Clear Lake a snow-go zone with new pavilion

BRANDON — Wasagaming reels in the tourists in summer, but these days, its winter offerings are on the agenda.

A large snow structure is being erected in the town site to enhance the recreational area in the cold season and host events such as a fashion show.

The Klar So Winter Pavilion is an arched hallway — 16 feet high at its peak — that stretches 48 feet in length, said Karly McRae, chair of the Clear Lake Country Destination Enrichment Organization.

The structure will have two side rooms attached to the hallway, and the interior design will include a wall of ice harvested from Clear Lake.

The pavilion is part of a larger effort to build on Clear Lake’s winter season.

“It’s one of those things that just hasn’t been completely discovered yet,” McRae said Monday. “Part of doing the snow pavilion is a way to make one of those signature winter attractions that we hope will bring people in.”

The goal is to build up the Clear Lake and Riding Mountain National Park area more as a four-season destination.

Over the last couple of years, roughly $200,000 has been invested in growing the park’s winter offerings, said McRae.

The snow structure startup costs were $150,000 last year due to the need to purchase steel forms that are used to mould snow into the structure. This year, the cost to produce the building is much lower, at roughly $30,000.

A fashion show is planned inside the snow building during the Frost and Fire Festival, which is set to take place from March 13-15.

McRae said there are plans to host a culinary event in the snow building, but that must still be approved.

The pavilion is designed to fit about 50 people inside and maintain a temperature of around -3 C regardless of the conditions outside. It is located beside the bandstand in Wasagaming.

The structure is being built by a team of three to four people and will take roughly two weeks of work. The planned completion date is mid-January.

The design is engineered to support itself, so that snow is the only material needed for it to stand.

The destination organization’s team has high hopes for the structure.

“We’ve talked about having overnight accommodation inside of it, working towards having more of a snow hotel, like they do in Quebec,” McRae said.

“I think it’s the start of something really great for Wasagaming,” she said.

“You know, there’s more to Manitoba, and there’s more to Riding Mountain National Park, than just just the summer months.”

Other winter activities at the park include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and an ice-skating trail.

The building is being supported this year by Travel Manitoba and the Elkhorn Resort, and was named after the Klar So Nordic Spa in Wasagaming.

— Brandon Sun