Sport & Leisure
Cypress Nordic Ski Club
With Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park only a 45 minute drive from Medicine Hat, people can find cross-country skiing trails near the city in a forested area.
With Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park only a 45 minute drive from Medicine Hat, people can find cross-country skiing trails near the city in a forested area.
“It’s forest bathing. The trails are all different, and once you find your flow and a good rhythm, it becomes methodical." - Gregg Campbell.
And now there’s a club to introduce people to the sport.
Cypress Nordic Ski Club members Gregg Campbell, Linda Johnston, and Sandra Brown are a part of a group of people who are eager to familiarize people with this exciting activity during the winter season, in Medicine Hat and surrounding areas.
The trails in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park are completely immersed in nature, with snowy lodgepole pine and aspen trees surrounding the skiers, and the rolling hills bring a nice challenge.
“It’s forest bathing. The trails are all different, and once you find your flow and a good rhythm, it becomes methodical,” says Campbell, who’s been cross-country skiing since he joined the cross-country ski team in high school.
The Cypress Nordic Ski Club offers lessons to people of any age, as young as their bunny rabbits and jackrabbits program. Johnston has been a recreational cross-country skier for 53 years and was actively involved in her first bunny rabbits and jackrabbits program 35 years ago.
Johnston teaches the bunny rabbits program with the Cypress Nordic Ski Club, while two other ski club members, Kwan Lee and Marvin Genno, teach the jackrabbits.
“Listening to the kids having fun is just delightful,” says Johnston. “It’s a very affordable and fun way to help develop coordination, balance, and agility, and it helps set them up for success for the next level.”
Her lessons with the bunny rabbits teach foundational skill, while also having time to play familiar backyard games on their skis, like ‘what time is it mr.wolf’ and ‘red light green light’.
And cross-country skiing is an activity that can be taught at any age. Brown’s husband is a cross-country skier, and 15 years ago she decided to try the sport. She instantly fell in love.
“It’s a great way to spend time outdoors in the winter and enjoy the fresh air. It’s nice to see how cross-country skiing has grown in popularity,” says Brown.
The Cypress Nordic Ski Club has operated for just over a year in 2024, and the interest has been positive. There are close to 70 members who participate in lessons and go cross-country skiing as a group.
“If cross-country skiing hasn’t crossed your mind, it really is a welcoming community that is wanting for people to have positive experiences, love winter, and love the snow,” says Johnston.
Learn more about Cypress Nordic Ski Club online at cypressnordic.ca and stay updated on Facebook at Cypress Nordic Ski Club.
In January 2024, Grit City Distillery was featured in the Globe and Mail article, 'Lay of the land: Alberta’s unique distillery scene'
"Three hours down the TransCanada, Jen Shmunk has named her distillery in honour of the city where it’s from.
“The name Grit City is a play on Medicine Hat’s current [nickname], ‘Gas City.’ We are a hard-working city with a lot of grit,” Schmunk explains. “With a little ‘grit’ anything is possible. Dreams can come true with hard work and perseverance.”
She would know: After taking up distilling as a hobby, Schmunk translated her passion into Grit City Distillery, founded in 2018.
“It was that first drop of rum off the still that did it for me,” she says. “Love at first drop, might I say.”
Grit City Distillery is known for its creative, slightly irreverent sips: Its best-seller, according to Schmunk, is the Ultimate Caesar vodka (just add Clamato!), which pairs perfectly with the distillery tasting room’s famous Ultimate Pickle Pizza. Or there’s one of Schmunk’s proudest accomplishments as a distiller: the distillery’s Toasted Coconut Gin, inspired by a friend who loves the tropical fruit."
Read Lay of the land: Alberta’s unique distillery scene Here
It still snows in Canada's Sunniest City, so here's where you can find indoor golf.
With 4K projectors and Uneekor Eye XO launch monitors, there are hundreds of virtual options of world-class golf destinations. Play a round of indoor golf with beverages and appetizers at Cottonwood Coulee.
The Uneekor Eye XO launch monitor is capable of reading ball speed, spin, launch angle and azimuth (degrees left or right) to determine how far the ball would travel and display it immediately on one of the world class golf courses that you select. This allows you to play the golf courses from tee to green using every club in your bag from driver to putter. They can also give you club data including swing speed, club path, face angle, point of impact, angle of attack and more. This can help you improve your game and get ready for next season.
You can book up to one month in advance, with six players maximum. There is a clubhouse and lounge open for food and drinks, while you play a round at one of the 100 courses to choose from, including Pebble Beach Golf Links.
The Hawk Simulator has overhead mounting that allows for easy use for both left and right handed golfers. Driving range is available for practice, lessons, and/or club fittings.
Here you’ll find six golf simulator rooms that range in size to accommodate various events, group numbers, and privacy requests.One side has the golf simulator rooms, and the other is the lounge, with a full menu that features Korean style chicken.
Paradise Valley Golfuture Toptracer Range
An outdoor Toptracer with heating, shelter, and lounge seating and serving in every smart bay. The difference between this Toptracer and a simulator is that you hit the ball and watch your ball in real time. The camera pulls data by following the actual ball path, rather than gathering data based on your club path and launch angle.
The Golfuture Range at Paradise Valley is a technology-enhanced driving range with eight smart bays and a 1000 sq. ft. indoor putting green. The Toptracer Range phone app is where the magic happens. When guests create a profile, they instantly become part of a global golf community. The app stores data from practice sessions so players can monitor changes and fine tune their swing over time. You can also access skill-based games that will drive their range session.
An entertainment hub located in Downtown Medicine Hat, this family-friendly space has axe throwing, virtual reality, and a golf simulator room. A comfortable place where you can play golf in any season, where new and seasoned golfers practice their skill, and where friends and family members can compete against one another. This space is alcohol-free, and without a lounge. But there are plenty of places to grab a bite to eat and drink in the downtown core before or after your round.
A premiere indoor golf experience, with a crafted cocktail bar and inspired snack menu. The golf studio has four golf simulators and a putt simulator — the simulators have more entertainment options that aren’t golf courses, including carnival games that are played by kicking a soccer ball or hitting a golf ball.
The GCHawk™ is an overhead mounted launch monitor, delivering a whole new level of freedom and flexibility while maintaining its unmatched performance in state-of-the art object recognition and imaging technology. With its massive ball-capture range, the GCHawk™ allows players of both right and left handedness to hit shots with absolute confidence that performance was precisely measured. Thanks to its advanced object-tracking capabilities, the GCHawk not only delivers true-to-life golf simulation, it also opens the door to a range of multisport game experiences.
Continue your favourite summer activities into the fall.
Whether you’re using them to get somewhere, or just going for a leisure stroll, the trails in Medicine Hat are the best view during the shift from summer to fall. With the leaves changing colour, the air becoming cooler, and the sun going down earlier, those early morning, mid-day, or evening strolls are a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors. Find all trails with the City's Heritage Trail Map!
watch the Fall Trails reel here.
Cooler mornings and evenings pair nicely with a warm fire and cup of coffee. Gas City Campground, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Cavan Lake, or 40 Mile Park are all nearby campgrounds that are snug in nature.
Three mountain bike destinations live within 45 minutes of each other in Medicine Hat and region, and all offer a drastic change in landscape and scenery. From green forest, to Canadian Badlands, and adventurous coulees, you can experience each spot with must-ride mountain bike trails in one weekend.
Medicine Hat has surrounding areas that are full of beauty and experience, from hiking, to mountain biking, camping, and simple exploring. These day trips range from 20 minutes to hour and a half drives: Red Rock Coulee Natural Area, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Writing-On-Stone/Aisina’pi, and Dinosaur Provincial Park.
watch the Autumn Road Trips reel here.
Downtown Coffee Tour or Bakery Tour
There are up to 10 cafés and bakeries in the heart of the city, all serving fall-spiced baking and beverages, from pumpkin spice to cinnamon.
Medicine Hat has a longer patio seasons being Canada’s sunniest city. Soak in the sun, drink chilled drinks, and breathe in the fresh air with natural coulees and historic scenery surrounding you.
The courses are green, sunny, and ready to be played. Bring family and friends, pack clubs and balls, and head out onto one (or more) of six golf courses in and around the city Medicine Hat. If you’re looking to book a season-end party, the golf course clubs accept private bookings.
Until the end of September, the South Saskatchewan River and Seven Persons Creek are usually still safe to kayak, canoe, float, or paddle board! If you’re looking for rentals, Outdoor Xcape Rentals is still booking spots!
20-year mountain biker, Katie Courty, has spent the last 10 years in Medicine Hat.
Local mountain biker of almost 20 years, Katie Courty has raced the Battle Creek Showdown trails since year one in 2015. Filled with locals in the early years, the mountain bike festival quickly grew with racers from across Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.
Selling out every season, Courty says the welcoming and outgoing spirit has remained with a slightly more competitive edge, and the memorable moments keep piling on.
Families and friends join to cheer everyone on, and every racer seen along the way voices words of encouragement, bringing a motivating and inspiring drive. There’s live music and food trucks in the evening. And for those who camp, the Visitor Centre, Elkwater Lake, and playgrounds are all nearby to continue on the action.
The mother of two rode with herself and friends the first few years of Battle Creek Showdown, until her husband and oldest daughter joined a team.
While the family was sitting around the campfire with friends and fellow racers, her youngest daughter, not the most interested in mountain biking, overheard lively conversations about the race day. She asked Courty if there was room for her to race, in which Courty reached out to the organizers and was able to have her and a friend’s daughter race as a team.
She’s watched both her children push themselves and do things they didn’t think they could, with the whole mountain bike community’s support behind them. She says that’s the community during the festival. Everyone gets together and builds each other up.
The 670 Collective Mountain Bike Club had recently started when Courty and her family moved from Ontario to Medicine Hat in 2013. Courty was invited to join a ladies ride by Michelle LeBlanc, current Battle Creek Showdown event organizer. They started in Redcliff, and Courty remembers having to repeatedly stop to take pictures, “I hadn’t seen anything like it before.”
One of Courty’s favourite trails is in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, trail name being ‘Sorry’. She climbs it during early sunset to catch the sun setting over the lake, to see the sun shimmering off it.
Elkwater is truly a space for families to connect with each other and enjoy the activities around them.
"If you’re a nature nut, it’s a great place to be. It’s a great place to connect with family." - Aleasha Diduch
Aleasha Diduch and her family joined Reta Boychuck on the adventure to Medicine Hat, and then Elkwater in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park in August 2023. A familiar visit to the oasis, Diduch, her husband, and two sons are always excited to return to the Southeast Alberta getaway.
Throughout the camping trip, rods were packed to go fishing, while soaking in the early morning sunrise and late evening sunset. Many rounds of mini golf were played, a favourite activity of the boys. And, of course, with their campsite neighbouring the pump track, biking is always a major highlight.
The forested trails that can be hiked or biked are laid out where all the networks and signs make it easy to know where one’s going. A pocket of rolling hills and lush greenery, once you drive off the prairie lands, you reach a tree-filled place full of adventure.
A beach with a lake for swimming, and, the little nook, 12-34 Cafe for delicious small and large bites, there are endless ways to spend time together in Elkwater. The size offers a sense of safety for the mother of two, “you know the boys are in a space they can wander and explore, but they aren’t going to go too far or off the path.”
Exclusive cuisine in a historic home.
Find the full Sunday Service culinary schedule here.
When we go out for a meal, and eat a carefully curated dish, we don’t often think of the hands who sprinkled the seasonings, seared the steaks, pressed the burgers, or chopped the vegetables. A plate full of flavourful and colourful ingredients that light up our taste buds are prepared by a person with passion for satisfaction. To hear pure enjoyment with each bite, to offer a sensational experience through food, is every chef’s dream.
Rebecca Ross, chef of almost 20 years, invites guests into her century-old home to fully see who she is as a cuisine artist, and taste her menu of personal creations. Each recipe changing at every event, guests who attend a Sunday Service will try spontaneous dishes based on Ross’ inspiration, that are exclusive to that specific night.
“I try hard to incorporate ways of cooking that are particular and rare, and special in more than one way. I’m inviting people to come into my world and give them things I find very novel and interesting. I put a whole ton of thought, effort, and intention and create food in ways people have never had them. It’s so fun to deliver this to people and delight them,” says chef Ross.
Several courses paired with beverages are served throughout the evening with commentary and conversation with chef Ross, while surrounded by vintage decor, lively plants, and original furnishings from the early 1900s. Keeping each dish as locally-sourced as possible, the combination of ingredients introduces people to produce and protein available to them, grown in and around Medicine Hat.
“People trust me to make food that is an interpretation of me, and I am so thrilled when what I make evokes feelings of wonder and nostalgia in the people who are eating it. When people look me in the eye and tell me it’s the best food they’ve ever had in their life, it’s such a thrill,” says the chef.
With a creative mind, chef Ross has a natural intuition for piecing together flavours and textures that blend well. In many aspects of her home, everything is mindfully placed to spark curiosity and inspire a new way of thinking — and this is strongly represented through her cooking. Leaving with an uplifting feeling that new experiences bring, in a traditional dinner hosting fashion, is how chef Ross would like guests to leave from her Sunday Service.
“All I want to do is share this with people, like a gallery of artwork. You go in to see the artist for who they are. I’m striving to do that same thing. Inviting people to come and experience the way I do things. I’ll walk them through this, and they’ll love the journey through my creative little brain,” she says.
As chef Ross was being interviewed, we noticed a mass of gratitude she has towards people trusting her to create extraordinary dishes for their event. Often hired for weddings and other private events, the cost that comes with that, and people willing to pay for her services, brings an abundance of appreciation.
“It truly is an honour that people choose and trust me. It’s so fun to inspire joy, reverie, enjoyment, and indulgence. It’s such a treat, and I love doing that for people and with people.”
Reta Boychuck (@reta.sends) and crew paddle Medicine Hat and surrounding areas.
"We had no expectations, except to take in adventure and drink some quality coffee and beer." - Reta Boychuck
Reta Boychuck (@reta.sends) is the owner of Canadian River Stand Up Paddle Board in British Columbia. She visited Medicine Hat in summer 2023 with friends to explore the outdoors in Southern Alberta.
She and her friends loaded up to take in the Southeast Alberta city for three days and indulge in craft beer made by three breweries included in the Highway 3 Ale Trail.
"I called the crew, Aleasha, Andre, and their rad boys, Ashley, and Amanda. We loaded up our rigs, our crew, and started the smooth drive to Elkwater, Alberta with curiosity, paddle gear, fishing gear, and some bikes,” says Reta. “We had no expectations, except to take in adventure and drink some quality coffee and beer.”
A beautiful drive through the rolling prairie hills, farm lands, and windmills, they dropped into Elkwater in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, with beautiful lakes, massive trees, and comfortable camping. With the peace and quiet they’ve been dreaming of, as Reta described, they unhooked and moved in to relax for the evening.
Having large trees between sites made it feel they were alone with nature. The adults unpacked and relaxed, while the two high-energy, teenage brothers biked laps on the jump trail just behind their campsite. A peaceful state as they settled in and planned for their adventure for the morning.
Day one started with loading up the stand up paddle boards (SUP’s), rafts, and tubes, with a breakfast stop at 12-34 Cafe & Pub.
“Their selection was amazing. I ordered my go to cafe mocha with a brownie. Amanda loved the breakfast pizza, describing the crust as a garlicky bite of fluffy heaven and even took a second slice for the road. With caffeine and food, the crew was ready to roll.”
Arriving at Medicine Hat in the morning, they all carefully embarked on the South Saskatchewan River. Having a group of all ages, the goal was to minimize the shuttle time to maximize the fun, by utilizing the various parking lots and River access points at Police Point Park.
“Earlier in our visit, we heard the story of how Medicine Hat got its name and about the ‘breathing hole’ at the Visitor Information Centre. It was a must that we paddled to see that spot,” says Reta.
Below the cliffs, there is the confluence of Bullshead Creek and South Saskatchewan just above Strathcona Island Park. They could only imagine the mixing of currents near the Island is likely where the ‘breathing hole’, the place of the Great Spirit, was in the story of how Medicine Hat got its name.
“Paddling below these massive cliffs makes you feel small. The mellow flow made it effortless for us to stay safe, while playing and splashing around,” says Reta.
Their chosen paddle route from the top of Police Point Park to downstream Police Point park is about 3.5 kilometres.
After lunch at Medicine Hat Brewing Company on the beautiful and cozy patio, with cheesy pizzas, hearty burgers, and fresh salads, the afternoon was spent stocking up the cooler with brews from the Highway 3 Ale Trail breweries, Medicine Hat Brewing Company, Hell’s Basement Brewery, and Travois Ale Works.
Dinner to go was from Grit City Distillery. The signature dill pickle pizza and some custom spirits made it back to the camper. Reta’s favourite being the coconut gin.
“Our evening back at camp was filled with delicious food before each group had their own adventure. The brothers Kerrian and Aiden headed for a mini golf competition. Aleasha, Andre, Amanda, and I enjoyed the peace and quiet in the campground reading guide books and maps for our next adventure. As the sun began to set, everyone came back to camp to unwind and share their tales.”
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A need to see the 5:30a.m. sunset on Wednesday morning, and then venture off fishing, woke Reta, Andre, and Aiden. Reta prepared the day before and called her Dad to know which hook she needed for a Large Northern Pike.
“It was time to see if being the daughter of ‘Jack Fish Larry’ would pay off. I trolled, casted, and jigged. I think the fact I was talking the entire time might have scared the fish away, but I’ll be back,” says the avid paddler. “Being the only ones on the lake, it was peaceful and still allowed us to see every ripple as we paddled to find the perfect spot.”
While on Elkwater lake, they were surrounded by calm water, with steep cliff banks on the far shores and fishing bays tucked along the eastern banks, accessible by trails or paddle boards. The air slowly warmed them up as the sun popped over the tree, and heated up their feet and hands with its welcomed presence.
Returning to the camp, Reta woke the rest of the crew up to the aromatic smells of Medicine Hat-roasted coffee from Poolhouse Cafe & Roastery. After a morning mug of caffeine and house-made breakfast from Station Coffee Company, they all gathered and packed everything up to continue their adventure on the road.
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Photography by Ashley Voykin
The Crew:
Paddle Gear: @badfishsup @kokatatusa
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