Picture this; it’s a cold (but not too cold) day in Saskatoon, you’ve exhausted all of the appealing options on Netflix, and you’re feeling a little stir crazy because your outdoor excursions have been limited to running to and from your car all week in your heaviest winter coat. Maybe today is the day to mix it up, get a little fresh air, and explore somewhere new?
As a beginner cross country skier, I love that it is the perfect way to continue to explore the trails even in the winter, it isn’t terribly difficult to get the hang of, and it gets me out of a dingy gym and into the outdoors. If you don’t own your own set of skis, you can rent them from Eb’s Source for Adventure for around $22/day. They can also recommend the best trails for you to try out and usually have maps on hand.
You’ll find Eb’s trails about an hour north of Saskatoon, just past Duck Lake (Google maps may tell you to drive past the trail entrances and do a U Turn on the highway, but you can actually turn directly left and save yourself an extra 15-20 mins of driving). There are 52kms of trail and two warm up shacks beautifully maintained by the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club.
My sister, two friends, and I decided to head up to Eb’s for a half day. Beginning at the south lot, we took the Sask 60 trail up to Jorgen’s, this section of trail is perfect for beginners. Then we stopped for a quick snack at the north warm up shack, we all agreed that it worth it to pack yourself some good food and some hot chocolate. After, we skied the Beaverlodge trail directly back into the south lot where our vehicle was parked, we found this section of trail a little more technical, but also quite fun as there were more twists and hills.
Check out the Saskatoon Nordic Ski club website for a trail map and current trail conditions.
http://www.saskatoonnordicski.ca/Portals/0/Eb%27s%20Trail%20Map.pdf
If you try these trails out and love them, consider donating to the Saskatoon Nordic Ski club to help with trail maintenance and infrastructure. Happy skiing!
tiaonthetrail 
I got into cross-country skiing a few years ago for that very reason – so that I can continue exploring trails even when they are covered in snow. There’s something so satisfying about gliding through the snow. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you so much! I agree, it is wonderful to be able to appreciate and get excited about winter. 🙂
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I was just looking through my email and saw your ski article. Excellent, I really like your snack size articles. Perhaps a little tidbit on how to dress for skiing, layers, base layer non- cotton, etc.
Good stuff Layna! ❤
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