Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: Fortune Pkwy, Champlain Pkwy, #1, Glide Wax: -3 to -10, Grip Wax:
ROUTE: P10 up the Fortune Lake Parkway to the Champlain T and then on to the Lookout and out to 1. Back down 1 to the FLP and back to P10.
SKATE: Perfect conditions because of recent grooming. Despite all of the new snow there was very little mush so glide was good and control was fine. There is a lot of debris near Khyber before 1 crosses the FLP but it didn't really affect the ski. There was more than enough snow to allow for a slower descent on Khyber.
TRAFFIC: Interestingly, there were only 6 cars in P10 at 9:30. However there were many classic skiers and some skaters heading up when we were heading back. P10 was full.
WEATHER: It was warm but overcast so the snow was not breaking down even near the end of our ski at 11.
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).
