INGLIS, MAN. -- Driving across the frozen, snow-covered Manitoba prairie for a day of downhill skiing, you might reasonably wonder if you're lost. Highway 83 is lined on both sides by farm fields, and there are no signs of any hills that could warrant a chairlift. But after following some signs and heading a few minutes along a secondary highway, you arrive at the entrance to the Asessippi Ski Area and Winter Park. The top of a chairlift comes into view as you drive down into a valley.
There is, in fact, no ski hill here, in the usual sense of the term. You ski down the sides of the valley, which has a vertical drop of 152 metres. There are 21 runs, including some of the longest anywhere between the Rockies and Thunder Bay. Managing director Roz Pulo says she never tires of seeing the shock on visitors' faces when they see the slopes for the first time. "We call it the out-of-prairie experience," Pulo says. "We wanted to create an escape, something where you felt far away."
Now in its eighth season, the hill was originally developed as an economic development project. It is now privately owned and operated by a group of about 40 shareholders.
Located about 400 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg near the Saskatchewan boundary, Asessippi regularly draws visitors from both provinces, as well as from North Dakota and Northwestern Ontario.
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Attendance has grown from 40,000 visitors in the first year to 98,000 last season. Many visitors routinely make the 3½-hour drive from Winnipeg.
While the original proposal included plans for an outdoor spa area and "authentic native experience" that never materialized, the facility has met its primary goals of offering a range of activities for all ages at affordable prices. In March, passes will go on sale that are valid until the end of the season and for all of next season at a cost of $179 for adults and $79 for kids aged 6 to 12.
In addition to the runs for skiers and snowboarders, there is a snow tubing area and a terrain park for those who want to try tricks with their boards.
During a recent visit on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the runs were well groomed and packed with man-made snow. Waits for the quad and triple chair were no more than two or three minutes, which is all the more appreciated because of how quickly skiers find themselves back down at the bottom waiting to catch their next ride.
Pulo says Asessippi's size actually makes it an easier sell to a certain category of skier. "A lot of people tell us it's better than the mountains because it's not as expensive, the lines aren't as long and there isn't that fear factor, so it's an opportunity to learn to ski. There are no extreme skiers, so kids can have more freedom to go off on their own."
From the top of the chairs, skiers look out past the valley at vast expanses of flat, snow-covered farmland and grain silos.
For the Valgardson family of Winnipeg, Asessippi is a great weekend getaway they treat themselves to once or twice a year. "We love it, it's perfect for a family," Troy Valgardson says during a break in the lodge with his wife, nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter.
Both children have learned to ski at the site, but Valgardson and his wife have also skied frequently in the Canadian and U.S. Rockies.
"For Manitoba, this is fine, you can't ask for much more," he says.
For a group of young men living in Winnipeg, a last-minute day trip to the hill is a practical substitute for the mountains they would prefer on longer vacations. "It's not bad. A few of the runs are pretty steep," Justin Tocher, a 19-year-old university student, says as he sips beer in the lodge's bar. "But the chairlifts are slower than other places and the man-made snow is crappy and doesn't cut as well as soft powder."
Pulo says lots of Manitoba skiers would rather be in the Rockies, but come to Asessippi because they prefer skiing to staying at home. "We're the habit, not the treat."
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Pack your skis
Asessippi Ski Area & Winter Park: 204-564-2000; http://www.asessippi.com. Adults $36, juniors $31, preschoolers free.
GETTING THERE
From Winnipeg, follow the Trans-Canada Highway west. Take Highway 16 to Russell, Man. Take Highway 83 north, turn west on 482. Follow the signs to Asessippi.
WHERE TO STAY
Russell Inn: 1-800-665-0678; http://www.russellinn.com.
Jolly Lodger: Russell, Man.; 204-773-2177; http://www.jollylodger.com.
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