Nakkertok Nordic (South)

Trails Skied: Jackrabbit, Powerline, Ice Storm Loop, Sunrise Loop, Jackrabbit Loop, Suuronen/Mallory Loop, Stadium, Lower Lit loop, Chute Charron, Dirk's Dive, Perri's Way, Beep Beep, Glide Wax: LF8, Grip Wax:

Excellent skiing at Nakkertok today. I wasn\'t sure to even try after the discouraging morning reports from the park. Went anyway because I had some waxing to do, but skiing conditions more than exceeded my hopes! The few centimeters of fresh snow together with the freezing drizzle made for fast and very enjoyable skating conditions after fresh grooming.

Big network of freshly groomed trails (Pond loops, lighted trail, number 1, 10, Surronnen switchback, ice storm loop, beep-beep) - see picture for details. Skating on groomed trails was excellent, fast but not as firm as recently. It would have been possible on the ungroomed trails too, but probably as hard as in the park this morning. Ran into some classic skiers who confirmed that classic was also good, though some of the tracks I double poled in where still icy. Some parts of the stadium had a crunchy crust, which seem to have been groomed earlier in the day. Altogether an amazingly great ski, given the low expectations I had with this weather. It was very warm (-2) and still a very light freezing drizzle and foggy, more like Canadian winter meets English autumn. Conditions will probably also be good tomorrow, if a little more frozen over.













Gatineau park map


Nakkertok has a network of about 75km of skating, classical and backcountry trails at two locations just north of Ottawa in the Gatineau Hills.

Nakkertok South is the main attraction offering groomed skating and classic skiing, chalets, races and children's programming. There are lit trails for night skiing. Club membership, or a day-use fee required for skiing. Located 15 minutes from downtown Ottawa in Cantley, Quebec, Nakkertok South has a heated ski chalet with benches and tables, and places to store your gear. It's a great place to change your boots, warm-up, and socialize to meet other master skiers or club members. The trails at South are groomed for skating and classic skiing with a state-of-the-art Pisten Bully groomer. Two loops are lit at night. The trails at South form more or less a grid, extending for about 4 km north into the bush and slightly higher country. These offer enjoyable skiing, and are suitable for beginners, with the exception of a few short stretches.

Nakkertok North trails are quite demanding, and only occasionally groomed (Fridays). They offer a refreshing backcountry wilderness experience for those with good skiing skills. The trails at Nakkertok North are almost always quiet. The annual Nakkerloppet event in February is a great opportunity to discover these trails by making the North to South crossing.

Nakkertok Nordic