Beautiful skiing

crystal tunnels
Originally uploaded by kenmores

After yesterday's storms I wasn't expecting much but skiing today was actually quite nice. Along with the freezing rain (and actual rain) that fell yesterday a little snow also fell. Not much but enough to make the skating track nice with a firm base underneath. The classic tracks also looked skiable as people "broke them out". For the most part, I stuck to the parkways as the tinkling glass coming from the forests sounded ominous. The sounds were of course the ice covered branches dropping little bombs of ice (and occasional branches) as the sun warmed them up. No grooming on the trails but perhaps the crews were also waiting for the falling debris to subside before heading in to work. There'll be a little work to clear the fallen branches and trees that came down as a result of the freezing rain. Sking along the parkways required a little creativity to duck and dodge around some fallen limbs but I saw nothing that couldn't be skied around. With such nice warm temperatures the skiing was actually quite pleasant. Another cold snap is coming so it was good to take advantage of the nice day while we had the chance.

Christmas coal...

Expectations were high for a dump of snow to finally bury the rocks and get the ski season headed in the right direction... but alas it was not to be. Christmas morning dawned grey and warm so I loaded up the skis and headed to P17 to try a loop of the Wakefield triangle. The trails were pretty used up but still skiable. With no fresh snow there really isn't much for the groomers to work with so no complaints here. I opted out of the trail past Ste Cecile as it had only been compacted but not trackset for classic.

On a positive note the "ditch" I mentioned in my last post on the main skating trails through the Lac Phillipe area were renovated and are now nice and smooth. Perhaps the crews up here can till 12" deep in 7" of snow! I also got a look at the newest yurt in the park. Wanakiniwa(sp?) is set in the main Lac Phillipe campground high on a hill looking over the lake. Looks like a nice spot to spend the night. Based on the few notes in the logbook its a little hard to find the yurt in the dark as its set off the main trail in a little maze of skidoo trails. Apparently one group had to call the NCC emergency linefor directions when they couldn't find their rented hut in the dark. Not like Taylor lake yurt which is set right on the main trail... but maybe this one is quieter as a result of being a little deeper in the woods.

Completed the loop down trail 52 which is still a little thin on snow but skiable none the less. Sadly that was the good news as any threat of fresh snow quickly perished as freezing rain started to fall overnight and bouts of actual rain (and some freezing stuff) fell throughout the day. I spent most of the day looking out the window in hopes of seeing a flake or two of snow falling... but no luck yet. This could set things back on the trails but hopefully a little snow will fall this week.

Bit of a chill in the air

Bit of cold weather has set in over the last few days. Good for the snow to help firm up the tracks but sometimes a shock to the system when you actually get out into it. I guess the first cold snap is time to toughen up and get ready for the much colder days ahead in January. Always seems like my mid-weight fleece layers have gotten a little thinner though and aren’t providing the same insulative properties they did last year. The lint trap in my dryer might corroborate that evidence (all that fluff has to come from somewhere) but perhaps I just have to suck it up and get out there. Once I actually get going it’s never too bad.


The ever present Lusk Lake residents come to collect the "rent"

Saturday I made the long drive up to Lac Phillipe to check out the conditions high in the park. The drive is now 30 seconds faster thanks to the new highway extension which I got to enjoy (with promises of another 30s shaved off my drive time by 2012!). The grooming on the whole was pretty good but I wonder if the guys doing the grooming actually know what skate skiing is. I seem to recall a similar “ditch” being a constant problem last year… but too soon to start complaining. As Johnny Klister suggests (#6) no point developing the rare grooming technique of tilling 12” deep in 7” of snow so perhaps we’ll have to wait for a bit more snow before assessing the grooming quality. The classic tracks looked great by the way and the ditch only forced me over to one side a little bit so it wasn't the end of the world. To be honest I was the only person I saw all day that was skating so if its just for me... I was fine with it! I skated up to Lusk Lake first where there was still a little warm sunshine to be had. Beautiful spot to sit on the deck even if the Hut marauders set upon you with blinding efficiency. Surprised to have the trail and hut to myself but I stoked the fire as I left and met the overnight guests at the bottom of the hill as I skied out (Good advice Mike - stoking the fire – thanks). Another quick trip out to Taylor lake and I see they’ve moved the hut out there again. No longer out on the point it is instead set back in the trees. Nice new deck here as well so I’ll have to test that out on a sunny day. Finally a trip along the Pine road towards Herridge. For the most part – while it was pretty cold there wasn’t much wind to speak of so all in all a beautiful day on the trails.

Sunday the wind picked up so it was both cold and a bit raw. I tried to stick to the trails in the trees skiing out of MacKenzie King and down to the CEGEPs. The Parkways were beautifully tracked and (as long as the wind was at your back) a great ski. Unfortunately the trails in the trees still are a bit thin with occasional rocks poking through and even a couple of small water hazards spotted on trail 15. Makes it a bit of a game of "spot the obstacle" (rock, dip, divot or creek) and then dodge around it. More snow for Christmas is on the agenda so hopefully that will fill things in nicely... and maybe I’ll check out some post-Christmas sales to get some new fleece – just in case it happens to be cold in January.

Bryan's birthday ski - take 3

What's become an annual event went off again on Monday. Sadly it had been planned for Sunday when a larger contingent would likely have participated but Bryan got marooned with car woes and spent much of the day arguing with mechanics on the correct balance of his tires... Delayed until Monday most folks were occupied with other distractrions and only Bryan and myself made it for the ski. Not sure if that even constitutes a quorum but I suppose it still counts. Fresh grooming on the parkway and Ridge road made for some nice skiing. We made a Tour du Hut visiting 4 of the Gatineau Trail huts with some form of pit stop at each. At Western a gentleman had the fire well stoked and the hut was downright toasty. Great spot for some lunch and a beverage but it made it a challenge to get back out on the skis and continue along the trail... Had I brought a sleeping bag I might have gone for a long afternoon nap. At Shilly Shally we met the self proclaimed "Chalet Beautification squad" who spent a 1/2 hour preparing some adornments for the hut. Mostly made from local materials there were a few odds and ends packed in to complete the project. They said something about "having a contract" with the NCC but I probably misheard and in fact it was that they "wanted a contract" with the NCC. Either way it was a nice addition to the hut... and as it decays and becomes unsightly it will also make an excellent firestarter for the woodstove.

Excellent job ladies, only 8 more chalets (and maybe a few yurts?) to go :-)

Mistakes picking sticks - but what odds...

Beautiful weekend to get out and ski. Lots of fresh snow out there to be had. Unfortunately in my haste I probably made a rookie mistake and picked the wrong techniques on each of the days. Saturday was cold and sunny and the tracks seemed to have firmed up nicely from the first grooming. Perfect day for a skate ski... but I picked the classic boards. Not a big loss though as the classic tracks were equally good and I did a nice long loop to check out much of the parkway and Ridge road. All of which are in good shape with just a few thin spots here and there. For the most part its easy enough to step around the trouble spots so clean sailing all day.

Rare sunshine and snowflakes... where were these things coming from?
On Sunday it was much warmer and not snowing (at my house) so I decided to load the skate skis into the truck. Of course as I drove up to the park it began to snow (hard) and soon enough there was lots and lots of soft wet snow. Perfect day for a classic ski... but I was commited to skating at that point. Ah well, off I went down the Pine road past Herridge and almost out to Lac Phillippe. Skating in the soft snow was hard work but I wasn't in a rush and I'll take the extra snow without complaints. The weatherman had called for rain on Tueday which likely would have thinned out the skiing almost completely. Thankfully he's revised his forecast and it looks like more snow is on the way. Soon the thin spots will be a thing of the past.
no more trucks...
On a positive note I did get out Sunday morning to catch my cousin Bob carry the Olympic Torch. Knowing only the "road" he would be running on (and it was a long road with several runners) I managed to luck out and catch him at the end of his run passing off to the next runner. Good job Bob! You didn't stumble and drop the torch in the snowbank or anything ;-)

That's better...

"David" promised those magical words that all skiers love to hear - a "Colorado Low" and now the park is blanketed with snow. Last night I went for a short ski (trudge?) though things were pretty soft but it was still nice to be back on skis (after a 5-day lay off). This morning I went back for another ski and the parkways were nicely groomed. The tracks were still pretty soft when I started at 7 and my skis would sink 3/4" every time I weighted them. Made for slow progress but I guess someone has to be the "compactor" when we get a dump of soft, wet snow. After a few dozen more skiers take to the trails things should firm up nicely. Add to that colder temperatures on the way and the track should be really nice by the weekend. Only the parkway was groomed this morning (at least where I skied). Perhaps more will get tracked today but to be fair we only really got 8" of snow so working the side trails might be a little premature exposing rocks here and there. There was a little asphalt exposed on a windy corner and I did tap through the snow in a few spots with my poles so - while we might hope for "mid winter" to arrive overnight... it has not. But it's still really nice to be out there and getting this ski season underway on home turf! Quite a number of skiers heading up as I was coming down and all of them had a pretty good smile on.

What the heck is going on here!!!

I go away for 1 week, leaving you people with a simple task - get snow! - and this is what I come back to?! Okay, I thought the emails asking me to bring snow back in my carry-on luggage were funny but I had no idea you weren't joking. I guess if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. Time to make some calls...

Heading home

Sweet tracks
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Well that's it. After a week of skiing its time to pack up and head home. The snow here has been superb (and things are looking grim back home) so it proved a fortuitous trip indeed. When I think back just a few months ago - when I broke my foot - I didn't think I would be skiing so soon or to such an extent. After 6 days and close to 25 hours on the boards I'm quietly pleased with the progress. Oh, a little vitamin I was consumed to be sure but on the whole the foot performed well. This ski camp was a bit of a departure for me. Not sure I would do it again. It was a lot of fun but I found it to be a little too much of the same thing day in and day out. My usual M.O. would be to ski a few different places in the same period of time. Still the price was right so it was hard to refuse. That said, the skis are coated in travel wax, bags are packed.... so tomorrow I head for home.

Moonrise on Paradise

Moonrise on Paradise
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Snow here continues to be sensational. Can't believe how few people are out here (though the weekend was pretty busy) and often find myself on my own on the trails.... such a shame but I continue to tough it out. Monday we got another big dump of snow (4 inches) and it fell spectacularly fast. Made the skate ski I was on a somewhat tough slog but I didn't hear anyone around here complaining. Today it was blue skies and perfect grooming. A morning ski followeed by an early afternoon nap and then out again for an evening (which falls pretty early these days) ski... life is tough. I am following the pictures of "snow" back home but to be honest... don't feel too bad that I missed some of the "first skis" on the parkway verges. Here's hoping some more snow falls before I come home.