D. Grant Black
Published on Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 4:30PM EST Last updated on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 3:43AM EST
1.Skate Canada's best outdoor rink
At Meewasin Skating Rink, in Saskatoon's Kiwanis Memorial Park, you can work out your skating moves like those future hockey pros – minus the stick. A few years ago, this ice sheet was named Canada's best outdoor skating rink by Reader's Digest magazine. This accolade came mostly because the skates are lent out instead of rented, although donations are gladly accepted. (306) 665-6887; meewasin.com .
2.Slide the martini luge
La Bodega Tapas Bar and Grill in Regina transforms into an ice palace when it opens its four-metre, three-tonne translucent ice bar, created by Peter Fogarty of Fire and Ice Creations in Saskatoon, which features a Martini Luge: Cold vodka flows like Wascana Creek down a block of crystal clear ice into your glass. Consider it necessary antifreeze when temperatures dip on the Prairies. 2228 Albert St.; (306) 546-3660; labodegaregina.ca.
3.Downhill at Table Mountain
The unpretentious ski area in Table Mountain Regional Park offers a vertical drop of 110 metres, a 16-hectare skiable area, four lifts and eight runs, the longest 1,097 metres. The day lodge has a licensed lounge, cafeteria and a cozy, foot-thawing flagstone fireplace. Lifts run 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., December to March, and Friday-night skiing is cancelled if the mercury dips below minus 20. (306) 937-2920; tablemountainregionalpark.com.
4.Skinny skis and all
Wind your way through rolling hills, coulees and treed trails on your way to a warming hut to gather around a bonfire. About an hour north of Saskatoon on Highway 11, one exceptional trail system, Eb's Trails, sticks out for the skinny ski types. This popular trail system in Canada's sunniest province features 52 kilometres of groomed and track-set ski trails for every skill level. (306) 242-1928; saskatoonnordicski.ca .
5.Qu'Appelle Valley sleighing
Beaver Creek Ranch and Horse Centre near Lumsden (north of Regina) offers a scenic tour of the Qu'Appelle Valley on a vintage sleigh pulled by Oscar and Zeus, two Belgian workhorses. They stop midway through the one-hour ride so you can warm up by a campfire. (306) 731-2943; beavercreekranch.ca.
D. Grant Black is the author of The Saskatchewan Book of Musts: 101 Places Every Saskatchewanian Must See.
Special to The Globe and Mail
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