Gatineau Park
Trails Skied: #40, #1 (blue), Glide Wax: , Grip Wax:
Skate ski to McKinstry.
Icy start but mostly good snow the whole way. Snow conditions change rapidly so I will report primarily on coverage:
- mud run-off for 20 m. at first bridge (i.e. mud on top of the snow). Skiable, sort of. Requires caution on the way down.
- couple of short washouts on the flats - can keep skis on or portage 10m
- short washout at #38. Can ski around
- short bare patch 100m before 24 - portage 5m or ski-walk across
- not bare yet - but soon - on climb to little knoll after Blanchet
- Wolf bench climb - portage 10m today. Will grow fast.
Couple of other spots where getting thin, but today you could ski to McKinstry with less than 100m portage if you were super cautious, or zero if you were a little more adventurous with your ski bases :-)
Long sections of good skiing once past Wolf.
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).
