AND ONTO THE SLOPES
SOMETIMES YOU just need to get your kids — and yourself — away from the screens for the day and out on the slopes for some winter fun. It can be a local day trip or a weekend away to ski areas around the province with nearby accommodations. Saskatchewan ski and snowboard resorts are affordable, accessible places for healthy, outdoor family activities.
Back in early March, my friend Steve wanted to lure Merrick, 12, the younger of his two sons, away from the video games and out on the snowboard that he and his wife, Nicole, bought Merrick for his birthday. Steve called his outdoor mission an ‘extraction.’
Steve told me they wanted to head over to Wapiti Valley Ski and Board Resort, 300 km north of Regina on Highway 6 (47 km north of Melfort). I snowboard, too, so I came along with my wife, Patricia, who was keen to explore the nearby Nordic ski trails.
On a Saturday morning in early March, the parking lot at this popular Saskatchewan ski/ride area is almost full of vehicles with sport boxes perched on top. Once Steve, Merrick and I step out of the busy day lodge, I notice a mix of families with small children, preteens and couples clicking into skis and strapping into snowboards. From the lodge, it’s a short run down the hill to join the short line-up for the quad chair.
While the beginners head uneasily over to the Magic Carpet Lift, the more confident snowboarders seek out the sizable Terrain Park. If you’re here on special days marked on the website calendar (skiwapiti.com), there’s night skiing and riding.
The ride to the top of the only quad chair takes about ten minutes. Once you arrive, the Saskatchewan River valley stretches out below in all its glory, a patchwork quilt of brown tree copses and patches of snow. The spring sun is bright and energizing. The temperature is just a few degrees below freezing and the spring snow hasn’t yet turned into corn granules.
The 15 runs are groomed and outlined by the odd patch of untouched powder on the edges near the stands of aspen and spruce.
Our first ride, “Southern Comfort,” a long ‘blue run’ to the left of the quad chair, is exhilarating. Steve and I are both seasoned riders since we’ve both ridden at many resorts in B.C.’S southern mountain ranges.
Merrick is still finding his snowboard groove with some initial lines down the long, outer green runs – easy terrain – like Mickey Mouse and Wapiti Way. But he’s eager to ascend on the intermediate runs.
He slides cautiously down a couple black – advanced – runs called Captain Hook and Devil’s Drop. One day, when he’s ready, Steve will take Merrick to the Rocky Mountains to ride with the big dogs.
After a sunny day of sliding, Steve and Merrick wave goodbye to us then head for the family cottage north of Prince Albert. Patricia and I stay overnight at The Outerbanks (theouterbanks.ca), within easy driving distance of Wapiti.
The Outerbanks, six Riverside Cabins and three Hilltop Chalets, overlook the Saskatchewan River, which winds through the beautiful Fort a La Corne Provincial Forest.
We stay in a comfortable, renovated cabin, which features two bedrooms, a kitchen and entertainment (satellite TV, wifi). From the screened-in porch, we can spot Wapiti Valley’s runs etched into the hillside two kilometres away.
On Sunday morning, I ride by myself at Wapiti. In the afternoon, Patricia and I check out the Gronlid Trails, a few kilometres south, just off Highway 6. The Melfort Cross-country Ski Club maintains the trail network (crosscountrysask. ca — Gronlid Trails).
Over three hours, through forested, undulating terrain, we happily explored six of the 20 kilometres of beginner and intermediate trails. We took a well-deserved break at the warm-up shelter – located right in the middle of the trail network – where we toasted our feet next to the cast-iron wood stove and chatted with local skiers.
A month later, Steve told me that his ‘extraction’ program turned into six trips by the end of the season. “Merrick was highly motivated to show off his skills to his classmates during his school’s class trip to Table Mountain in March.” He says Merrick’s ‘Break Out Day’ involved carving and riding with more speed and confidence. “He’s now ready for a trip to the mountains next winter,” says the proud dad.