West Carleton Nordic Ski Club 2020 Ski Season Testimonials
Hi Tammy,
Just skied the 5k loop on Sunday and it was a glorious day and the trail was very nicely groomed. Thanks you so much for that.
Attached is a pic of the trail, we were the first ones on it, (after you of course)
Cheers and thanks,
Art. Clarke
Hello Tammy,
A friend and I decided to join the West Carleton Nordic Ski Club this year because our local club, the Mississippi Valley Ski Club, was unable to secure land access for its members. I live in Almonte, ON.
I believe your club is in an enviable position be able to use Fitzroy Provincial Park and private land for your trails.
The skiing was fantastic, trails were expertly groomed and parking was always available. My only suggestion would be that a porta-potty would be a great addition.
Thanks for a great season and I look forward to renewing my membership next year and encouraging friends to take out memberships as well.
Cheers, Art. Clarke
Almonte, ON
Hi Tammy,
Although we got off to a fairly late start to the season, our family once again enjoyed many great days of skiing on the WCNSC trails in Fitzroy Provincial Park. We found the trails to be well groomed, excellent in fact, as usual. Very grateful to the club, the park and the city for providing this important recreational resource for us. It keeps our family active and happy in the winter.
I look forward to joining you for the annual meeting when it does occur. Perhaps we could move to Skype/Zoom/etc. if this social isolation continues as I expect it will.
All the best, stay safe and stay well!
Tim Pychyl
p.s. The new maps were a great addition. We don’t need them having skied there for so many seasons, but I think it really helps new folks, and I met quite a few on the trail this year.
Good morning!
Once again, I can’t express enough my appreciation of the work done by The West Carleton Nordic Ski Club. The ski trail conditions are always great. The scenery is wonderful. We are so lucky to have such a place in our backyard!
Hope we can still continue to use the facilities for many more years!
Martine Messier
SO NICE of the club to arrange for the beaver down on one of the turns in the campground this year :o)
He was there every time I went so I assume he was there daily. It was a real treat this year!
Randy & Bryan did a great job on the trails yet again this year. So many thanks go out to them.
I loved the new access to the trail path. Once it got enough snow cover, it was far easier than squeezing by the closed gate.
All the skiers I saw seemed thrilled to be able to ski on such nice trails this close to West Carleton. Lots of smiles and howdys on the trails.
Laurie
Hi Tammy
Again this past season Paul and I enjoyed the WC trails enormously! Now we rarely bother skiing anywhere else as the WC trails are close and always beautifully maintained. We want to thank all of the volunteers for the excellent job that they do.
Maureen and Paul Carrier
Dunrobin
My wife Maureen and I LOVE the ski club. We go to the trails as often as possible.
It is one of our major source of exercise during the winter. The trails are well maintained and the different habitats traversed are lovely.
Please let us know when the annual trail maintenance will be held.
Thank-you for your work.
Paul & Maureen Carrier
Hi Tammy
I moved to Ottawa a few years ago and have only recently discovered the trails. I have been skiing for many years and I do appreciate well-groomed trails. These are excellent trails.
It was a crazy winter this year. I did have the opportunity to go only a few times this winter. I wish I would have had the opportunity to go more but between health, family commitments and weather that is not always possible. I thoroughly enjoy the well-groomed trails and peaceful which always recharge me.
Ria
Tammy:
Thank-you for the update and invitation for feedback. This was my first season as a member, as a relatively new resident of West Carleton. Needless to say, I am grateful for this grassroots community effort and indebted to the partnership – between members, the public, the park, the city and a handful of dedicated volunteers (who organize the club and groom the trails immaculately!). The health and well being of my family has improved with the access to these ski trails; we get out of the house, we ski, we exercise, we explore, we encounter wildlife, we spend quality time together.
In a rural area like West Carleton, with limited winter recreation facilities and programs, this club and trails add significant value to our community. It’s an affordable and accessible activity for our family, close to home. With that, we look forward to more winters and quality time spent on the WCNSC trails!
With thanks,
Tom Robson
(and on behalf of Amy Courtney and Charley Robson)
Just a shout-out to the club for another amazing year of trail maintenance despite difficult climate conditions. I for one appreciate the work and effort that makes for an invaluable physical and mental experience.
Kevin Osborne
Hi Tammy,
Thanks for the email. I continue to be amazed at the quality of the trails even through the spotty conditions we seem to have gotten the last couple of years.
Hats off and thanks to the trail crew for their excellent work!
I work from home in West Carleton and if it weren’t for the Fitzroy trails I probably wouldn’t be getting any skiing done – so it is a much appreciated resource.
No matter what day of the week, or what time during the day, there always seem to be a few people taking advantage of this gem.
Thanks.
Andy Welch
Hi Tammy.
Thank you so much for your great service in being part of the operational team for the ski club. It was a weird winter, but did get some first class tours in at the Fitzroy Park Site. The trails, as usual, were in first class shape and provided a great venue for our community club.
After all of the confusion of the late winter and spring, I look forward to the next winter season skiing.
With many thanks to your whole team,
Sincerely, John Fitzgerald, Fitzroy Harbour
Hello Tammy
I wanted to reply to your email regarding feedback with respect to the last ski season. Although I didn’t get out skiing much this last season, only when I boarded for a week the guide dog pup I am raising, I have to say I was very impressed by the upkeep of the trails and all on a volunteer basis – incredible!!
Keep up the good work and I hope to be able to enjoy skiing in the park for many years to come!
Regards
Sylvia Sirett
Hi Tammy,
My wife and myself joined the club for the first time this past year. Having moved west from my former home in Britannia Village and skiing in Gatineau Park for many years I was pleasantly impressed with West Carleton Nordic Ski Club’s trails!
I did not ski in Gatineau Park till midseason and having thought I would not be as fit not skiing big hills I was so surprised that I felt great. I found my loops at West Carleton has kept my ski fitness at a level I was so happy with. The grooming was always done and then part way through the season the skate skiing portion was widened, fantastic! The people I meet at the centre were always very pleasant, the trails never to crowed and lots of parking. Thank you for creating a little gem for the west end.
I would like to be on the mailing list for volunteering for trail maintenance, fall prep for next season, really anything I can do to help. my cell # is 613-223-5480 or emails to this address.
Thank you again to all those who have created this club and great trails. I have many years learning about sustainable trail design from the International Mountain Biking Association, was the Ottawa representative for that association for several years and hosted several trail design and maintenance courses at the Creative Wheel centre in Val des Monts Quebec were I designed 10 kms of mountain bike, snowshoe trails, classic ski trails on a 108 acre property. So anything I can do working on trails I am ready to volunteer.
Cheers,
Steve Kiernan, Dawn More
Dear Tammy
‘Another great skiing experience on the Fitzroy Park trails. Many thanks to you & the groomers. On a number of occasions we were amazed that the trails had been groomed as the weather had been lousy for several days.
Thanks for the wonderful service.
Stay safe!.
Cheers’
D’Arcy Family.
You have out done yourself! The new 5km of trail is outstanding. It’s hard to believe that this beautiful spot is only 10 minutes from my home. It is truly a magical trail.
Kimberley O’Shaughnessy
For a couple of years now my wife and I have been members of the WCNSC and I would like to thank all involved for the wonderful opportunity presented to us. Through the efforts of Bryan, Randy and their group of volunteers we are able to enjoy some of the best cross country skiing in the area (including Gatineau Park), within minutes of home. I have been skiing in the Ottawa area and elsewhere across Canada for over 50 years and this group gets a gold star for the conditions of the trail network.
You particularly notice this during the lean snow years such as we just experienced. Despite the lack of snow, WCNSC members enjoyed fabulous conditions from the first snowfall in mid-December right through to March. I was out every weekend, both days and managed a couple of “hooky” skis as well as a wonderful night ski.
In the rural areas of the City we often complain that we pay for more than our fair share of services so it is very gratifying when the City helps support pursuits which are very important to the lifestyle of many of us who have chosen the rural way of life. I’m not sure how much support the City provides but I do have a pretty good idea of the tremendous volunteer effort that goes into the maintenance of the trails and are quite certain that the return on investment is one of the highest the City gets. This is no where more evident than in the expanding group of young people seen on the trails. Being able to participate in this relatively low cost and ever so healthy activity, so close to home, is priceless.
Thanks are also due to the Park. I have been amazed by the number and diverse group of people who benefit from this little gem of an area – not just the classic and skate skiers who frequent the trails but the hikers, dog walkers, dog skiers, snow shoers and snowmobilers who use the Park and seem to coexist so respectfully and well.
Andy and Arlaine Welch
Woodlawn, ON
I have been using these trails for the past 6+ years and must say you guys do a phenomenal job grooming. I don’t know what I would do during winter if this wonderful club did not operate.
Thank you and here’s to many more years of X-skiing!!
Janet Charles
I am happy to provide my views on this ski club. We live in Stittsville and joined both your club and Gatineau this year. Both required that we travel the same distance. West Carleton definitely won out. The trails were always groomed to perfection no matter when we went. The 10 km of trails is just the right distance for our ski but easily increased if we wanted to by the many cut off trails offered.
Bigger does not always mean better. We’ll be back next year.
Thank you,
Mary and John Londry
I have recently come to discover the trails of Fitzroy Park. It is so wonderful to have this beautiful network of trails so nearby to my home. They are very well groomed and maintained. It is often challenging to find activities in winter but having this park nearby with the available trails has made it very convenient and enjoyable. After my father-in-law heard of my adventures on the trails, he too purchased skiis and now joins me from time-to-time. I strongly urge the continued financial support of this resource for the surrounding communities as it truly stimulates good health and participaction.
Tammy LeRiche
Thanks again for another great season at Fitzroy! I thoroughly enjoyed the trail this year, especially now that I live only a 4 minute drive away! I really loved having the skate skiing trails so accessible- a much shorter commute than going to Gatineau Park. Thanks for updating the website on a regular basis, it was great to know what the conditions were like ahead of time.
Thanks again for all your hard work on the trails regarding maintenance and grooming…a top notch job for sure! Looking forward to next year.
Krista Petrie-Wallace
Yes it is unfortunate, but all good things do come to some kind of end. I look forward to the future.
I thought that the WCNSC outdid itself this year as far a trail grooming was concerned. These were quite possibly the most consistently probably BEST groomed trails in the Ottawa Region. I am happy that we remain a West Carleton secret. Well done, indeed!!!
As of this moment, I have it in my calendar to attend the AGM of the WCNSC on April 14th.
Sincerely,
John Fitzgerald, Fitzroy Harbour