Gatineau Park

Trails Skied: North Loop, Glide Wax: Swix LF10 - no rilling, Grip Wax:

The good thing about being an old fart is that you can ski whenever you want; the bad thing about being an old fart is that you no longer have the stamina to ski whenever you want. Today would have been a great day to ski to the end-of-grooming at the old McKinstry; however, I didn't have it - I'm skied out and had to content myself with a day of rest by playing around on the Doldrums for an hour and a bit. Not so bad however - conditions were great and the sun was classic April. There was excellent grooming for both skate and classic. The snow was starting to soften but not to the point that it was starting to suck at the skis - there was an effortless glide that erased the uphills. I expect that conditions would have been even better on the ridge. I expect that conditions will hold throughout the day and will only get faster later in the day - a good day to ski wherever there's been grooming.

Tomorrow I hope to be rested and to put in a fuller day on the ridge.













Gatineau park map


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.

Gatineau park map

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).

Gatineau park map