snoman network, with connecting trails offering seemingly endless rides. Download maps at snoman.mb.ca and plot routes that cross paths with ice-fishing lakes, resorts and wayside restaurants from the U.S. border to the far North. Rider-friendly communities like Thompson and The Pas have designated town routes to gas stations, restaurants and even motels. Rent a ride at Elkhorn Resort, Spa & Conference Centre and hit the trails skirting Riding Mountain National Park. Explore 1,000 kilometres of Parkland trails in the Dauphin area, or head to the rolling hills of the West and the escarpments of the Pembina Valley. Trails are marked with signposts and Snoman clubs keep 152 warmup shelters equipped with firewood. > elkhornresort.mb.ca RUN with the BIG DOGS Dog-sledding is still an exhilarating mode of travel in the North. In Churchill, brave the one-kilometre "Ididamile" with Wapusk Adventures or immerse yourself in an adventure that may include winter camping and igloo building with Churchill River Mushing. Get acquainted with the dogs at Blue Sky Expedition, especially if you stay at the Blue Sky Bed & Sled. Nothing slows these dogs down, not even a lack of snow. Climb aboard a dog cart on wheels for a summertime ride through the boreal forest. > wapuskadventures.com > blueskymush.com If the SNOWSHOE Fits... Lynx and Arctic hare have big feet to keep them from sinking in deep snow, and thanks to Inuit and Aboriginal ingenuity, people have snowshoes. Once made from pliable willow or birch, with moose or caribou-hide webbing, snowshoes come in lightweight aluminum styles these days. Don a pair of cool kicks and take a run on mapped paths or blaze your own trail through parks and woodlands throughout Manitoba.You can rent snowshoes at Winnipeg's FortWhyte Alive or Oak Hammock Marsh, then follow deer and rabbit tracks to your heart's content. > fortwhyte.org > oakhammockmarsh.ca Hit the SLOPES Pack your skis and snowboard for alpine action. Asessippi Ski Area & Resort is Manitoba's largest ski resort, boasting two freestyle snowboard terrain parks and 26 ski runs, along with a snow-tubing park, cross-country ski trails and Après-ski amenities including a gift shop and the Powder Keg Pub. The resort just north of Russell is open year-round for recreation along the Shell River. Minnedosa's Ski Valley offers nine runs for every class of skier and snowboarder, and you'll find 11 downhill runs and a freestyle terrain park at Holiday Mountain in La Rivière. Blaze a path through fresh powder on ski and snowmobile trails. Get even closer to nature while snowmobiling or downhill skiing under wide-open skies. Go dog sledding or snow-kiting across frozen lakes, horseback riding through pine-scented trails or skating along the historic junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. bring on the snow 90