Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: #2 (from #40 to #1), #24, #40, Glide Wax: Swix LF6 over graphite, Grip Wax: Start racing green over Vauhti tar
Did a short PM loop: P12 > #40 > #2 > #1 > #24 > #40 > P12.
#1, #2, #33, #24, and #40 have been groomed and looked quite good ... except those trails got no slide. With the cold snow it was very slow classic skiing; I expect that skating would also be painfully slow. My glide wax might have been too warm for the conditions; the snow probably justified something as cold as cold powder. #38 looked like it got a lot of attention on Sunday with good firm tracks.
Regardless it was a pleasant enough day and, with the slow snow, going downhill on #40 was almost too easy.
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).
