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Gatineau Park Ski Conditions. . .
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2006 Season Reports

1) Wayne Dustin, 2005-11-24 09:55:11
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: summer storage wax, Grip Wax: vauhti blue, Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP)
Good condtitions for classic, able to ski on the road, or the shoulder for classic. For skating you would need to stay on the shoulder. When I left at 8:30 there was about 4cm of snow. This section is well sheltered, so the snow wasn't blowing away!

2) ArnoTurk, 2005-11-24 20:08:42
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Storage Wax, Grip Wax: blue, Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP)
At noon today there was about 7cm on the parkway pavement itself, more at the sides in the grass. Still rock skis as of that time. Beware that parkway is dry and snow slides off it easily. Skating is not a good idea. Classic at the side of the Parkway is the better choice.

Wayne was probably first guy out there, then Monika, then myself at about 10am.

3) Wayne Dustin, 2005-11-25 08:41:04
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: vauhti blue, Grip Wax: vauhti blue, Trails Skied: CP (Black-GP)
Parkways are groomed! It looks like all the parkways above Pink Lake are groomed. I didn't go down Pink Lake, so I'm not sure if the groomers turned around at the top, or continued to Gamelin. I started at P8 and skied to Black Lake. The classic was excellent, sometimes the track goes down to grass or pavement. The skating looks perfect.

4) Wayne Dustin, 2005-11-29 08:34:16
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: whatever, Grip Wax: red klister (rossa special), Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP)
Classic skied, the tracks up Fourtune hill were still quite good. No bare spots until the T, where I turned around. There will be lots of bare spots quite soon.

5) Craig Storey, 2005-12-02 09:01:41
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: , Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP)
Hmmm.. just enough to make it white, not enough to really ski and too much to rollerkski safely. But it's still snowing. If you ski let us know.

6) Craig Storey, 2005-12-03 11:59:07
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Shop Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Blue, Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP)
There is a thin covering (2-5cm) of light snow everywhere in the park. Not enough for good skiing since the snow is dry and fluffy. Classic ROCK skiing is possible on the grass shoulder. Your skis will go through to grass and get scratched, but the desperate skier will enjoy it. Skating is not possible since you just push the light snow away and scrape the pavement. OLD skis you don't care about are a must today.

7) Craig Storey, 2005-12-04 14:38:01
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Blue, Grip Wax: Blue, Trails Skied: FP (P8-P9),FP (P9-P10),FP (P10-CP),CP (FP-Black),CP (Black-GP)
Rock skiing is possible still. Classic is better, skating is possible on short strectches from P10 up. Your skis will go through to grass and get scratched, but the desperate skier will enjoy it. OLD ROCK skis are a must today.

8) Craig Storey, 2005-12-06 10:11:25
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Shop Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Blue, Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP),CP (FP-Black)
Lafleur has once again turned 5cm into excellent skiing! Skating on the parkway is good, classic without a track on the parkway or with a skied-in track on the shoulder. Be warned that the snow is only 1-2cm deep and if skating you could easily cut through to pavement. ROCK skis are adviced, skating or classic.

9) Craig Storey, 2005-12-07 11:44:04
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Shop Blue, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP)
There was a light dusting overnight, but the cover is still thin. Skating on the parkway is good, classic without a track on the parkway or with a skied-in track on the shoulder. Be warned that the snow is only 1-2cm deep and if skating you WILL cut through to the pavement. ROCK skis for skating or classic.

10) Andrew Wynd, 2005-12-09 11:41:57
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: none, rock skis!, Grip Wax: Vauhti Blue, Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP)
A good 2-3 inches of fresh, light powder by 9:30am. No ggrooming as yet, but it will be awesome when they do. Good base underneath, only went through to pavement on the windblown corners. Should be great skiing this weekend. Would still advise not using your best skis, something in-between rock skis and race skis is ideal.

11) Craig Storey, 2005-12-10 13:04:26
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Carrot, Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP),CP (FP-Black),CP (Black-GP)
Lafleur groomed and trackset the parkway loop. Decent coverage everywhere, but there are thin spots where pavement will come through. Rock skis are recommended though.

12) Craig Storey, 2005-12-10 14:20:26
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Vauhti Shop Blue, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: FP (P8-P9)
Generally covered but there are lots of thin spots to avoid. ROCK SKIS! It's better skiing from P10 to the 'T' then to either Black Lake or Champlain.

13) Craig Storey, 2005-12-12 09:58:36
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Blue, Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP),CP (FP-Black)
Slowly buildng up a base a few cm a day. Things are generally good thanks to the constant grooming by Lafleur. But there is still only thin coverage lower in the park P8-P9, P8-Mica. Skiing from P10 up is recommend for good skis, other areas are rocks ski safe only.

14) Edward McCarthy, 2005-12-13 13:09:34
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Green, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP),CP (FP-Black)
The cold temperatures and Lafleur's grooming have let the snow there is set and harden, making for smooth, fast skiing. It's suitable for good skis along pretty much the whole P10-Champlain-Black's Lake triangle. The snow seems thin up near Black's, though, so there may be a bit less down by P8-P9. It's beautiful sunny weather, get out and ski!

15) Sheila Kealey, 2005-12-14 14:46:57
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Green, Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP)
Skating and classic tracks were still great from P10 this morning. Grass is peaking through at at few spots in the classic tracks, but it's still suitable for good skis. The new snow expected tomorrow and Friday should make for great weekend skiing!

16) Craig Storey, 2005-12-15 13:03:46
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: Vauhti Green, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: GP (P1-P3),GP (P3-CP),Skinook
Skiing from Gamelin is thin, but decent rock skiing. You can ski on #5 as well, but watch your edges. If we get the 15-30cm they are predicting then the park is very well setup in terms of base.

17) Craig Storey, 2005-12-16 21:40:02
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Blue, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: #1A,#1B
With all of this snow it has to be great...but don't take our word for it go try it out for yourself!

18) Craig Storey, 2005-12-17 10:36:35
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Violet, Grip Wax: Violet, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),FP (P10-CP)
Beautiful conditions! You can finally break out the good skis. Ridge Road was in great shape, the parkways are well packed. It may soften up a bit today with lots of people out skiing, but will be excellent on Sunday once it's re-groomed and sets up overnight.

19) Andrew Wynd, 2005-12-18 12:28:24
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: skating, Trails Skied: #1A,#1B
Awesome skiing today, nice mild temperature of -6 and perfect tracks, softening a little with the number of skiers in the park.
Race skis can be used with no problems, the glide was a little slow in some of the shaded areas.
Ridge Road is great for skating and classic.

20) Edward McCarthy, 2005-12-19 14:42:00
Starting Point: P5, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Violet and Vauhti Carrot, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B
Gorgeous grooming today, hard solid trail for classic and skate. One or two rocks to watch on Penguin, but everything's suitable for your good skis!

21) Sheila Kealey, 2005-12-20 12:40:02
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Carrot, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan)
As usual, more snow has fallen in the Park than in the city. It wasn't track set this morning, but easy to ski through the light, fluffy powder. Great skiing!

22) Craig Storey, 2005-12-21 10:02:17
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Green, Grip Wax: Vauhti Orange covered with Green, Trails Skied: #1 (Keogan-Champlain),FP (P10-CP)
Re-groomed and trackset to near perfection! Another 10cm would make the skiing perfect. There are a few thin spots in the classic tracks, but the are easily spotted and avoided. Watch out for the usual downhills that get snowploughed bare; Peguin, Kyber Pass, etc.

23) Edward McCarthy, 2005-12-22 11:35:11
Starting Point: P5, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Blue, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain)
A few centimetres of fresh snow are on top of the base we already have. There is still the odd rock to look for on snowplowed sections, but the skiing is gorgeous. The combination of the good base and loose snow make for really smooth cornering down Penguin!

24) Sheila Kealey, 2005-12-23 10:35:24
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauthi Blue Klister covered with Red Fluor Grip Wax, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B,FP (P8-P9),FP (P9-P10),FP (P10-CP)
New snow and light rain is coating the tracks, but the skiing is still good! Skating looked a little slow, but the classic skiing was great with the right grip.

25) Sheila Kealey, 2005-12-24 10:25:12
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: Vauhti Violet, Grip Wax: Universal Klister covered with red fluor grip wax, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),GP (P1-P3),GP (P3-CP),CP (FP-Black),CP (Black-GP)
The parkways are groomed for skating, but not classic (although skier traffic should take care of this for afternoon skiers!). The trails aren't groomed, but skiable if you don't mind trudging through the snow.

26) Tom McCarthy, 2005-12-27 14:30:53
Starting Point: P7, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue & Antistatic, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B
Best day of skiing this year. Wet snow froze, and new snow on top. All groomed perfectly, made for a perfect base. Lafleur has once again shown expert knowledge of when exactly to groom to make the most of changing conditions.

27) Tom McCarthy, 2005-12-28 09:20:05
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Low-Fluoro pink, Grip Wax: Vauhti Teho Green base with Vauhti Fluor Orange cover, Trails Skied: #1 (Keogan-Champlain),FP (P10-CP)
Tricky waxing day today... cold last night but warmed up during the night, and misty snow/ice slowly falling. Quite abrasive, but soft and dry in spots. Karl and Ed skied with no base wax, and had to fight for grip on Violet and Purple. I skied with Vauhti Teho Blue base and Vauhti Orange for a cover, was a little slow but great grip. Coach John probably had the best combo at Vauhti Teho Green base with Vauhti Orange cover. Someday maybe I'll know as much as he does...

28) Sheila Kealey, 2005-12-30 09:14:42
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Teho green covered with carrot, Trails Skied: GP (CP-Penguin)
Lafleur has crushed the ice layer making for some great skiing. Conditions vary, depending on how many times the groomer has passed. Classic tracks still have some icy chunks that are abbrasive and require some super binder or maybe blue klister (I had teho green which was o.k., but could have used a bit more grip). Skating looked quick but stable, since the groomer turned up a layer of soft but fast snow.

29) Tom McCarthy, 2005-12-31 11:50:51
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: #1 (Keogan-Champlain),FP (P10-CP)
Cold and crushed ice. Fast and good for skating. Parkways and Burma have been tilled and soft, good skiing. Ridge not tilled recently and very hard underfoot. Definite klister skiing- you might be able to get by with Teho Green base though.

30) Sheila Kealey, 2006-01-01 10:57:04
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Blue Klister covered with Carrot, Trails Skied: #1A,#1B,#3,FP (P10-CP)
Good ski conditions again today, especially where the groomer has passed recently (most parkways, Ridge Road). It's still pretty fast conditions with the crushed ice mixed in with the snow. The snow/ice mixture is pretty abbrasive - for classic skiers, blue klister covered with carrot was a good all-round choice today, but teho green might work as a base if the tracks you're on aren't too icy.

31) Tom McCarthy, 2006-01-02 16:35:13
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: Vauhti blue with low fluor cover, Grip Wax: Blue Klister covered with Carrot, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B
Tricky grip waxing... humid day with icy, transformed snow. Soft on top. Universal klister with a SuperBlue cover would have worked better.

32) Craig Storey, 2006-01-03 09:26:14
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Tar Klister + Teho Green, Trails Skied: GP (P1-P3),Skinook
Very abbrasive and crunchy skiing lower in the park compared to P10. The tracks are in good shape but you will need klister (at the least base binder) otherwise be prepared to re-apply kick wax frequently. the high humidity makes it feel very cold on the downhills so bundle up a bit more than you normally would for these temps.

33) Craig Storey, 2006-01-05 09:39:28
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: Vauhti Shop Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Orange, Trails Skied: Skinook
Lots of new fresh snow should hide the ice...

34) Craig Storey, 2006-01-05 21:40:25
Starting Point: P5, Glide Wax: Vauhti Shop Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Orange, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),GP (CP-Penguin),GP (Penguin-P8)
Lots of new snow! Soft in spots, but re-groomed in the afternoon. Should firm up a bit overnight. Conditions aren't as fast as last week, but the new snow is still quite fast and easier to ski on. No more reports this weekend, we're all racing in ValCartier. Happy Skiing!

35) Wayne Dustin, 2006-01-10 13:26:21
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: vahti blue, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: GP (P1-P3),GP (P3-CP),CP (Black-GP),Skinook
Excellent powder skiing, while it lasts! Skated from Gamelin, on parkways and trail #5 up to Mackenzie King. Some places were chewed up from people skiing yesterday right after it was groomed, but from Pink Lake up the skating was perfect, it had been regroomed by a smaller groomer. The main parkway loop looked excellent.

36) Wayne Dustin, 2006-01-11 10:11:12
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: vauhti blue, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: GP (P1-P3),GP (P3-CP),Skinook
Freezing rain. Getting icy, but still able to get an edge, skiing was still good at 8:30 am.

37) Sheila Kealey, 2006-01-12 11:31:50
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain)
It's spring like conditions - a bit slow in spots. The rain didn't wash away much snow and the skiing is still pretty good. The trails haven't been groomed, but there's still a pretty good classic track - you'll need klister for grip.

38) Craig Storey, 2006-01-13 09:41:52
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Purple Klister, Trails Skied: GP (P1-P3),GP (P3-CP),Skinook
Lafleur tilled the parkways and P15 early this morning. Edging your skis in some spots was still tough, but generally very good skiing! It was fast, but slowing as the sun warmed it up. The classic tracks on P15 were freshly groomed and you could have used Teho/Purple hard wax there this morning, but once it glazes over klister will be needed. If you can get out before it rains, you'll enjoy it!

39) Sheila Kealey, 2006-01-15 11:54:27
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Blue Klister covered with Carrot, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain)
The skiing is fast and quite good where the groomer has passed recently - Ridge Road was excellent after 9:00 this morning when the groomer went by for a second time. Most parkways and trails have been groomed in the last 24 hrs. The classic tracks are icy at spots and abbrasive, so you'll likely need klister for good grip. Stay warm by staying on the trails in the woods and avoiding windy parkway sections if you can!

40) Craig Storey, 2006-01-16 10:47:15
Starting Point: P7, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Blue Klister + Vauhti Teho Green cover, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B
Cold this morning, but good skiing. The parkways have been tilled for skating and are fast and smooth. The classic tracks are generally older and on Ridge road filled with twigs and leaves leftover from the warm spell. If you ski out the unfinished parkway past the end of 1A towards McKinstry there are freshly groomed tracks and the classic is near perfect! Bundle up and enjoy.

41) Edward McCarthy, 2006-01-17 17:19:41
Starting Point: P2, Glide Wax: Vauhti blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti blue klister covered with Teho green, Trails Skied: Skinook
Fast and furious! It's still pretty icy out there, but it's been tilled in spots and the tracks are hard and set deep enough to ski in easily. With the sunny skies, it was well worth the ski, and makes for fast skating and a good balance workout! Let's hope for lots of snow and no rain in the new weather...

42) Wayne Dustin, 2006-01-19 09:00:08
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: vahti blue, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: FP (P8-P9),FP (P9-P10),FP (P10-CP)
Very good skiing. There were in the process of grooming the parkways. They had started going around the loop from P8 when I got there, and hadn't returned when I finished @ 8:00. They got about 1 cm of fresh snow that was being tilled in with the ice. After tilling it was granular snow, not too icy, very nice skiing. Classic looked very good as well.

43) Craig Storey, 2006-01-20 11:01:11
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: Shop Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Carrot over Klister, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B,GP (CP-Penguin),CP (FP-Black),CP (Black-GP)
The parkways are great, they were groomed yesterday. Fast, fun skiing. The smaller trails are dry snow over ice and ungroomed. Obviously with the rain forecast they are being conservative with tilling the base until tonight. Ski on the parkway today!

44) Craig Storey, 2006-01-21 10:54:59
Starting Point: P5, Glide Wax: Violet, Grip Wax: Harries!, Trails Skied: GP (P3-CP),GP (CP-Penguin)
There was a lot more snow in the park at 8am than in town, maybe 15cm already. The snow was fast, but deep. From 8-10am it kept snowing hard. The groomer had been on the parkways, but it was hard to tell because the snow was piling up so fast. The groomers won't get finished the park until later tonight when it starts to cool down. Expect perfect skiing everywhere tomorrow!

45) Craig Storey, 2006-01-23 11:10:56
Starting Point: P7, Glide Wax: Vauhti Shop Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Carrot, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B,#3
Perfect!

46) Craig Storey, 2006-01-25 16:10:46
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Violet, Grip Wax: Vauhti Violet, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B,#3
Not a lot of fresh grooming today. There are a few cm of fluff on most trails. It hides the ice at the top of Penguin, and other spots where people snowplough.

47) Wayne Dustin, 2006-01-26 08:20:01
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: vauhti blue, Grip Wax: skated, Trails Skied: GP (P1-P3),GP (P3-CP),Skinook
Excellent skiing. All of the trails in the first 15km of the Keskinada are freshly groomed. Trail 15 is groomed for skating and classic, and has been given the extra wide Keskinada treatment. The Gatineau parkway from Gamelin to Fortune parkway has not been freshly groomed, but the other parkways have.

48) Sheila Kealey, 2006-01-27 12:06:12
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#3,GP (P3-CP)
No fresh grooming, so the skating track was hard and fast this morning, and classic tracks on the parkways and trails looked good. The park is in good shape to weather the predicted 20 degree temperature change from early this morning, and skiing this weekend should be excellent!

49) Edward McCarthy, 2006-01-28 09:55:31
Starting Point: P7, Glide Wax: Vauhti Violet, Grip Wax: Vauhti Violet, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B,#3
Ideal. Best day of skiing this year. Get out early, before it gets too warm for the violet!

50) Edward McCarthy, 2006-01-30 10:55:09
Starting Point: P5, Glide Wax: Vauhti Violet, Grip Wax: Vauhti Fluor Violet, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan)
Hard to believe, but more than worth the drive. The parkways and Ridge had been groomed overnight and were being regroomed, so when I skied half the trail was a bit snowed over and the other half was freshly set track. Great conditions for either classic or skate, however disgusting things might be in town.

51) Craig Storey, 2006-01-31 10:35:57
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: Vauhti Violet, Grip Wax: Vauhti Teho Green + Violet, Trails Skied: Skinook
Everything was groomed yesterday or last night. There is a thin layer of snow, then a thin layer of ice, and then fresh snow on top of that for a mix of 2cm. The skiing is good, and the glide is fairly fast. Grip is a bit tricky, but possible. Don't wax too warm, there is dry snow underneath.

52) Craig Storey, 2006-02-01 21:22:51
Starting Point: CDE, Glide Wax: Vauhti Violet, Grip Wax: Vauhti Teho Green + Carrot, Trails Skied: #1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B
Excellent skiing! The snow is a mix of ice, corn and dry snow but is still fairly quick. Grip is easy to get, but glides well too. A few flakes of new snow falling too. We'll see if this lasts!

53) Craig Storey, 2006-02-03 13:04:25
Starting Point: P5, Glide Wax: Yellow, Grip Wax: Universal Klister, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B
I've heard reports that it's snow mixed with rain in the park, but the skiing is relatively good. The team is at Nakkertok in Cantley all weekend for the Eastern Canadian Championships, so won't be able to provide first hand reports. If you have a report about conditions you can send it to us.

54) Craig Storey, 2006-02-04 19:39:00
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Vauhti Yellow, Grip Wax: Universal Klister, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B,#3,FP (P10-CP),CP (FP-Black)
Steve Reports - Slow with up to 5cm of fresh wet snow overnight. Not groomed. Ascticou along Keskinada course to top of Penguin and back down Black's.

Carl Reports - quite simply, no grooming. Zero, zip. Started at Gamelin at 6.20, snow was wet but not real deep. It got heavier over Penguin and then down through the doldrums. Up Fortune to Burma, up Burma over Ridge Road and out at Etienne Brule. Champlain Pkwy also ungroomed. Got back to Gamelin at 10.15 - still nothing. Brutal - one of the toughest days skiing ever.

Note when it rains, grooming can be counterproductive. It will compact the wet snow and when it freezes it will be concrete. By not grooming the snow remains softer and once re-frozen can be re-groomedinto skiable snow.

55) Craig Storey, 2006-02-05 18:07:35
Starting Point: P3, Glide Wax: Vauhti Yellow Fluor, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: Skinook
Edith - Skied the lower Keski loop. The parkways were soft, but still fast fun skiing. Trail 5 was soft and mushy but all of the debris on the trail made it less than great skiing. Not too many people out, but the skiing wasn't too bad at all.

56) Edward McCarthy, 2006-02-06 14:59:28
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Teho Green, Carrot, and Blue, Trails Skied: #1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B
The tracks are rock-hard and a bit icy from the freeze after the weekend, with a little drifting powder from last night's snowfall. Skiing's pretty fast, there are more sheer icy spots to watch out for, especially in the track. Spring skiing was fun, but it's nice to know it's still winter.

57) Sheila Kealey, 2006-02-07 13:09:44
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B
The bit of snow has made from some great skiing today! The skating was fast but stable, and classic tracks looked good as well, but perhaps a bit abbrasive so you might need a binder or teho green under your kick wax.

58) Wayne Dustin, 2006-02-10 08:42:36
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: vauhti blue, Grip Wax: none, Trails Skied: GP (CP-Penguin)
Excellent skiing. Freshly groomed on the parkways and #1. Cold and a bit slow for skating, should be faster this afternoon. Need base wax or base klister for classic, or you will lose your grip wax. I skied classic last night with klister left over from the weekend covered with blue hard wax, and it was perfect.

59) Gavin Hamilton, 2006-02-12 13:11:22
Starting Point: P7, Glide Wax: vauhti blue, Grip Wax: blue, Trails Skied: #1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B,#3
It was a great day for a long ski. The grooming was great and the tracks fine as well. My grip was slipping a little bit so I had to reapply it quite a few times because the snow was pretty abrasive. I probably should've put some teho green or blue klister as a binder and then cover it instead of just straight blue.

60) Craig Storey, 2006-02-14 11:09:43
Starting Point: P3, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Teho Green, Trails Skied: Skinook
Skeid the first half of the Keski course. There was a light snowfall overnight that made it a bit slower. They were just grooming the parkways at 9am, which really improved the glide. Look for great conditions by noon.

61) Edward McCarthy, 2006-02-16 09:12:24
Starting Point: P12, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Carrot/Vauhti Blue, Trails Skied: #1A,#1B
The tracks were perfectly groomed when I started skiing. They've been tilled since last night, so the trail was smooth granular snow with slightly icy bits and drier snow, pretty fast. It started snowing while I was skiing, and the snow is now collecting fast on the trail and in the track, slowing things down. Still, the trails are back in great shape!

62) Andrew Wynd, 2006-02-16 17:48:14
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: vauhti violet, Trails Skied: FP (P8-P9)
I skiied at 1-3pm today classical and the tracks were fine, covered in 5-10 cm of fresh, dry powder, but very skiiable!
The skating looked a little snow, but wasn't bad due to the good grooming beneath the fresh snow. I had to cover my wax as it was too much grip and the skis were sticking. I used a Toko blue stick for this and then my wax was perfect.
Good luck to everyone doing the Keskinada this coming weekend, who knows what we are in store for?
Andrew Wynd

63) Craig Storey, 2006-02-17 21:52:27
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Green, Grip Wax: Klister + hard wax cover, Trails Skied: Skinook
Icy and fast. You'll need klister and don't expect the entire park to be perfect, Lafleur will have their hands full getting the Keskinada course safe for everyone.

64) Craig Storey, 2006-02-21 12:52:24
Starting Point: P7, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Teho Green + Carrot, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#3
We didn't see another soul out this morning, but the skiing was great! Hard tracks with a bit of fresh snow, and a light snow continually accumulating. Should be softer by this afternoon. If you still have leftover klister from Saturday strip it off, it really drags in this new snow!

65) Craig Storey, 2006-02-22 13:44:32
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Teho Green + Carrot, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),FP (P10-CP)
The park only got 2-3cm of snow yesterday, and it remains ungroomed but it does make for nice skiing; you don't need klister anymore and you can get an edge for skating. More skiers were out today. I guess people have recovered from the Keski!

66) Craig Storey, 2006-02-24 12:36:17
Starting Point: P7, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Carrot, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain)
Beautiful skiing today! Sunny, freshly groomed, mild... perfect! Enjoy the skiing this weekend.

67) Craig Storey, 2006-02-25 10:33:13
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Graphite + Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Blue, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#3,GP (CP-Penguin),CP (FP-Black)
Cold and a bit slow. Very windy with blowing and drifting snow. Bundle up and try to avoid the parkways. the classic tracks are pretty much filled with dry cold snow, skating was better this morning.

68) Edward McCarthy, 2006-02-26 10:52:13
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: Vauhti Green, Grip Wax: Vauhti Blue/Green, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#3,FP (P10-CP)
Perfect tracks! The snow that fell yesterday has been groomed nicely, leaving hard trails in great condition, with a tiny bit of ice mixed in for some extra speed. It's cold, but it's sunny, so get out there.

69) Craig Storey, 2006-03-01 12:07:35
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Speed Green, Grip Wax: Vauhti Carrot covered with green, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),FP (P10-CP),CP (FP-Black)
The usual wintery skiing is here! Skating was fast this morning. The parkways are hard, with a bit of drifting everywhere. Classic tracks are full some spots. Ridge Road is more consistent but there is lots of debris in the tracks. Once the sunshines and the winds die down it's beautiful! Hope Earl of March H.S. enjoyed their ski day.

70) Sheila Kealey, 2006-03-03 08:29:13
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Teho green covered with green, Trails Skied: GP (P1-P3),GP (P3-CP)
Great skiing this morning . . . Bright sun with freshly trackset tracks that were quite fast. The snow was abbrasive so you'll need some form of binder to keep your kick wax on. It's going to be an amazing weekend of skiing. Don't forget to get your Norwegian vaffles at Huron Lodge Sunday!

71) Craig Storey, 2006-03-05 14:51:38
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: Vauhti Speed Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Teho + Carrot, Trails Skied: #1
We're all in Thunder Bay this week, so we can't report on the Park conditions. If you have a comment about the conditions, send us an email and we will post it. Thanks for the help!

72) Wayne Dustin, 2006-03-15 08:53:39
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: , Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: GP (P1-P3),GP (P3-CP),CP (Black-GP),Skinook
Very good skiing, freshly groomed. Granular snow, not too icy, nice skating. From the parking lot @ Gamelin to the bridge over St. Raymond they have not groomed, so it is quite icy. Looks like they will not groom this section anymore, unless we get more snow.

73) Andrew Wynd, 2006-03-16 14:08:42
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: violet/silver klister mixed, Trails Skied: FP (P8-P9),FP (P9-P10)
Awesome spring skiing conditions. I skated first and it was fast and close to perfect. The classic was not as good, slower tracks and some colder, fresh snow in parts. The klister was good in the sun, but iced up in some sections. Consider covering the klister with a hard wax, eg: vauhti orange (carrot)

74) Sheila Kealey, 2006-03-17 10:19:08
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Vaughti Blue, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: GP (Penguin-P8),CP (FP-Black),CP (Black-GP)
Excellent skiing this morning! Perfectly trackset and fast. Lafleur was out in force grooming a lot of the trail network, so we can all look forward to some great skiing this weekend. The classic tracks looked a bit icy and abbrasive, so you'll need klister for grip.

75) Craig Storey, 2006-03-18 14:44:48
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Speed Blue, Grip Wax: Binder Klister + Vauhti Teho Green, Trails Skied: #1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#3,FP (P9-P10),FP (P10-CP)
Great skiing on Ridge and the Parkways. Burma was a bit icy on the downhills, but very skiable. Trails 40, 2 and 33 were good too. For the most part Lafleur has tilled the ice into sugary snow which is fast and easy to ski on. Well worth the effort to get out! Skiing is by no means finished for the year.

76) Megan McTavish, 2006-03-21 15:50:59
Starting Point: P5, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),FP (P10-CP),CP (FP-Black),CP (Black-GP)
Perfect grooming for both classic and skating. The snow is fast but not hard and icy. The parkway is no longer groomed from Champlain lookout to Huron lookout but is otherwise perfect. Ridge road is also great.

77) Sheila Kealey, 2006-03-24 08:53:12
Starting Point: P1, Glide Wax: vauhti blue, Grip Wax: skating, Trails Skied: GP (P1-P3),GP (P3-CP)
If you get out at the right time, you can have a great ski! Nothing had been trackset early this morning, so evidence of everyone who skied yesterday afternoon made for a bit of a rutted parkway (but still skiable). The skiing will be great when this softens up a bit more.

78) Craig Storey, 2006-03-25 17:29:55
Starting Point: P8, Glide Wax: Yellow, Grip Wax: Red + Silver Klister mixed, Trails Skied: FP (P8-P9)
Great day for skiing. It was relatively fast even though it was wet corn snow. By 1pm it was pretty mushy, but still skiable. It was great meeting everyone at P8 for lessons today. Over 50 of you took advantage of the fact they were FREE. We'll see you out next Saturday for FREE lessons and food at P19 from 10-2.

79) Megan McTavish, 2006-03-27 14:28:10
Starting Point: P2, Glide Wax: speed yellow, Grip Wax: red and silver klister mixed, Trails Skied: GP (P1-P3),Skinook
If you are debating whether or not to go skiing tonight you should go! The trails are still in very good shape. Even the smaller trails (5, 15, 7) are newly groomed and great for classic and skating. Enjoy the sun!

80) Craig Storey, 2006-03-28 09:38:49
Starting Point: P7, Glide Wax: Yellow, Grip Wax: Red or Universal + Silver Klister, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B
Great skiing once it softened up. The parkways were regroomed this morning, Ridge and Burma were not but they softened up by 9am. If you are headed out early, stick to the parkways. Because of our warm days and slow freeze over night the trails get rutted and crusty, but are only groomable at about 5am-8am which give Lafleur very little time to get out and the parkways get the grooming first. If you want to ski other trails then latter in the morning or after work is probably the best time.

81) Sheila Kealey, 2006-03-30 11:25:27
Starting Point: P5, Glide Wax: Vauhti yellow, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: GP (CP-Penguin)
Skiing was excellent this morning, and parkways were freshly groomed with good snow coverage. Most trails still have plenty of snow too, but the snow is starting to get pretty dirty in spots!

82) Megan McTavish, 2006-04-01 17:10:50
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: speed yellow, Grip Wax: red and silver klister, Trails Skied: #1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B,#3,FP (P10-CP)
The conditions are getting marginal but it is still possible to ski if you want to! Make sure to come out to Lafleur's customer appreciation day and get some free lessons from XC Ottawa tomorrow! P19 - 10am to 2pm.

83) Craig Storey, 2006-04-03 13:09:13
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: yellow, Grip Wax: red klister, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),FP (P10-CP),CP (FP-Black)
Skiing is still possible, and surprisingly good after the rain and really warm weather of the past few days. Rock skis are now adviced, and there are a few open spots on Ridge where you need to walk a few steps. The parkway is open at Etienne Brule and there is pavement poking through here and there. But, there is still a few days left... unless it really rains again!

84) Edward McCarthy, 2006-04-04 17:00:20
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: , Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),FP (P10-CP)
The park got a few centimetres of that new snow, and it does a great job of hiding the bare patches. That's good and bad - the skiing's really good up from P10 and on Ridge to the top of Penguin, but there are a few spots where the base (yes, there's still base!) gives out and the snow hides rocks. Be careful, and use rock skis, but go skiing!

85) Craig Storey, 2006-04-05 12:11:55
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Blue, Grip Wax: Vauhti Carrot over Purple klister, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),#1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B,FP (P9-P10),FP (P10-CP)
Lafluer grooms again!! It was more like early winter than spring conditions this morning but use ROCK SKIS. The parkways and Ridge are good rock skiing! There are a few thin spots covered by the fresh snow (up to 5cm!) so keep your eyes open for rocks. We skied from P10-Ridge-Penguin, back to 1A/1B/2 intersection, back to Huron, onto the Gatineau parkway and back to P10 without taking our skis off. Only a few small scratches were reported.

86) Karl Saidla, 2006-04-06 18:59:50
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Vauhti Speed Yellow, Grip Wax: Vauhti Red, Trails Skied: FP (P10-CP),CP (FP-Black)
Don't quit now! After the snow melts it is a long time until November! Skied around 5pm Thursday from P10. The snow is old, coarse and granular for the most part. Skating is good on the parwkway and classic is still possible as well. There are some bare spots by Fortune Lake, but the skiing is still good enough to be worth while

87) Megan McTavish, 2006-04-07 12:39:11
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: speed yellow (vauhti), Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),FP (P10-CP)
It was raining but the skiing is still ok! It was actually pretty fast, not too icy, which made for some fun skating. There are a few bare spots but it is definitely worth it. Lets try for one more weekend of skiing!

88) Craig Storey, 2006-04-08 13:35:00
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: Yellow, Grip Wax: Red Klister, Trails Skied: #1 (Keogan-Champlain),#1A,#1B,FP (P10-CP)
WOW - Skiing all the way to the Fire Tower is still possiible and from the back of the water tank loop to McKinstry is simply amazing! Too bad I forgot the camera in the car. We ran into lots of happy skiers out there and even startled a few hikers who came up from Luskville and couldn't believe we'd skied there! There were only 3 spots we had to walk, and 2 spots we skied on grass. Ridge has a few thin spots but the skiing is still good. The further out you go the better it gets. Sunday might be the last day for weekend warriors.

89) Megan McTavish, 2006-04-10 11:26:40
Starting Point: P12, Glide Wax: Vauhti speed yellow, Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: #1B
Another trip to the firetower yesterday! There were a few more bare spots than Saturday but skiing is still very good. Still a few more days left!

90) Karl Saidla, 2006-04-11 10:15:03
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: NA, Grip Wax: N.A, Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan),FP (P10-CP),CP (FP-Black)
So how desperate are you to ski? If your answer is VERY, we recommend Ridge Road between Keogan and the top of Penguin. You can access it from P10, but be prepared to do some walking on the parkway at the top of Fortune. Skiing was actually OK on Ridge, but do watch out for empty sections and the odd rock.

91) Megan McTavish, 2006-04-14 16:58:49
Starting Point: P10, Glide Wax: , Grip Wax: , Trails Skied: #1 (P5-Keogan)
We scouted out the snow situation today and determined that the ski season is most likely over! There is still lots of snow on the Fortune downhill runs. If anyone out there has found a good place to ski still, we would be interested in knowing! Email karl.saidla@xcottawa.ca.

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