ORLEANS NORDIC SKI CLUB PRESIDENT FRANK ROSCOE.
Do something in the wintertime and the next thing your know, it’s April.
One of the best parts of winter in the capital region, particularly if you love being outside, is Gatineau Park.
Nothing beats gliding down Champlain Parkway in the crisp sunshine or hitting the trails after dark to enjoy supper by candlelight in the cosy confines of Shilly Shally, one of the park’s iconic red-trimmed shacks heated by wood stove and the huffing of skate skiers.
But what if you: a) don’t have a car or b) only have a short window of time in which to squeeze in a skinny ski?
Well, you’re in luck: Thanks to dedicated volunteers, there are several places to go in Ottawa, some of which may be just beyond your backyard or accessible by public transit.
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Fitzroy Provincial Park, 5201 Canon Smith Dr., Fitzroy Harbour
The West Carleton Nordic Ski Club maintains about 15 kilometres of beginner/intermediate trails at this west-end park — 10 kilometres are wide enough to accommodate both classic and skate skiers, while the remainder are back-country trails for classicstyle skiers only.
Now in its 24th year, the club grooms “as often as is needed so the trail is in good condition,” said president Bryan Dumouchel. That means after every five centimetres of fresh snowfall and on Friday evenings, in preparation for weekends.
Finding good quality crosscountry skiing once meant travelling elsewhere and often ate up most of a day, Dumouchel says. “We’re better off to have something close to home.”
A seasonal membership is $35 and a day pass is $7. Leave your dog at home. 2
Wesley Clover Parks, 401 Corkstown Rd.
Established in 1979, the Kanata Nordic Ski Club’s earliest days were spent traipsing around the Beaverbrook neighbourhood before it was fully developed.
Today, the 800-member club maintains about 15 kilometres of trails at Wesley Clover Parks, where its various learn-to-ski programs for children and adults are held. This year, Kanata Nordic has hired a part-time head coach for the ski racer program.
“There’s a lot of passionate skiers in this city,” said president Marlene Alt. “We just all want more people to ski.”
When there’s enough snow and volunteer grooming power, the club also maintains trails in the Greenbelt at Shirleys Bay and Stony Swamp.
An adult membership is $95, a family membership is $170, but non-members can pay $10 to ski for the day. People under 13 ski for free. 3
Along the Ottawa River, between Westboro Beach and the Canadian War Museum
The newest kid on the block, the Sir John A. Macdonald winter trail already has a legion of fans, particularly diehard skiers living in or near Westboro, Hintonburg, Little Italy or LeBreton Flats.
From first snowfall to spring melt, a team of volunteers led by Groomer Dave, as Dave Adams has come to be known, maintain 16 kilometres of trails for skiing, but also for snowshoeing, fat biking and walking. The SJAM trail is groomed daily, sometimes even twice a day.
The whole point is to get people outside to enjoy this great Canadian sport and to make the picturesque Ottawa River accessible to the public throughout a season it hasn’t historically been, says Adams. “The idea is really capturing people’s imagination.”
The trail was open for 111 days last year, attracted as many as 1,500 users some days and crowdfunded more than $27,000 to cover the operation. Another fundraising campaign is underway this season.
Best of all? It’s free. Save those toonies for an après-ski hot toddy. 4
Pine Grove, Mer Bleue and Green’s Creek/Hornet’s Nest
East-enders have been waxing up with glee for more than three decades, thanks to the Orléans Nordic Ski Club, which today maintains trails at several locations.
The club uses the Eric Danis Clubhouse at the Hornet’s Nest soccer fields on Bearbrook Road, just north of Blackburn Hamlet, as its main hub of activities, which include learn-to-ski programs for children and adults.
It also grooms trails in the Greenbelt: Pine Grove Forest (about 10 kilometres of trails off Leitrim Road, via parking lot 20) and Mer Bleue (about 10 kilometres of trails on the west side of Anderson Road). The trails are open all the time and ideally suited to retired people and families with children (i.e., no big hills).
“I really believe in what we’re doing,” said club president Frank Roscoe. “I say to people, ‘It’s a way to help make the winter pass quickly. Do something in the wintertime and the next thing you know, it’s April.’ ”
The retired Parks Canada employee has three adult children, all of whom he loves to ski with on these trails. “I’ll be able to do that with them until I’m really, really old.”
An adult membership is $90 and the family pass is $225, and entitles holders to participate in programs. Trail access at all three locations is free for those not taking lessons.
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Along the Ottawa River, between Green’s Creek and Trim Road
The proponents of Ski Heritage East hope the success of a twoweek pilot project last season will be a harbinger of good things to come this year.
“People flocked to it, it was incredible,” said organizer Ian Gadbois.
The group is trying to secure funding to hire professional groomers to maintain eight kilometres of trail along the river. The long-term dream would see another eight-kilometre stretch to the west of Green’s Creek, all the way to the New Edinburgh boathouse.
Stay tuned.
6
Cumberland Heritage Village Museum, 2940 Old Montreal Rd., Cumberland
This network of free trails behind the museum is groomed for both classic and skate skiing, but is also popular with snowshoers and dog walkers. Look for the trailhead in the parking lot beside the museum.
Groomer Lyle Fair’s snowmobile broke down last January, so grooming was a challenge. But he says he’s got a new machine and is ready to get out there.
The largely flat trails are ideal for people who don’t want to go all the way to Gatineau to enjoy some fresh air, he says.
“It’s amazing what 20 or 30 minutes in the forest can do for you.”