Even among us keen cross-country skiers, there is starting to be some level of winter fatigue.  Plus, on Sunday, it was still looking to be a cold day.  And it’s not like we have had much fresh snow, right?  So with all those factors, it was perhaps not surprising there were only 11 Beaver Tailers out at Gai Luron last Sunday.

 

But those of us who made it to Gai Luron were glad we did!  We had some of the best ski conditions we had seen anywhere all year.  It turned out they had received several cm of fresh snow the day before.  Add to that a beautiful sunny day, with a quite comfortable temp of -10 C.  Also, the trails had just been freshly–and expertly–groomed.  At that open area where all the trails start side-by-side, we were greeted by stretches of immaculately groomed corduroy snow.  Once we got into the woods, the sun was streaming through the trees onto fluffy mounds of snow covering the ground and branches.  The tracks were deep and perfectly formed in the new snow–no sign of old crunchy snow anywhere.  Conditions were truly glorious!

 

A couple of us had to overcome some “equipment checklist lapses” at the start of the day.  Winnie forgot to bring her ski boots and Scott arrived with the wrong skis.  But they were both able to quickly rent the missing equipment and so they enjoyed a full day of skiing with the rest of us.

It was just another one of those days at Gai Luron where you marvel at how nice it can be to spend the morning skiing at a center located only 40 minutes away!

 

What we traditionally refer to as Far Hills is now officially known as “Parc Régional de Val-David–Val-Morin – Secteur Far Hills”.  The Far Hills chalet is at the eastern end of the regional park.  The western end is called Secteur Dufresne and has the Anne-Piché chalet located at the entrance.  The Anne-Piché chalet is where we set out from when we do our annual Val David hike in the fall.  The trails run between the two chalets.
I had not been to Far Hills for a few years, so it was a treat to finally get back there for a ski outing.  As we pulled into the parking lot of Far Hills shortly after 9 am on Sun morning, the parking lot was already surprisingly crowded.  Much of that was likely due to the ski lesson programs they run there — we saw kids of various ages forming into groups and being shepherded by instructors.

It’s been a cold winter and last Sun morning at Far Hills was no exception.  It was -15 C as we got our skis ready.  But it was sunny and there was fresh snow on a thick base, so the conditions were looking to be ideal.  We were 13 Beaver Tailers, including one new person trying out the club for the first time.  We formed into four groups of 2, 2, 3, and 6 skiers.  I set out with Glenn K, John P, Helene C, Cheryl and Sue-Anne. Continue reading →

Report by David Inglis
As the world record holder in the x-country one meter (!) event, I was invited to the Olympic winter games now in progress in Sochi. With my Canadian flag wrapped around my shoulders and a suitcase full of poutine (a gift for Russian President Vladimir Putin… putin/poutine… same pronunciation, no?), my gold medal was a simple 43-hour flight away, via Patagonia. I did not get there. My problem? My alarm did not ring. I was also supposed to receive a wake-up call from my coach from the Jamaican bobsled team (it’s a long story) but he was too busy tending to his um, medicinal plants. So I missed my flight and my chance to win my gold medal.
My silver medal option was to join the Beaver Tails for the February 9^th destination at L’Esterel, a ski centre we had not been to in some 8 years. For many years this was a popular destination but the hotel/ski centre went bankrupt, closed, was sold, bought, then built into a huge hotel, minus the ski centre. The new ski centre is located on the grounds of the old ski shack, across Lac Dupuis. With a year-old log chalet that has that new wood smell, warm washrooms, adjacent waxing hut and $13 ski pass, the new L’Esterel is a x-country ski haven. Within 15 or so minutes after we arrived, a busload of skiers from another club (Ville Marie) arrived. Kudos to our club for our 8:00 am “Dorval departure,” being the first to arrive has its benefits. Check out the photo of the grooming machine, a sleek sand dune like buggy on caterpillar treads. I think Continue reading →

Report by Dave Inglis

To ski or not to ski? That always is the question that plagues our beautiful activity of x-country skiing in reference to unpredictable weather. Early January was horrible with too much rain and subsequent icy trail conditions. Then we were swamped by the (insert vogue expression here) “polar vortex.” The Sunday, February 2nd Beaver Tails destination was Parc des Campeurs in Saint Agathe, enjoyed by 13 members. Some days, the weather is perfect.
However, the weather on Saturday night into Sunday forecasted 10 cm of snow with a rain mix. I am not a fan of driving anywhere to ski in bad road conditions with my white knuckles gripped on the steering wheel, so drinking an extra beer or two Saturday night while watching Star Trek became a pleasant activity, thinking I would not join the Beaver Tails for the ski.
Enter guilt. Imagine waking up Sunday thinking the conditions are unfavourable for skiing only to discover they are perfect. I must ski! Panicked, I ate a quick breakfast, gulped coffee, gathered ski equipment, clothing, checked outdoor temperature, gulped more coffee… gawd I hate rushed mornings! I always assemble my ski stuff the night before but I had to prepare quick. No time for my EPO, a blood transfusion, or pop a testosterone pill, and um, oh sorry… I am reading too many books on drug use in Tour de France cycling. For my secret skiing “go juice,” I mixed my 600 ml bottle with one strawberry flavoured Ensure and chocolate milk, rocket fuel guaranteed. Coffee now cold, I had to wax my skis in a hurry.
Waxing with fluctuating near zero temperatures can be a hit or miss endeavour. The morning temperature was three degrees below. I decided on using blue extra (0°C/-7°C), applied in four layers as usual. I do not like nor use softer gooey waxes for above zero temperatures because I use waxless skis. I brought them just in case of warm conditions. Like the Boy Scout, I am always prepared.
Five minutes to 8 am, rush rush… snow off car, load car… and off I went a to enjoy a day of skiing. Life lesson here: better to kick my butt out the door and go than regret not going. The traffic on highways 13 and 15 were minimal and cruising at 100 kms/hr, I arrived just over one hour. The ski destination is a convenient few kilometers off the highway. Like psychics, Beaver Tails have this uncanny habit of Continue reading →

After a relatively mild (-8 C) and snowy day on Saturday at Morin Heights for the ski clinic, Sunday morning saw an abrupt return to the deep freeze (aka polar vortex).　 As promised by the weather forecast, it was sunny and -20 C at 8 am and it was not going to warm up much during the day.　 And, oh yes, there was a stiff wind that made for a wind chill of -33.　 With this forecast in mind, your benevolent club president generously delayed the start time at Mont St Bruno by one hour, to 9:45 am.

As I drove along Aut 30, I suddenly realized that I had made one error in the directions.　 With the extension of Aut 30 last year, the exit numbers had all been changed.　 The exit for the park was now exit 80 instead of exit 121.　 I hoped that nobody would be messed up by this oversight!　 For once, there were no traffic delays and I sailed along the highway to the park, arriving early.　 I took up Continue reading →

For me, the club’s ski weekend at Mont Tremblant proved to be a good transition from my five weeks of summer fun in Australia back to the cold reality of regular life in Montreal.　 I arrived home on Thursday at 11 pm after more than 24 straight hours of flying and changing planes.　 The next afternoon I quickly packed anew and set off for Tremblant.　 Fortunately, the forecast was for highs of -3 to -5 C — the next polar vortex was not scheduled to arrive until Tuesday!

Checked in on Friday evening.　 The accommodations were as comfortable and well-appointed as promised.　 Located 1.5 km from the hustle and bustle of the downhill ski resort, the Hotel du Lac buildings are situated on a hillside overlooking Lac Tremblant and facing the ski hill across the lake.　 The units were fully equipped condos, right down to the kitchen wares and washer and dryer.　 Most of the 35 or so people up for the weekend had already gone out to dinner, many in the resort village.

On Sat morning, my jet lag kicked in and I slept late.　 By the time I stumbled down to breakfast, most people had eaten and were in the throes of animated discussion of what to do that day.　 I did not pay any heed to this debate — having not been on skis yet this year, I had very limited Continue reading →

Report by Keith R
We often forget how beautiful Mount Royal can be even when it is kinda cool and the paths are very icy, although there was a covering of grit. It was really great to see the ice skaters on what is now a very large skating ring and listen to the music, so much so we were tempted to spend all day sat in the café watching them, but we didn’t. No instead our gaggle of walkers, somewhere around 15, and including a runner Monique I, insisted on risking life and limb on icy paths, dodging numerous walkers, runners and crazy cyclists to complete a form of round of the Mount Royal Trails. As always the high lights were the heart attack provoking climb of the steps, some , Vivian H, Rick B did it twice, out of a sense of bravado, whilst the rest of us wandered off to the viewpoint. Indeed we went there twice , the second time because the sun was out and the city was looking very pretty. Common sense never left the group, except to feed the parking meters so we were soon all sat in the café bathed in sun light watching the skaters. A fitting end to the day.