— 44+ Skiers Had a Blast at Gatineau
What a weekend!  Where to begin?  How about at the beginning?
FRIDAY EVENING
Many of the 44 people registered for the weekend left Montreal during the afternoon and arrived in Ottawa in the early evening.  They checked into the Novotel hotel and from the moment they walked into the hip-looking lobby, they knew that this was no second-rate hotel!  The rooms were also fashionably appointed.  And then there was the perfect location of the hotel.  It was a couple of blocks from the Byward Market area, the Rideau Centre shopping mall, and the Rideau Canal itself.  Several people went for a skate Continue reading →

Well it was a pleasant surprise to actually be able to go to a ski centre that we had on our Calendar.  Orford was one of the few centers open and so apart from ourselves every skier east of Kalamazoo appeared to be at the park.  Never mind, it’s a large park and soon skiers get dispersed on the many trails.
 
Although open, Orford was not in prime conditions, but it was certainly very good with plenty of fresh snow and sun.  Anyhow 28 club members gathered at the Accueil Le Cerisier, on a chilly morning (-10 C) and with a little effort we managed to get most of them together to record the event for prosperity, although now we are having to resort to videos to contain the rabble.  Then we were off, one minute a bunch of skiers, Continue reading →

Thirteen skiers turned out at Cap St Jacques last Sat, including one member who was on his skis for the first time in 30 years!  We skied just before we started getting the fresh snow during the afternoon and evening.  But the conditions at the park were surprisingly good.  There was complete coverage and they had enough snow that they were able to groom the trails that morning.  Ten skiers did a full loop of the rabbit trail, which works out to a distance of 10 km.  There is a new construction road through the park which created a couple of new spots where one had to stop and take off their skis.  But despite that it was a pleasant morning and a good tune-up for those people going to Orford the next day.

— Surprise! 25 Skiers Have a Great Day at Bois-de-Liesse

The conditions have been frustrating lately.  The temperature has been great for skiing for over a week and there is snow on the ground.  But there just has not been enough snow in most of the local centres to permit decent skiing.  Our scheduled destination of Gai Luron was closed and the P’tit train du nord could not even open the trail as far south as Mont Rolland in Ste Adele, our usual starting point.  But it turned out that some of the parks closest to us, with their nothing-but-flat-trails, have managed to keep a bare minimum of coverage.  So it was that one of our intrepid members skipped Continue reading →

 
The Pot Luck is one of our great social events when the club members, after a morning of exercise, proceed to devour a lunch which will completely negate all our efforts to lose that extra weight from the holidays.  But before we get to the food we have to have the exercise, so at 10 am, give or take an hour or two, we gathered at Beaver Lake.  No one had brought skis given the snow conditions on the mountain, mind you some non-members were skiing including a group of young children taking a ski lesson, shame on you BTNSC.   Well not really, a grand total of 29 people came out to walk or skate, the walkers winning the vote by 1, and it should be noted that the skaters numbers built up over the morning, not for them Continue reading →

 

It was sunny and -8 C as a baker’s dozen of Beaver Tails converged on Gai Luron last Sunday.  The ski conditions were not quite as nice as the weather.  That first big storm missed the lower Laurentians and the so the snow base is thin.  The trails are mostly covered and there were no icy spots, but the skiing was on hard-packed snow that made the descents surprisingly tricky, especially on the L trail.  The last 2 km of the L were closed and skiers were diverted on to the A.  But on other parts of the trails, the tracks were well-formed and the skiing was good.  The consensus was that, all in all, it was a beautiful day to be skiing out in the woods!

“What do you mean an 8 am start!”  The atmosphere was electric last Thu at the club exec meeting at the Timmies Beaver Tails Nerve Centre.  “The rule book, page 240, paragraph ‘C’ clearly states that no 8 am starts before the Winter Solstice.”   “No you are wrong, the amended electronic version I am viewing on my iPhone allows an 8 am start at the Prez’s discretion, and I need to get back for a lunch date.“  So there it was, we found ourselves standing at Dorval at 8 am on Sun, with a smog warning issued for Montreal.
 
My goodness it was a quick drive north, hardly surprising since everyone else was in bed.  Even missing our exit, we found a deserted parking lot except for Jacques and Winnie.  Soon a total body count of 13 was achieved, rising to 15 by our usual late starting couple, check the photo if you do not know who.  No smog at Mont Rolland and with blue wax conditions (-5 C) — I have to put that in to keep the Pres happy, he likes numbers — we were all set to go.  The first 2 to 3 kms were single track and not a great depth of snow, but as soon as we started climbing the conditions were very good.  So good in fact that we probably did our usual early season trick of going that odd kilometre too far.  Some even went all the way to Val David.  The rest were satisfied in reaching the under pass and turning.  Needless to say we felt the pain on the last flat kilometres, especially with the single track and by that time the late starters hitting the trail, their right of way.  The parking lot was full on our return, so the 8 am start paid dividends.  Soon we were having soup and coffee in the little café at the station prior to returning home. No traffic problems this week, so a fast drive back.
 
Foot note.  A few club members were clearly unaware of the electronic reversion of the rule book and skied at Bois de Liesse at 10am.  Still everyone had a good time.

26 Hikers at Mount Royal

Despite having partied hearty the night before, 19 revellers dragged themselves out of bed and to Mount Royal.  They were joined by 7 other members who missed the party but were not about to miss a good Sunday morning walk.  Three dogs rounded out the group.  It was a cool day, -4 C under cloudy skies and breezy. 

The gang gathered in the chalet at Beaver Lake at 9:45 am.  One thing we were surprised to see was that people were already skating on the outdoor rink. Mind you, that ice surface has underground refrigeration and it usually gets going before the snow arrives.  None of us had brought our skates so an aspiring skaters among us could only look on wistfully.  But three girls did bring their running shoes and tights.  Their warm up routine made them look like the Beaver Tail cheerleaders (see photo of the week)!  They zipped past us soon after we started walking.  So officially we were 23 hikers and 3 runners.

We set out along Olmsted Road, walking past the big stairs and all the way to the trail that loops in the woods below the Camillien Houde lookout.  We then retraced our steps to the stairs and clambered up them.  After a pit stop at the Mount Royal chalet, we took the road around the cross, and then made our way back to Beaver Lake.  We covered 8.5 km in 1 hr 50 min.  Afterward, the majority of the group adjourned to the cafeteria style café on the upper level of the Beaver Lake chalet for hot drinks and snacks.  

A good morning of exercise and since we stayed in town, we still had the entire afternoon to relax or get ready for the holida

It was a dark, chilly and breezy night when the club members set out to the Alex “H” restaurant for our Xmas Party.  The light fall of snow and the ice on the ground with forecast of more to come had the club members dreaming of the days ahead.  Yes, those sandy beaches, warm seas and tropical temperatures was foremost in our minds.  Just kidding, we are all anxious to get out the skis, fight the -20 C temperatures and scare ourselves rigid on narrow trails, bring it on.
 
Back to the party, 49 members were welcomed into the warm cozy atmosphere of Alex “H” and soon the room was filled with noisy chatter. The restaurant has a BYOB policy and looking at all the bottles of wine brought by the members gave the impression we were competing with the SAQ.  Actually the SAQ had had a sale that day, coincidence, maybe.  The owner of Alex “H” did us proud with well prepared meals, I had the bison which was pretty good, salmon and vegetarian meals were also available.  Not being a gourmet that’s the best I can do in describing the food, but definitely a cut above Timmies.
 
The highlight of the evening was a surprise poetry reading by our Pres.  How many clubs can make that boast.  Tom, wearing suitable ski jacket and toque, read the late Riva Soicher’s “What’s a Beaver Tail?”  Written a few years ago, it embodies the spirit of the club then and hopefully now.
 
Five hours after entering the restaurant we reluctantly went home, promising to meet on Mount Royal on Sunday. Thanks Linda H for organizing the event and everyone else for making it so enjoyable.

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20 (+2) Loopy Hikers at St Adolphe d’Howard

There was a nice blanket of snow on the ground on Sun morning, it just was too thin to allow for any ski trails to open.  We thought that the P’tit train du nord might open up some kms, but we checked and, no, not yet.  So hiking was the order of the day.  But hiking was not such a poor compromise when you had a day like the one we did at St Adolphe d’Howard.

Twenty of us gathered at the centre d’accueil shortly after 10 am under cloudy skies.  The temperature that was steady at about -3 C and there was no wind, so conditions were quite comfortable.  As we paid our $5 trail fee, we consulted on our route with the attendant.  Our plan was to take trails 2 and 3, which consist of two loops connected by an intermediary trail.  So if you can picture it, the outline of our itinerary would Continue reading →