Gatineau Park Grooming to Stop April 15th, Snow or no Snow.
By: Team XC Ottawa (2008/04/11)
Many Gatineau Park season ski pass holders received an e-mail with the Demsis logo stating that "The Gatineau Park Ski Season will come to an end on April 15th". This appears to mean that grooming will stop, although it is certain that many people will continue to enjoy the skiing for quite a while after that.
The current conditions are excellent when groomed, with plenty of snow on most of the major trails. This leaves many skiers wondering why the grooming should stop. The e-mail did not offer an explanation. One might speculate that the NCC grooming contract does not require trail maintenance beyond this date. At the same time, if this is the case, one could certainly wonder why. For argument's sake, the contract could have been written in such a way as to require that grooming take place until the snow is gone rather than specifying a particular date.
It is rare to be able to have groomed skiing this late in the season, and it is certain that many skiers think it would be nice to take advantage of it. Some years the seasons are much shorter, and the long ones have the potential to make up for them to some degree.
XC Ottawa is interested in your thoughts on this issue. We'd also like to hear your thought about this season's grooming, and more importantly constructive suggestions about how to improve grooming and trail conditions for next year. Please submit your comments to info@xcottawa.ca