Author Archives: trailupdate

End of 2008-2009 Season

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It had to happen eventually. Warmer spring temperatures and rain have a cruel effect on snow and skiing. The trails are washing out and we cannot continue to groom them. Thus it looks like our latest memorable skiing season at WCNSC is officially over.

Thanks to everyone who helped out with the 2008-2009 season. We look forward to doing it again next year. Special thanks to club managers Bryan Dumouchel and Randy Belore for their extraordinary dedication to keeping the trails groomed and equipment running. Without their generous donations of time and expertise none of this would be possible.

Spring Skiing Tips (March 2009)

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As long as temperatures do not spike upward for prolonged periods, trails will remain skiable long after your driveway has cleared! Aggressive grooming has encouraged the frost to penetrate much deeper under ski trails. The resultant refrigeration effect can produce great spring skiing conditions.

However, classic and skating conditions are different and are best skied at different times of the day.

Skating:

Best conditions are in the morning as the temperature is transitioning through zero degrees C. A frozen track is hard to skate on as the old skating marks make for an uneven surface. At this time of year grooming is often done in the early morning to remove the old skate groves and leave a thin surface layer of snow, that will not refreeze too hard, as long as temperatures are slowly rising.

Classic:

Best conditions are in the afternoon when the frozen track is softer and more forgiving.

Penguin People Ski Event (March 2009)

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When: 
Wed, 03/18/2009 – 20:00 – Thu, 03/19/2009 – 11:00

Any Penguin People out there?

Last year on March 30th Dev Paul, a local skier and all-around jock organized an informal event called the PenguinMan. He set up a 25km loop in the Gatineau Park and invited people to come to ski 1, 2, 3 or 4 loops. I only learned of the event after the fact last year and was intending to participate this year but I have not seen any indication that it will be held so I’m thinking it would be fun to do the same thing with friends. I want to call it Penguin People. Continue reading →

Last Week of February (2009)

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A sudden rise in temperature has melted some of the base but with an equally sudden drop to sub -10°C and aggressive grooming Friday and Saturday, we should be able to restore the trails for the final weekend of February. See you at the park.