Manitobans enjoying winter activities following heavy snowfall

Manitobans excited by snow Those who enjoy outdoor winter activities are thrilled about all the recent snow the province has been getting. CTV's Jon Hendricks reports.

It’s been a great week for Manitobans who enjoy winter activities as the snow just keeps on falling.

The province was hit with a huge dump of snow on Sunday, and for the past couple of days, lighter snow has continued off and on.

Amid this wintry weather, the skiers are flying at Windsor Park Nordic Centre.

"I saw the biggest buck you can imagine. And the snow on the trees, it was beautiful,” said cross country skier Gilles Pai.

Pai and other skiers are truly appreciative for the weather because there wasn`t much snow on the trees or on the trails at this time last year.

"As far as a ski season, it was almost a complete bust,” said Laurie Penton, manager at Windsor Park Nordic Centre.

Penton said last year they didn't get any skiable snow until mid-January.

Even after it arrived, it didn't hang around for long.

"Two and a half weeks later it all melted because there wasn't an adequate base. It was just done for over a month,” Penton said.

It was a similar story for snowmobile riders.

Just like many skiers, they too are singing ‘Let it Snow’ this holiday season.

"This dump of snow that we got, the frost that's coming up, is going to be good for us,” said Yvonne Rideout, executive director of Snoman.

After being burned by the snow last year, Windsor Park Nordic Centre decided it couldn't rely on natural snow anymore.

Late last season, it bought this snow making machine, and officials say it works like a charm.

"I’m not sure how many cubic feet of snow we made, but you know, enough to cover six feet wide by 2.5 kilometres by one foot. That's a lot of material,” Penton said.

It’s enough to ensure people will still be able to hit the trails even when Mother Nature doesn't help them out.

Snoman is asking people to be patient as it takes time to groom all the trails. The organization hopes to have plenty of them open in the coming weeks.