Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: #1, #1 (green) (#2 - #24), #2 (from #40 to #1), #33, #40, #14, Camp Fortune Race Course, #1 (blue), Glide Wax: Violet, Grip Wax:
Another beautiful day to close out the long weekend. Had a mix of sun and cloud and even a few flurries dropping a little fresh snow. I took the rare start from Camp Fortune. Their lot was 1/3 full so hopefully they didn't begrudge an xc skier stealing a spot.
Skied up to Ridge and then out to the Wolf bench before turning around. One big tree has fallen on 14 that requires a short bushwhack to get around.
Ridge road had been groomed and was nice, easy skiing. On my way back I crust cruised the old beaver pond trail over to 40. The crust was great but there were a few open spots to deke around. Could be the last crust cruise of the season.
Once on 40, I skied down to 33 and then back over to 1. They hadn't been groomed recently but were in nice shape - smooth and easy. Back to Camp Fortune and then did a bit of a loop on the lower race trails. They also hadn't been groomed recently but were also nice skiing on a smooth, firm track .
A beautiful day on the trails. Ran into a bunch of friends on the trails all trying to get one more ski in. We'll see what the week ahead brings but it's been a wonderful few days if it's the end.
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).
