River path at The Forks finally opens to the public
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/01/2014 (4443 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Winnipeggers housebound for weeks due to polar-like temperatures are expected to be swarming The Forks en masse this weekend after the Red River Mutual Trail officially opens today.
Paul Jordan, chief operating officer of The Forks Renewal Corporation, said thousands of Winnipeggers are expected to lace up their skates and give the new trail a try — as soon as The Forks figures out how long and where it will be.
“We won’t really know officially until (today) what we will open up,” Jordan said on Thursday.
“It all depends on conditions. After that, it will be week to week how much more we open.”
Last year, the river trail was between six to seven kilometres in length, down from the Guinness World Record mark of 8.5 km set in 2008, for longest ice skating trail.
“We went 10 km the year after that, but Guinness didn’t officially measure it,” he said.
After weeks of below-normal temperatures here, the mercury is predicted to hit highs of -6 C on Saturday and -5 C on Sunday with the overnight low only going a touch lower to -7 C. Normal temperatures at this time of year are a high of -13 C and a low of -24 C.
Jordan said about 5,000 brave souls went to The Forks last weekend when temperatures were down around -30 C, but this weekend he expects crowds of up to 20,000.
“It has been a tough go here these last six weeks — we’re dependent on the weather,” he said.
“Once the trail opens, we get the same crowd numbers as we get in the summer. People have really embraced winter and the Red River Mutual Trail.”
Jordan said there were about 250,000 visits to the trail last year.
Forgot your skates? No problem, Jordan said, because the person who runs the mini-doughnut outlet at The Forks also rents skates for any age and size.
Jordan said despite the frigid temperatures, the trail is opening about the same time as it does every year.
“We’ve measured two feet of ice… we have our Zambonis on it.”
Do you plan to go on the river trail on the weeked? Join the conversation in the comments below.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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History
Updated on Friday, January 10, 2014 6:50 AM CST: Replaces photo
Updated on Friday, January 10, 2014 11:07 AM CST: changes headline