Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: #1 Penguin Climb, #6, #15 (blue), #19, #34, Glide Wax: , Grip Wax: Blue 3-10C
Ottawa had about 2 cm of snow: the Gatineaus received 6-10 cm. What a surprise. I took the Penguin climb to the easy top loop - 19 to 34 to the flat part of 6. It is a nice backcountry loop when conditions are nebulous. Lately I have been noticing that my skiing is noisy: the skis clatter on ruts and each pole plant is heard. In the new snow today, the skis were quiet but the poles still made noise on the crust below. It was a lovely, soft descent on the Penguin Hill which had not yet been groomed. A good afternoon for classic skiing.
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).
