Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: North Loop, Glide Wax: Swix LF7, Grip Wax:
I spent an enjoyable two hours as a hamster skating the Doldrums. The intent was, after a long period of classic, to see if my legs and other body parts remembered how to skate. Conditions are excellent: the skating lane is hard with enough of a powder surface for control; the classic tracks are fast with enough of powder to give reasonable grip. The temperature and sun are the best part of it - a great day.
About 1:00 PM the groomer tilled one side of the skating lane giving a soft, cold, powder surface. Most skaters, myself included, ignored this excellent work and stuck to the hard packed side where the snow was faster.
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).
