Winnipeg hopes to extend its skating trail even further in 2008. (CBC)

The world's longest public skating rink may get even longer this winter.

Paul Jordan, head of The Forks — Winnipeg's downtown park and market — said that after getting into the Guinness World Records book for having the longest skating trail in the world, he wants to take it three kilometres further this year along the Assiniboine River.

"We've already got the record so it doesn't really matter if we break it again," Jordan said. "But, you know, the record was so last year. This year we'd like to get to Assiniboine Park simply because I think it's a really cool thing to do."

The Forks is at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in downtown Winnipeg.

Jordan said the Assiniboine River is freezing up nicely so far but because of a late season flood, the Red River has frazil ice.

Jordan said breaking the record again isn't a big deal for him. He'd just like to see the river trail with Assiniboine Park and The Forks as bookends.

Last January, officials took measurements showing the city had the world's longest naturally frozen skating trail, along both the Assiniboine and Red rivers.

A crew checked the length of the 8.54-kilometre path using Google Earth, a surveying wheel and a GPS (global positioning system) unit.

Ottawa's more famous Rideau Canal skating trail measures 7.8 kilometres, but Winnipeg succeeded in usurping the Rideau in the Guinness World Records book.

While Winnipeg's river rink is longer, the Rideau Canal path is wider and offers a much larger skating surface.