Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: #1, Gatineau Pkwy, Champlain Pkwy, Glide Wax: HF8, Grip Wax:
Beautiful sunny day!
Great skating on the Gatineau and Champlain parkways on a groomed, firm surface.
However, Ridge road from Keogan back toward P7 and P5 was very tricky! No recent grooming; some sections were quite hard and icy, and this had some recreational skiers apprehensive. As well, clumps of snow shed from overhanging branches had formed into mini moguls or speed bumps along the way....these can really throw you off balance. Add to this a lot of twigs, small branches and fallen ice bits....quite the mix. I had to continually scan the way ahead and refrain from any aggressive skiing for that section.
If there is no grooming by this evening on Ridge, I would suggest sticking to the parkways after dark.
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).
