Winnipeg river trail keeps growing, could reach 10 km

The Forksriver skating trail could reach a distance this winter that it hasn't achieved in nearly a decade.

"Right now we are just underfive kilometres the Red River Mutual Trail extends from The Forks to Churchill Drive on the Red River, and The Forks to Hugo Dock on theAssiniboine[River]," saidChelsea Thomson, communications managerwith The Forks North Portage Partnership.

"If the weather co-operates we hope to be able to go as far as Arlington on theAssiniboine, and to the St. Vital bridge on the Red. That would bring us to almost10 kilometres.

"We haven't been able to go that far since 2009, the year after we won the Guinness World Record."

However, Thomson cautioned,reaching those end points depends on weather conditions:A big snowfall could put a halt to those plans.

"But that's out hope, and what we hope to do as early as maybe this weekend,"Thomson said, adding that another challenge is maintenance on the trail when mild temperatures arrive, which are in current forecasts.

Winnipeg is expected towarmto 2 C that's plus two, not minus by Friday, according to CBCmeteorologist John Sauder.

That brings large crowds to the trail, making a lot of slush, Thomson says.

That should only be temporary, though. Sauderexpects more normal daytime temperatures of11 C to15 C as next week starts.

The Zamboni at The Forksshould be able to smooth that out again and keep the trail accessible until the season wraps up, typically the last week of February or first week in March.

"As long as the conditions are safe,as long as the ice remains as thick as we need it to be and there isn't anything on top that prevents our machines from making those repairs, we'll go as long as the season will allow," Thomson said.

The average seasonal distance of the trailis six kilometres, Thomson says, addingthere have been years where it was much less, hitting about half that.

"TheAssiniboine, which is the one that we've had problems with off and on probably for the last five to eight years is really low this year, which meant it froze really well," Thomson said.

Last winterwas the first time in three years crews were able to stretch the trail along the Assiniboine.

"What's great about this year is that we've had such cold weather and the conditions of the rivers have been really favourable," Thomson said, likely becoming one of the very few Winnipeggers who didn't curse about the recent deep freeze.

"There's an upside to every weather condition, right?"

In 2008, the year the trail set the Guinness World Record forlongest naturally frozen skating trail, the total distance was8.54 kilometres.

The record was bettered the following year at just under 10 kilometres, primarily along the Assiniboine all the way to AssiniboinePark.

There's no chance of establishing a new record this year, though.

That title is now held byInvermere,B.C., whichbuilt a20-kilometre trail about five years ago around the circumference of Windermere Lake.

"That would be challenging for us," Thomson said.

While it's wonderful being able to reach new neighbourhoods and enabling people to connect with the trail from their back yards, the quality of the ice would suffer if it gets too long for crews to properly maintain it, Thomson says.

"We have to find a balance between quantity and quality with the trail," she said.