Our group ski was canceled due to the severe windchill (minus 30 in the morning) but 8 Keen Skiers came out anyway. Everyone enjoyed the skiing and none found the cold an issue. We were initially all covered up to the point of being unrecognizable and did gasp audibly as we crossed the first open field. From that point on, however, layers, hoods and face masks began to disappear. I was roasting by the time I reached trail 15.
It was one of those exhilarating, brilliant mid-winter days, with pure snow and dazzling sun. The sun was intense and warm despite it being early January. The only disappointment was the lack of grooming. The classic tracks were littered with oak leaves and trail 15 seemed to be missing classic tracks I recalled from previous years. The Gatineau Parkway was a shiny, stale object, glinting in the sun and suffering from high traffic yesterday. If all the trails had been as poor I would have given today's ski 3 stars rather than 4. Despite today's cold, there were numerous skiers out, both skaters and classic skiers. Sure beats rain and freezing rain!