Gilles Berube was out skiing today! Condition at p10 at 2:00 pm were ok. A mix of freezing rain and gresil covered the parkway. I was doing classic but the conditions were probably better for skating. Condition were really fast. Go out and ski!

I went skiing around 5 pm. Pretty amazing all things considered. The
parkways have good coverage, and you could skate quite comfortably
over the pavement. Poles were still going through, but I had no
problem with skis. The coverage is thin, but dense. It is a mix of
snow and ice pellets. Right now (7:30) it is snowing nicely.
I started at P8 and went up near Champlain. Everything was good. I
skied right up Dunlop road without any major problems.

I suspect that skating will be better than classic as the waxing would be tricky.

Winter is here! I hope it snows all night.

The hard crust underneath prevented your skis from scraping the pavement, and the 2cm of powder on top made for excellent glide. Some of the best early season skiing in recent years. The entire parkway system is skiable! Get out the rocks skis or even decent skis (careful!) and enjoy. Pictures: 1, 2.

The skiing today was great. A little abrasive so I had to reapply my grip a couple of times. Burma was especially good, surprising few rocks. I'd definitely recommend a ski!

Skiing on the parkway is great, you can get away with your best skis! Lafleur groomed a bit yesterday and got rid of the foot print up Fortune. You can ski Ridge Road, Burma and most of the other trails on rock skis. There are only shallow classic tracks, but it's possible. Can't wait until tomorrow!

Excellent skating on a hard pack base with 3-5 cms of fresh new snow on top. Deceptively good skiing, given the minimal snowfall in Ottawa.
I used race skis with no problems, lets hope for more snow and possible track setting overnight?

Still no grooming this morning, but we did get a few more cm of fresh snow. I suspect there will be grooming later today when the temperature starts to drop. Enjoy the fresh, fast conditions!

Great cover with the new fresh snow and pretty fast too! As we were leaving (around 1:30pm) we saw the groomer out near P9. There should be some nicely groomed trails for after work today!

The parkway network has been groomed and trackset.
Conditions are hard and somewhat abrasive in most places. Parts of Ridge Road have been packed, but not trackset. The classic skiing on Burma was excellent, though not groomed. Just watch out for the odd unfrozen stream!

The parkways are packed and trackset. The skating is fast and free today. The tracks are glazing, making the classic waxing a bit tricky. Put a red and a blue in your pocket to get extra grip or glide! Secondary trails are in good shape with the odd rock.

Yikes! Wet and slow this morning. Fresh snow ranging from 1-5cm as you get higher up. Klister is needed for classic, and a fluoro for skating would make life easier. The fresh snow is heavy, wet and slow and is sitting on a wet base layer. Expect it to get slower and wetter today as temperatures climb. Let's hope the base holds!

Don't worry, the skiing in the park is still good.
Conditions are remarkably better at the top of the network.
Starting from P10 is a good idea as it is icy in the lower areas of the park. Conditions vary between hard and icy to someshat soft with cold granular snow. The classic tracks have not been reset since the weekend, but they remain in pretty good shape.

As you might expect, the skiing is slow. Quite slw in fact. Coverage remains pretty good on Fortune and Champlain Parkways, but that ugly yellow line is starting to be visible in places.
I suggest getting out there while you can, and keeiping your fingers crossed for more seasonal temperatures with a big snowstorm sometime soon.

It's icy from P10 up to Fortune Lake and then slushy up top. Still skiable, but who knows for how much longer if this warm and rainy weather keeps up. Rock skis are recommended now. Hope for more snow!

Remember spring skiing? That's what the conditions were like tonight. It's fast in the morning until it thaws, slow all day, then refrozen granular slush again overnight. We still have 100% coverage on the parkways and fair coverage on Ridge and Burma..but it's getting thin. Might make it through the weekend, but pack your rocks if you head out! Please, leave us some snow to come home to.

We've been away racing since Friday...anyone skiing? Any snow left? Let us know and we'll post updates here!

Various sources report there might be some skiing for the very brave or very desperate! Not recommended if it's cold as it will be extremely icy. Careful.

Best bets... Ridge road past Champlain towards the Firetower. (Access by hiking up from Meech parking lots?) Ridge Road from Keogan to Penquin was fair with bare patches Sunday. The Doldrums (P8-P9) were pretty much bare as is the parkway in many places.

The little bit of snow from yesterday on top of the ice made for ok skating. We went up the parkway from P10 (definitely some bare spots there) along Ridge towards Huron and down 1 towards McKinstry. We turned around before all the big hills. Between Huron and the parkway extension was pretty rough and we put quite a bit of structure in our skis but it was fun! Ridge road towards Penguin was not as good.
The skiing is not recommended unless you are using extremely bad rock skis and don't mind doing some walking etc.
Hope the snow comes soon!!!

If you really want to ski, one place that is OK is 1A from about Champlain as far as about the first big climb on the way to McKinstry. You can get there by hiking up from P12, which takes about 25 minutes or so. Don't bring skis you care about! The skiing is, however, better than you might think. Happy Holidays!

I tried to ski this morning, but it was not possible. All the trails I could find were more suitable for ice skates than skis. I was really hoping for snow last night, but as far as I can tell, we didn't get any anywhere. Maybe on Tuesday? Happy Holidays!

Just to keep people informed. Tom just dropped by my place and said he skied from P10 to McKinstry and back! Yeah, he's tough. He said that the ice had softened enough to make skating just barely possible. While parts of the parkway were so thin that they appeared to be bare pavement, a thin film of ice made skiing possible.

From an email tip we recieved...I ran the wolf trail this morning with a detour on ridge road. The freezing rain we got fell as snow there and the trail is still in decent shape. Old rock skis would probably be fine. Conditions deteriorate rapidly as you move towards Western. You'll have to hike up to ski.

OK, here's are the results of this morning's skiing attempt. I started at P10. While the skiing looked terrible, it was possible to get an edge in and make my way up the hill. Up near the top, a light dusting of snow improved things to some degree. If nothing else, it looked a little bit more fitting for the season.
The skiing (or tromping with skis attached to your feet) was pretty poor in both directions on Ridge. The 1A was remarkably good, as it has been all week. Still, rock skis only!

Wow, it finally looks white! That's great, but the skiing is pretty tricky right now. It took me an hour to get from P10 to Champlain skiing classic. The waxing is tricky and I have no secrets, except that you are probably better off slipping than sticking! Also, don't bother rewaxing until you are up higher, because the conditions change as you go up the hill. Skating is good, but don't bring good skis as your edges will go through sometimes. You might want to make sure your tips are sharp because ski poles are going through to the pavement.

Today's ski took place in the evening. The snow is thin, but coverage is good.
Lafleur packed the parkway in the P10 area, and there is a skied in track that is not too bad in most places. Ridge Road toward Penguin was nice and had been skied by a fair number of people. Of course, the odd rock is visible. We need a bit more snow for things to be really good, but we certainly have it better than most places in the east right now!

Lafleur has done a really good job with the few more centimetres that fell last night. It's a bit soft, and still not deep enough to set a track, but the conditions are nice. Ridge is also groomed, and very skiable, but there are a few rocks just underneath the surface - you don't need rock skis, but don't take out your brand new racing skis either. Have fun!

Cold, hard, and sunny. Lafleur has not only groomed the parkways again, but also trackset. The parkways are pretty much perfect skiing (as long as you ignore that the snow depth is only about two inches, and a lot less in the tracks). Ridge hasn't been groomed since yesterday, so it's hard, but bumpy, and not groomed from Huron to Champlain. Overall, though, probably the best conditions yet this season.

About 5cm of new snow has fallen this morning. No fresh grooming by the time I'd finished, but the skiing was much improved again! The classic tracks were white everywhere and no pavement showing through. Skiing on the parkways is suitable for good skis, but Ridge and Burma still require rock skis. It's really starting to look like winter.

Generally the parkways are good, but thin and it's recommended you stay higher up in the park (P10). Remember the base is only about 5cm thick right now and while skiing looks good, pavement and rocks aren't far below. A few spots to watch out for...

- P5 underpass is bare pavement. (Thanks Carl Kiiffner)
- Pink lake has bare spots. (Thanks Joann)
- Ridge Rd. from Huron to Champlain has rocks under the surface and isn't groomed.
- Ridge Rd. to McKinstry is generally good, with the odd rock poking through. Careful on the South facing descents!
- Penguin doesn't have enough snow.

Skiing is for the desperate only! P10 was like a bumpy rutted luge run. Marginally better up top past Fortune lake. Double poling in icy tracks seemed to be the technique of choice. If you can find an open field and ski on the crust that would be a good option, or wait for temperatures that will allow the crust to soften a little . . . I did hear reports that conditions were better up past Champlain lookout (I went left at the T towards Blacks).

Tracks were still icy this morning, but a good opportunity to work on double poling! As the sun and warmer weather soften up the tracks, skating might be o.k., but the pavement isn't far below the thin ice cover.

Rollerskiing in 2 days? Skiing this morning was surprisingly good in a few spots and terrible in others. Generally the skiing isn't highly recommended. Skating is not easy anywhere until the sun comes out and softens the ice, but window before it turns to slush and you hit pavement is short. Early morning skiers can double pole in the icy tracks or classic. The parkways may hold up for another day or two, but there are bare spots on Black Lake Hill (careful coming down!) and near Black Lake itself. P10 upto the T looked very icy and rutted. A bit better from the T towards Champlain and Black's. Probably not too bad out 1A from Champlain. Rocks skis are recommended.

Walkers have ventured out onto the parkways and have made the skiing difficult in some areas. They left potholes bootprints in the slush that go down to the pavement. These prints have refrozen leaving the a very uneven surface and in some areas sped up the melting.

All report indicate bad rollerskiing today. P10 isn't skiable, but the road is still covered in ice. The uphill after the underpass at P5 has some skiable snow. I imagine there are bits and pieces of snow you could ski on...but they will require some hunting to find.

Send us an email if you know of a stretch to ski on!

Skiing? Not likely today. There are a few short stretches along Ridge Road where you could think about it. Maybe hiking up from P12 would yield a 1km stretch?

The parkways are still mostly ice covered making rollerskiing a bad idea too. Running is also pretty much impossible without spikes, running shoes with screws or YakTracks.

Training options are pretty lean in the park today.

Snow? TWN predicts - 5-10 cm of snow overnight and close to 10 mm of rain later in the morning. Ski early!

Well, there is certainly much more snow up at P10 than in the city, but it's wet, soft, and slowly disapearing. Classic skiing early this morning was actually o.k., but you do go through to the pavement below from time to time. Waxless skis worked really well, but you might be able to get away with your favorite wet wax.

The poling is a little harsh since you're often hitting the pavement. Skating didn't look as good because skis often went through to pavement or icy base.

There was much less snow past the T towards Champlain lookout, and there seemed to be more snow heading towards Blacks.

Ski report: 7pm
All is not lost....conditions were slushy and thin, but no sections of the parkway were bare. Both skating and classic are possible. Poles do go through to the pavement and you have to be light on your feet while skating. Things should improve in that respect tonight as it freezes.
Lets hope for some more snow!

Juste pour vous dire que les conditions dans le parc sont bonnes, je suis allé ce matin très tôt et LAFLEUR a passé la machine dans le centre des promenades. La section la plus belle est à partir du T jonction vers la BLACK. Il faut encore utilisé les skis de roche. Bon ski pour quelqeus jours!

Lafleur has groomed the parkway for skating! Its amazing what they can do with 5cm of snow. The snow has hardened which has improved both skating and classic. We used violet klister covered with red hard wax but it is currently snowing so you can probably just use hard wax now. It is thin up near Huron so the better choice is to go towards Blacks Lake.
Happy skiing and hope for more snow!

We are happy to be back in business. The parkways, at least in the vicinity of P10 and P8, have been groomed and trackset. Hard to believe, I know, but it is true. You could probably get away with good skis on the better sections of the parkway, but be careful as there are areas where it is thin. The classic tracks are icy, and you will need a klister base for good and durable grip. The skating is good, with powder over the aforementioned icy base. Poles are going through to the pavement much less frequently than a couple of days ago.

The skiing is still quite good. The classic tracks are quite icy and abbrasive, so klister is a must - you might see some grass poking through but I didn't see any bare pavement spots. The skating track looked nice and fast.

Snow! The park got 10-15cm of snow last night and this morning. At 10am it was still snowing lightly in the Park while it was raining in town. Good news! There is nothing packed right now. This IS good because it means Lafleur is waiting until the rain ends allowing the unpacked snow to absorb that excess water. Then just as the temperature drops and it starts to freeze they can prepare good conditions for the weekend. If they had groomed this morning the trails would be good today, but wouldn't withstand the rain, and we'd have a skating rink tomorrow. Let's hope for more snow overnight rather than rain. Sure it will be a tough ski today, but hopefully it will be really good tomorrow!

Pretty good skiing considering there's no snow left in Ottawa! The parkways are abrasive and hard, but the skating is good. Glide is free and fast, and except for a few small icy patches you can edge your skis comfortably.

Classic is possible but the tracks are skied in not machine groomed and mainly icy. The tracks are well formed and for the most part acceptable. There are a few sections were the snow is sugary but you should have a good klister binder layer and carry extra wax with you. The Blue Klister + Teho combo worked well for my father today.

The parkways are abrasive and hard, but the skating is good. Glide is free and fast, and except for a few small icy patches you can edge your skis comfortably. Classic is possible but not perfect. The tracks are well formed and for the most part acceptable but they are skied in not machine groomed and mainly icy up from P10.

We usually start from P10, since it's most likely to have good snow and that's where it's hilliest. It's also the quickest access to Ridge Road and Burma. But sources tell me that right now the best skiing is from P5 or even P6 where the tracks are softer and there are fewer icy sections. This is a because there was less skiing traffic in these areas on Friday when it was it was melting. Lets hope for that 10cm more snow in the forecast so that Lafleur can set real tracks and get the big grooming machines out!

Just what we've all been waiting for . . .SNOW! Lafleur was just getting out at about 1:30, and the North Loop (P8-P9) was the only trackset section of the parkway at that time. The skate track was very soft and not compacted, so you had to be light on your feet. The classic track looked terrific. Finally, we can count on some great skiing all week!

Fabulous conditions! Sunny and cold but great skiing has finally arrived. Lafleur groomed like crazy yesterday, last night and they were still at it early this morning when we were out. It's really paid off. The soft fluff from yesterday has firmed up nicely and it's looking like the January skiing you might expect. The parkways are double trackset on both sides with a wide skating lane up the middle. Ridge was packed and tracked and looking great. Enjoy.

Excellent skiing again today, with many skiers out enjoying the fresh tracks on a considable portion of the trail network. Good coverage too, except the usual thin spots where snow has been slowplowed away (i.e., top of Penguin).

A little frost on the trees, a light dusting of new snow, sunshine and fast conditions made for an amazing morning of skiing. The parkways are full width and perfectly groomed, enjoy them with your best skis without worries. Just don't ruin that experience by hitting any rocks on the other trails! Here's what I've seen...

Ridge Road: Penguin to Keogan is great, with the odd small spot of wear and a few more rolls than usual. It was being widened this morning and Lafleur has done a great job on it. But by this afternoon I guarantee there will be ice and rocks showing at the T halfway down Penguin. From Keogan to Huron isn't too bad, with a few bumps and ominous looking dark spots under the ice. After Huron to Champlain there are rocks which you can avoid if you keep your eyes open and your head down. Same goes for 1A out to Western.

Burma: Only just groomed this morning with a snowmachine, I was the first one down. It was skiable, though soft and narrow, bumpy and rolly. While I don't think I hit any rocks I did see a few. I would caution anyone that on about 6 occasions I had to jump over ditches that would break skis if you glided over them. Bottom line is it needs more snow and time to firm up before I would recommend skiing it.

We still need a lot more snow. Don't forget we were down to nothing not long ago, and even though it's mid-January we don't have our usual accumulation yet. Take the good skis out but be cautious, take the rocks ski for exploring.

If you like your skiing with open water, logs, PLENTY of rocks and punctuated with cries of joy tinged with terror you missed a good ski yesterday on 8 and 17. No danger of the snow being overused, I was maybe 3rd on most trails and first on the upper part of 118. I won’t be in there again until we get a little more accumulation.

Skied calmer portions of 19, 34 & 6 today and lovely. Snow slow but forgiving and
lots of control.

The Park got a lot of snow last night, and the colder weather tonight that will help the base set up to cover any thin spots. Skiing this afternoon was wonderful - all the parkways were freshly groomed, and I expect Lafleur will be working on some of the trails tonight. It will be a great weekend for skiing!

Skiing today is nothing short of perfect. Ridge and the Parkways are groomed hard and fast, and nary a rock is to be seen.

We weren't out skiing in the park today, we were racing at Nakkertok. Any troublesome spots that people should know about? info@xcottawa.ca

Conditions are great! We skied #5, 15, 16 and 29 - the trails being used for the upcoming Eastern Canadian Championships at Skinouk and the Keskinada. There are a few thin spots in the tracks and some big rocks have been scrapped bare by snow ploughing, but generally everything is pretty good and you can avoid the rocks. Now all we need is more snow!

Lots of cars out last night at P1...hope I didn't give away anyone's secret spot. It was a very bright night for skiing, and perfect temperature.

This morning the parkways were freshly groomed to perfection this morning. But the snow was dry and cold which made the glide pretty slow. The classic tracks were also perfect and the glide in them was much better with the grip being perfect hard wax conditions; blue or green. Enjoy.

Ridge was not freshly groomed, but there was only 1-2cm of powder on top. Burma still needs piles of snow before it's recommended.

Brr.. cold and slow today. Bundle up and ski at noon!

Conditions are generally excellent. The parkways have been tilled and both classic and skating is fast and fun. If you venture off onto Ridge Road (#1), down to Western (#2) or around the water tank loop watch out for the rocks that are coming through. The base is thin and the groomer has pulled up dirt, leaves and gravel in a few spots but worse still are the usual snow ploughed parts - top of Penguin, turn down to P7, etc. Careful with those precious skis.

Cold, but the snow is surprisingly fast still. The snow is getting fairly old and a bit dirty in places, but that beats fresh and slow.

The Eastern Canadian Championships are being held in the Park this weekend. The race courses use parts of trails #5, 15, 26 and 29. Snow cover is thin in a few areas: the start/finish area (same field used for the Keski) and trail #15 is quite bad for racing right now. We'll see what the organizers can come up with to deal with these problems.

Hopefully we get lots of snow in the next few days!

The skiing is pretty good for the amount of snow we have. Parkways are in great shape, but in the trails rocks are poking through on snowplowed out sections of many downhills. Gamelelin/Skinouk area trails really need more snow, but the higher you get up in the park, the better. You'll find great skiing out past 1A/1B towards McKinstry and the firetower: these trails have more snow and downhills have seen less traffic so aren't as scraped.

Lafleur is working on the Skinouk trails for the Eastern Canadian Championships this weekend, and with new snow, this section of the park should improve a lot.

A few cm of fluff covered the trails this morning. Not much accumulation yet, but it all helps. No grooming this morning, but I'm sure things will be in tip-top shape for the first weekend of Winterlude.

Parkways are perfect, but remember to watch for rock on the secondary trails. As Sheila pointed out yesterday; you'll find great skiing out past 1A/1B towards McKinstry and the firetower: these trails have more snow and downhills have seen less traffic so aren't as scraped.

Eastern Canadian Championships are tomorrow in the park (map) starting at 9am. Results will be on www.zone4.ca.

Racing starts at 9am, with Open Women at 10:05, and Open Men at 10:25.

Congratulations to Sheila who was 5th in the women's 7.5km classic and to Gavin on his 6th place in the men's 10 km classic. Full results at www.zone4.ca.

Conditions were generally fast and good on the courses, and tomorrow should prove interesting with the change to more parkway skiing.

While it's cold on the parkways, Ridge Road was quite nice this morning. The glide is still excellent, even with the cold temperatures. But the classic tracks are getting a bit dirty with leaves, twigs, pine cones and debris collecting in them. I wouldn't expect any grooming until we get more snow. The base is too thin and grooming would bring up more dirt and rocks - which we don't want! I've got enough scratches in my skis already thanks - watch out for the top of Penguin and the usual thin areas!

Today is the day that the photographers get out to take pictures of fresh snow, perfect gooming and sunshine for all those travel brochures. It is beautiful. It is also deadly slow! Do put some green glidewax on, and don't put on too much grip wax. The grooming is immaculate. Burma was groomed and trackset. It is bumpy in spots, but the coverage is good. No problem for good skis. If you know people with the Keskinada organization, encourage them to include Burma in the Keskinada. Sure, it will need a bit of work to get it up to race quality, but it can be done and it would be worth it!

Not much is changing day to day in the park lately. It was beautiful again this morning, and not quite as slow as a few days ago. Ridge Road all the way to the Firetower was in great shape. There are some places to be careful for rocks: The first few pitches of Penguin (starting at the bottom) as well as the steep bit headng up from the lookout. It is occasionally thin in other places, but everything is fine if you keep your eyes open. Enjoy!

Conditions today were great! It helps that the Sun was shining and that the trails were beautifully freshly groomed and relatively fast. There weren't too many souls out by McKinstry or the Firetower, but it's highly recommended! Good training for Keski too.

One spot I don't recommend is the Penguin junction. Yikes! For the first time ever, I took my skis off at the top and walked down. No I'm not loosing my nerve, I did it to avoid a repeat of earlier this week where I gauged a nice pair into rock ski status. I put my skis on again below the T, but there are rocks all the way down so keep your eyes open. Some of them are big enough to stop your ski dead and cause a header. Hopefully a little more snow before Keski will fix this problem.

Cold and slow in places. Burma was pretty good. No rocks, just a few bumps and no real wind like on the Parkways. Bundle up this morning and enjoy!

Finally, the snow we've been waiting for! The groomers hadn't been over it when we were skiing this morning, but the fresh snow on top of the old hard base made for fast, fun skiing. Sheila checked out Penguin, and reports that it looks great. We've got a whole new lease on winter.

Lots of snow and blowing snow this morning. By 9am there was about 4-5cm on the parkways and the classic tracks had disappeared completely. It felt cold, and fairly damp so keep moving and bundle up. Good day to ski on Ridge Road or Burma to get out of the wind!

Keski waxing suggestion: Put green glide wax on now! Even if it's not the race wax, it will help with durability. We'll be putting on 2-4 under layers before the race wax, one will likely be a graphite anti-static to deal with dirt and race wax durability. More suggestions to come, as the big days approach...

Lots of blowing snow which has filled up the tracks and made classic skiing slow! Lots of coverage though and it should speed up with people skiing during the day. Ridge Road was great last night and it looked like a lot of the small trails have been nicely groomed. The smaller trails might be better today.
Have fun!

The parkways were in much better shape this morning. There was less windblown snow, and it was pretty quick considering it's such fresh snow. It was glazing a lot this afternoon, so that should speed it up as well for tomorrow. Humidity was 60-70%. Very windy, so take that into consideration when dressing for the Keski!

Everything in the park is in great shape, with 1-2 cm of fresh fluff covering what looks like fresh grooming from Monday. They weren't invited to the party over the weekend, but Ridge and Burma were looking great! They are wide, flat and well tracked. They were ready. Enjoy them now. Thanks to Lafleur who widen everything and did a great job on the Keski courses.

If you haven't been out for a little "skill development" session on the smaller trails, you should definitely get out there! Try trails 17, 8 and Skyline. That's where we went today, and it was FUN! Don't bring your best skis because rocks are occasionally a reality. One thing that is great is that none of these trails are the least bit icy. Ridge Road was in fantastic shape. There are the usual small stones by Wattsford lookout.

Sunday condtions were immaculate. The tracks were firm, but not icy, the temperature was mild but not warm, and the sun was shining. Hopefully we can look forward to a few more days like this!

A beautiful day for skiing! P10 was full at 10am. The parkways were just being groomed, and the other trails were groomed yesterday morning. The snow is very old, almost sugary in spots. For grip, a few layers of Teho green worked very nicely at 9am. I should have covered that with something colder like Vauhti Fluoro Green or Regular Green as I did pick up a lot of debris - leaves, twigs and pine cones.

There's not much snow in spots and it's beginning to show. Trails are still generally recommended, just watch for brown spots. The long range forecast is for 3 days of snow starting Thursday, with the possibility of a big dump Friday night. Let's hope for a lots of snow to prolong the season.

The Fortune race course was groomed yesterday. It was excellent. There were a few thin/dirty areas, so don't use your race skis.

Great skiing this morning! The coverage in the trails is getting very thin, so you may pick up some leaves, pine cones, and a little dirt at some points in the classic tracks. I parked at P10 and avoided the top of Penguin since I hear that rocks are showing through. Vaughti green covered with carrot was good in the varying conditions. Skiing on the parkways is excellent. The best snow today was past Champlain on the 1A trail towards McKinstry.

The snow this morning at P8 was soft and sugary. No grooming had been done yet, which meant that it was better for skating. It was quite reasonable skiing. It was kind of fun trying to float through the soft stuff, which is probably a skill that many people should probably practice a bit. The new snow is great and should prolong our season considerably!

This may just be one of the best ski days yet! You'll find most trails freshly groomed, and temperatures just below zero make for good socializing and easy waxing. Any parking lot would be a good starting point - try to carpool since it will be crowded.

Megan and I did a short ski last night. Everything was very nicely groomed, and predictably, VERY slow. Oddly, I think skating might be easier than classic right now, as the classic tracks were particularly slow. I think this is because they were filled with windblown snow in most places.

It may still feel like January, but the conditions are a lot nicer than they were then. Classic tracks were predictably slow, but much better on Ridge than on the Parkway by P5; Ridge and the Fortune Parkway were freshly groomed. Skating looked good, with a nice corduroy and conditions noticeably faster out of the track. If you go right now, you should still bundle up, but it's supposed to warm up throughout the day - tonight will probably be great for a ski.

The Camp Fortune race course has been Piston-Bulley groomed for the second time this year, making it very firm and skiable. It's skating only at this point, but enjoy this fun twisty turny trail while the snow is good. Thanks Lafleur!

Gorgeous day for a ski - get out while we've still got snow. The trails near Asticou are fairly hard, and the tracks are old, transformed snow. Trail #15, not used in the Keski, has very good coverage and is in very good shape; ski it classic, there's not enough room between the tracks for skating.

La Fleur have groomed everything, including Ridge Road. I was surprised by how slow the snow was this morning, colder than I expected thanks to the tilling. Glide Wax slightly colder than what you think, I would have liked some blue on my skis today even though the air temp was only -4.
Burma was not groomed as yet and was fast and icy. Awesome skiing throughout the park, Penguin was sooo much fun ripping down it this morning!

We're into the freeze-thaw cycle now. Skiing was great last night after work, and it was light until 7:45pm! There was a bit of slush which made skating slow but the classic tracks were glazed and fast. Once it cooled off it hardened up a bit and sped up considerably.

Plan your skiing for when it's just warming up and not too icy, but not too slow and sluchy either. Probably best at 8-11am or 5-8pm.

What's the skiing like? Quite good! It didn't get too soft overnight so there's a crust and then softer snow. Skating is fast and free. Classic tracks are very shallow and mostly fast. You will need klister. Should be good until it rains, then we'll see how the base hold up. Pictures to come.

Lafleur groomed the parkways, sking was great this morning. I skiied from Asticou up towards Black Lake, a little soft and wet when I started (+4), fast and harder when I finished (-1). Nice corduroy!

Groomed again this morning for skating. The parkways were hard and fast, but had been tilled so you could ski without sliding around. The classic tracks are extremely hard and icy, but useable. There's still base on the main trails, but they looked icy (#5, 15). We're getting 5-15cm of snow tonight, so it will all be better for the weekend anyway.

Lots of snow! No grooming this morning between 9 and 11. You could still feel the ice underneath in spots. And the classic track was rock hard underneath the powder, you had to watch out for it while skating! The skiing should be good tomorrow, I'm sure they'll groom once the snow stops. It's hard to say what it will be like tomorrow, it depends if they pack the new snow on top, or mix the new with the old.

Fresh snow on top of the grooming from last night. Most places a couple of cm, up towards Mckinstry more like 5cm. Overall very nice skiing. But on the parkway, the wind will keep blowing snow in the tracks. On the trails, there is ice in spots underneath, so watch the downhill corners, and south facing hills have some rocks.

I tried to start from P12, bt realised the trail wasn't fully groomed for skating, so went back to P12 and skated to McKinstry.
As Wayne said, some fresh snow on top of light grooming from last night. By the time I turned around, the snow had sped up, making for some nice skating. Get out there while it lasts.

Cold and windy! The skiing is good, fast with some fresh snow on top. No grooming this morning. The classic track is filled with blowing snow in many spots.

Excellent conditions. No grooming, but it's hard packed powder. Could be the last powder day of the year!

Early this morning before the rain it was icy. Some place it was ok, some places it was too icy to get an edge skating. As it warms up it should be decent skiing, if you don't mind skiing in the rain.

Ok, very funny. We leave for a week and you hide all the snow?

Please put it back or tell us where we can find it!

Even though I skied at Lac Philippe on Friday, I was surprised at how much snow there still was yesterday on the trails in the heart of the park's network. There should still be skiing for fanatics next weekend!

Trails Skied: 40, 24, 1 to Huron, 3, FP, CP to Lookout, 1B, 1, 24, 40. Skating on LF10. Glide was slow on the 4cm of wet fresh snow from 24th PM. There were a few bare patches, but always snow at the side to glide over. Last tongue of snow at Lookout is probably gone by now, but you could walk over the grass. Significant bare patches: top of 3 descent to FP, CP at Huron and Etienne Brule lookouts, Champlain Lookout. Judging by bridges on 40, the base is 10-15 cm.

A report on skiing in rain in lightning this morning! Starting from P10-Ridge Road toward Penguin and back. The parkway is a soaked ice sheet but skiable. Ridge is still good with only a few thin spots and only one bare spot. I doubt it will survive today's rain and tomorrow's +17 C.

What no one knows is that Lafleur was out grooming. I went skiing yesterday morning (March 27) from P6 and although there was minimal coverage in some spots, the parkway was freshly groomed, including classic tracks wherever there was more snow than ice. Those guys are awesome, right to the end. March 31st is a sad day for x-c skiers.

A few of us skied from P10 to the Keogan junction and then towards the top of Penguin. It starts out pretty thin, but gets better as you climb. There are a few "walking" sections. Ridge was probably the nicest skiing. Classic waxing would be difficult as some sections are very icy. Keep it up until it is gone!

On Thursday night I started from P10. It is thin in places and there is definitely some walking to do, but by and large you get ski up to Keogan ok. There is a good stretch from the T to just past Bourgeois lake of consistent conditions. Ridge Road looked patchy, but still skiable for the determined. I predict that some kind of skiing will still be available this weekend.Skating remains better than classic, but you could get by with some universal klister.

I was warned (I guess by a timid person) that the trails were just sheets of ice, but had to check for myself. He was wrong; there were excellent spring conditions yesterday, with very good coverage pretty much anywhere west of Champlain Lookout. Here are pictures of the junction of trails 1 and 2, and of trail 40 at the intersection with 34. There were bare spots on 1 at the bench lookout and at the steep at the Wolf Trail. Some bare patches here and there (at the usual suspects) on 40 (snow on bridges 0-15 cm). Might be reacherous before it softens up in the mornings. The Fortune Parkway had bare spots low and high, and some sheet-of-ice sections. Still a few more good days. Is anyone doing the parkway loop pre-burgers tomorrow? The equipment choice might need to be roller-skis and snow-skis!
   

Well, I think that's about it for the season. There are still a few stretched of snow on Ridge, mainly towards the Firetower, but it's a long walk to find them. If you have all day you can probably squeeze a 45min ski in with a 2hour hike. But don't expect the riding around the loop to be good just yet, there's still ice on Fortune.

If this were November there would be a mad panic to get out skiing. So we should all pretend that it is November. I didn't ski this morning, but I am going to try after work. I don't think we got much more snow in Chelsea than in Ottawa, but there should be enough to slide around on. Looks like the weekend could be good too. It is not quite time to put away all your skis.

In case you are curious, we explored things a bit today. If you really want to ski, there are some skiable sections on Ridge between Keogan and Penguin, and also on the Parkway around Keogan and the T Junction. Tomorrow I think we will explore 1B, which has been one of the better areas for skiing when conditions are marginal. Happy Easter!" />

This morning, Megan and I hiked up the hill from P12 to Ridge Road. There is a consistently skiable stretch of about 1km on Ridge Road at the junction with 24. Just so you know...

Wow, lots of snow! Hope some of it sticks around to ski on tonight and tomorrow morning.

I'm sure that Karl will be out stretching the season, what about you? Send us a note or picture of your mid-April ski.

The snow that fell today (Wednesday) is significant. My rough measurements had about 10cm on the ground at P10, and 15cms at the stone bridge at 8pm. It is thick, heavy stuff. Both techniques are feasible. Skating is tough because the snow is heavy and deep. Classic is tough because the waxing is tricky. What else is tough? You. Go skiing!

The snow that fell today (Thursday)is serious. I measured 10 cms at P10 and 15cms at Keogan at 8pm. Megan and I skied all of Burma and hit rocks less than five times. The snow is wet and heavy, making skating kind of difficult, but it might get better as the temperature drops tonight. Classic waxing was tricky, so we went for the waxless skis.
It won't be here forever....use it with vigour.

I skied 500m before I was passed by 2 snow machines that were out grooming! Demsis, the new guys in the park, made 3 passes up to Champlain Lookout and back so the parkway is rolled wide enough for skating and they even set a classic track. I was on rock skis, but decent skis could be used if you didn't go right to Champlain where it's thinnest.

I'm not kidding, it's Friday the 13th not April Fool's Day. Photos to come after work. Now get out there and ski!

Some respectable skiing was available this morning. The parkways were thin an slushy, but quite skiable with the exception of a vew sections. Ridge Road and Burma were surprisingly good for classic sking, but won't be for long. I am pretty confident that some skiing will still be possible tomorrow!

Looking for an update? Check www.musicianonskis.ca. Enough said.

If moving over snow on skis constitutes skiing, then yes I went skiing tonight. Actually wasn't bad, very wet and slushy and some parkway showing through. Still, skiing in mid April is not bad. May be goe tomorrow depending on what happens tonight.

Don't be discouraged by the thin snow cover for the first few kms of FP. There is still at least 10-15 cm but a few thin spots with 5 cm or so. Ridge still has 15-30 cm of snow, especially as you get towards Champlain Lookout. My guess is there could still be some skiing this weekend along Ridge in areas sheltered from the sun - probably best from P12 to McKinistry.

I started at P10. The snow was wet, thin and patchy. That being said, I only had to walk once between P10 and Burma. Burma was surprisingly good, and probably some of the best skiing around. There were actually very few bare spots. The snow will take a hit this afternoon, but I am sure if you head up after work you will still be able to find something to slide around on.