Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: Fortune Pkwy, #1, Glide Wax: , Grip Wax:
Starting from P10 at 2:30 (it was surprisingly busy and we were lucky to get a spot) we went up Fortune to the Ridge Road and on to Huron Lodge and back the same way. The tracks were particularly nice on the way up and gave a good glide for classic skiing.
Cars are now parking again in the middle of P10, so that gives a few extra spots.
I wondered about going back via Trail 3 (Burma, I think it's called). It looked fine at the Fortune end and I expect it WAS fine for a more confident skier than myself, but if I'm going to fall down I like my snow to be soft!
On the way back, I put the brakes on hard on the Khyber Pass and managed fine. There was just a touch of ice as it was late in the day. I went almost all the way down Fortune in the middle as the tracks were a bit too fast for my taste. My camera crew (aka husband) was fearless and just zoomed down the tracks and others used the third method - one ski in and one out as a brake.
The grooming was great. We always go late in the day because it's warmer but inevitably we encounter more icy conditions on the way back.
A lovely outing, with beautiful sunshine and a welcome rest and refreshments at Huron Lodge.
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Gatineau Park is ski paradise! The network of ski trails offer machine groomed skate skiing and classic skiing as well as little groomed backcountry trails. Multiple access points allow skiers to access a variety of terrain and scenery.
The NCC offers season or daily pay rates.
For suggestions on where to ski, excellent trail descriptions, photos and maps checkout Michael McGoldrick`s website about recreational xc-skiing in Canada`s National Capital Region (with an emphasis on the Gatineau Park).
