Embracing Winter to the Max

Winter is here to stay + so we've decided that instead of fighting it, we are going to embrace it.

Welcome to the Arctic Glacier Winter Park! It has a kilometer of on-land skating trails, a hockey rink, toboggan hill and snowboarding park. You can glide, slide, or ride your way through Arctic Glacier Winter Park day or night (just remember to bundle up). If that wasn't enough, to really embrace the season, Sundays now include FREE programming starting January 18 to March 1.
“What can you all do for FREE?” you might ask. Well, here’s the rundown:

• Aboriginal Programming | 1:30- 3:30 pm
  In traditional teepees, gather around to hear the story of winter from Aboriginal elders.  
• Aboriginal Art | 1:30- 3:30 pm
  Create your own Aboriginal artwork to take home.

• Snowboarding Instruction | 1:30- 3:30 pm
  Grab your board and your gear and get ready to learn some tips and tricks to snowboarding. Learn from the best as instructors give pointers for better boarding.

• Horse Drawn Wagon Rides 1:30-4:30 pm
  Take a tour of The Forks site of a different kind. Hop in a horse drawn wagon and enjoy the view. Meet outside The Forks Market in front of The Original Pancake House.

You are welcome to come and stay at one activity or try them all. And if you are looking for something a little more ‘groovy’, spend some time spinning to records while skating on the rink under the Canopy. DJs Hunnicutt and Co-op will be playing their favourite tunes from 12- 4 pm, January 18- February 1 (weather permitting).



For the latest updates on the park conditions and programming updates be sure to check our website here, Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram feed. And don’t forget to snap photos and share with us what you've been doing to #embracewinter @TheForksWinnipeg!

We know winter can be long, so we want to embrace it fully and hope you will too.

Our diet starts tomorrow?!

Welcome to 2015! We've enjoyed the holidays and now it's back to reality and routine... and for some of us- resolutions. As the clock counted down to the New Year, you (like us) might have made a list of things you'd like to do over the next 365 days. Maybe you want to do simple things, like eat more vegetables or more challenging things, like solving world hunger. Never the less, by the second week of said New Year, you may have already slacked on your resolutions or may find yourself "refining" your list... to combine resolutions into solving world hunger by eating a stick of celery over the span of a week.

On New Year's Eve, we asked local artist Kal Barteski to paint words of inspiration and resolution on the skating rink under the Canopy. Words like "Walk, Stretch, Have Fun, Love, Move Your Body, Play Outside, Celebrate the Everyday, Forgive More". The icy surface became a pinboard of ideas and motivation for the year ahead.

As the ball dropped on 2015 so did the temperature here in Winnipeg, making some of our ideal resolutions seem challenging (if not impossible) to do. But fear not, because we have some ideas for fitness at The Forks that you may not have thought of.

- Spend your lunch hour going for a walk (either inside or outside).

- Grab your friends or kiddos and go for a skate on the Red River Mutual Trail.

- Breakout your sled and shoot down Toboggan Hill (not your typical workout, but if you were to track this on a fitness app 30 minutes is about 300 calories burned!).

For those that need something inside, check out S.M.A.R.T. Exercise Class (Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together) at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Tuesday is Zumba and Thursday is fitness class. Just bring your runners and a bottle of water and join this low impact FREE fitness class. Class is open to all ages and all levels of fitness. But come early because there is a maximum of 25 participants per class.

Now for those that need something extreme to kick your New Year's resolution into full gear, we've got the three words: Winnipeg Gone Rogue. Inspired by the November Project, friends Tom and Rick wanted to push each other in their fitness goals, but also in their desire to stay motivated.

They began by meeting at The Forks with some friends on a lovely Wednesday in June... at 6:15 a.m. About eight people came out and did a bootcamp style workout. The next time they met, their friends brought some of their friends. The group kept growing and became known as Winnipeg Gone Rogue. Now they have 40-50 people come out and enjoy the plyometic workout with each person at a different fitness level. From marathoners to those just getting off the couch, Winnipeg Gone Rogue lets people challenge themselves physically while building a great fitness community (something which we hear is important when it comes to following through on your resolutions). 

Now you might be wondering if they shut it down during winter? NOT A CHANCE! They just layer up and introduce fitness moves like tobogganing. This past Wednesday it was -35 degrees Celsius and there were over 30 people there (seven of which, this was their first time). As one of the hashtags they use suggests #justshowup.

If this sparks your interest and you are now wondering how to find out where they are or what plyo-jacks they'll be doing, check out their Twitter and Instagram accounts for the latest details. But you can be sure they'll be meeting, rain or shine, snow or subzero temperatures. Oh, and did we mention it's FREE?!
And if you find yourself with a laundry list of excuses not to show,  listen to the encouragement from Rick and why you'll see him out there early on Wednesdays:

“There is no such thing as morning people. Mornings suck! You have to force yourself to do it. But if you can get up, you will make that day the best day ever! And it is going to make you a better, more motivated, healthier person. And that’s what you want in the end.”

So there you have it. Some ideas for continuing your fitness resolutions, or restarting them, or just show up. Here's to a fit + fun 2015.

Take Shelter

What started four years ago as a simple idea amongst a few of us here in Winnipeg, has blossomed into an event that involves a great many people.   What has changed is the size of the event, the amount of energy required to put it all together, and reach into the broader arts community both here in Winnipeg and around the world.   What has not changed are the simple ideas that instigated the project in the first place.   At a very fundamental level, humans need shelter, and humans need art.   The goal of the Warming Huts really plays with these two needs in a way that is manageable for the youngest child to the oldest grandmother to enjoy.   It is a great pleasure to be on the skating trail and overhear the comments and thoughts of the skaters and walkers who take in the scene.

Rope Pavillion

In the first year of the project we were pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm that many in our immediate community of architects, landscape architects, and artists showed for the project.  In the second year we were overwhelmed by the interest shown from an international community who submitted projects from the far reaches of the globe.   Momentum of interest in the project has continued to grow, and while we are no longer surprised that people from other climes are interested in our project, I do find myself fascinated that someone from Israel, or New Zealand actually learns  our context and then submits brilliant ideas in response to our needs here in Winnipeg.   We have people from these places looking forward to coming to Winnipeg when it is very cold.   There are many in Winnipeg who have known for a long time that one of our great assets in Winnipeg is our winter.   While others would much sooner leave Winnipeg when it is frigid, those who remain have to learn to embrace it.   I think we can prosper from enthusiasm that our winter tourists are showing for the cold.

Weave Wave

During the building blitz in between January 22-25, the temperatures were horrifically cold.   Power tools froze and malfunctioned, fingers and toes got painfully cold, and the brave souls that built the huts during that week were very brave for their relentless attack on the matter of getting the projects built.  On one of the coldest mornings, I observed a grandmother and her two grandchildren skating up the trail.   They did not go far, but to see them on the trail in -25ºC was awe inspiring.   I could be wrong, but I would suggest there is no way this loving grandparent would have considered taking these kids to a hockey rink to skate in circles.   Somehow the frozen river, the trail, and the adventure of it all inspired them to lace up and head out on the ice.    It is for these people that such efforts are made in getting the Warming Huts together.    On that sunny day, out of the wind, with a little physical activity, it was quite possible to stay warm, and they seemed to be having fun.

Woolhaus

From the point of view of curating the event, this year represents and important evolution as we introduced Art pieces that blurred the lines of shelter, architecture, art, and specifically the mediums within the world of Art.   The results of the competition were such that two local teams performed exceptionally well.   The team of Plain Projects, Pike Projects and Urban Ink gave us Hygge House.  I would venture to guess that no single building or work of art in Winnipeg will be photographed as many times at Hygge House.   I am sure there are literally thousands of digital images of friends gathered in the glow of "hygge".   Everyone put themselves into the scene with their very own set of joys and memories associated with the scene that was created on the ice with this special Warming Hut.   

Hygge House

The Sonus Loci was another brilliant project that really challenged the jury to debate the line between shelter and art.   This team, made up of members from Winnipeg's Stantec Architecture group and Leanne Zacharias from Brandon University's School of Music, submitted a proposal that perfectly blended thoughts on art and structure.    Ultimately the jury decided that the project was more art than shelter, we could not pass up the opportunity to propose to the team that they build their project anyway.   The team deserves a great deal of credit for organizing a community of participants and sponsors who helped them realize a truly special project.    It was delightful skating amongst the instruments, and stopping to watch as people discovered the project by playing the instruments.    

Sonus Loci

When all the snow is gone and the river is again liquid, we will have just the memories and the photos to support those memories of the winter fun out on the ice.   Each year that The Forks build the trail, they create the potential for new experiences and the resulting memories that follow. Who would have thought we would lament the melting river?  At least we can look forward to next year when it freezes again!

For more photos, visit Dan Harper Photography