It was another cold day last Sun, but like Sat it was sunny and the winds were low.　 That makes a big difference in terms of skiing comfort.

With a temps of between -20 C and -18 C, I was expecting a small group to show up at the Viking Ski Club in Morin Heights, but we ended up being a dozen strong BTers ready to take on the trails.　 The Viking trails have their fans among the BTNSC and it had been three years since we last paid a formal visit there.　 We assembled in the Viking club house at 10 am and discussed route options with our Viking Ski Club host, Derek Wills.　 At 10:30 am, we set out across the road and skied down to the lake to start the trails.　 At the first junction, Jessica B, Luc, and Vivian decided to split off and go for a shorter and more relaxed ski.　 That left nine of us BTers to follow our Viking tour leader, Derek.

It certainly was good to have Derek at the front, especially since the connection from the initial trail to the Crown South trail took us along the side of a road and was not obvious.　 We then got going on the Crown South trail proper.　 That takes one through the woods and across lakes and marshes.　 The Crown South trail is single track, but it is well-groomed.　 So it is not back-country skiing in that sense.　 But compared to a typical ski center, where you have the sense of security of being in a place with distinct boundaries, the trails at Viking have a wilder feel because they just go off into the countryside on public (i.e., crown, or government-owned) land.　 If one does not pay attention to the map and the trail markings, you can get well off course.　 But with Derek’s guidance, Continue reading →

Admittedly, it was a cold start to the day last Saturday morning.　 If it was looking so cold (-20 C) outside our windows, how much colder would it be if we actually ventured north to Gai Luron?

But the sun was out and I had suggested Gai Luron as the recommended destination for our informal Sat outing.　 So off I went to Gai Luron.　 At least I had the good sense to delay the meeting time to 10:30 am.　 I arrived at the same time as Monique I.　 To our surprise, the first parking lot was already full and we had to park across the road.　 But we soon discovered why this was so.　 I don’t know if they have their own micro-climate, but the temp at Gai Luron was already down to -16 C and there was almost no wind.　 I guess the locals realized this and flocked to Gai Luron.　 The chalet was buzzing with customers, but there were no other BTers there besides the two of us.　 After waiting in vain for anyone else to show up, we set out at 11 am.

It is always something of an inspiring sight to see the array of parallel trails at the start of the Gai Luron network.　 This is all the more so when the sun is out and all the fresh snow has been immaculately groomed. 　 We decided to to go for the L trail, the longest one on offer.　 We were soon meandering through the woods, up and down short hills, with the sun filtering through the trees.　 After all these years, I still find myself taken aback at how beautiful the trails are at Gai Luron’s small and close-by center.　 The conditions were gorgeous!

After a short stop so Continue reading →