Forks canopy skating rink open for the season

The first of The Forks' skating options is open for the season.

The rink under the canopy at the Winnipeg destination officially opened Friday, Forks officials said.

"This really is the area where a lot of people get their skating legs ready for the season," said Chelsea Thomson, a spokesperson for The Forks.

"It's a perfect place to start and to warm up, and it's also a really popular place for those that are learning, whether it's kids thathavetheir first time on skates or maybe it's people who haven't learned how to skate yet."

Portions of the on-land trails and rinks are expected to open as early as next week, Thomson said, and will be lit so skating can continue into the evening.

"We'll see what happens this weekend with the milder weather forecasted for Sunday, but if the weather holds below zero [degrees Celsius] we could be in really good shape to open those maybe Monday or Tuesday," she said.

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It's harder to predict when the river trails will open up, but Thomson said she's hoping to have some river skating available by the winter holidays.

The skate rental business also opened Friday, locatedbeside the changing area in the Market Atrium. Children and seniors can rent skates for $3 and adults can get a pair for $5.

Sharpening costs $5.