Our decision to go to Gai Luron last Sun turned out to be a good one.  It was -15 C and sunny as we got set to start just after 10 am.  As we expected, their superior trail grooming capabilities took a cold day where there had been little new snow during the preceding week and produced magic.  We were bowled over by how good the skiing was — literally in the case of Roy (see the photo of the week on the home page)!

Saturday , we had another impromptu informal ski at Cap St Jacques.  This time, it was initiated by a tweet that appeared on the website on late Fri afternoon.   That was all it took to get a dozen BTers out on a chilly morning.  The conditions were quite good, better than expected given the hard conditions leading into the weekend.

Last Sat, we had an impromptu informal ski at Cap St Jacques.  It was initiated by a comment on the forum on Fri at 6 pm from Dalia asking about a Sat ski and I responded with a suggestion to meet at CSJ at 10 am.  I also sent a tweet, which appeared on the web site home page.  Lo and behold, the next morning there were 18 of us on the trails!
The weather was sunny and about – 9 C.  The group included the club’s youngest member, Melissa, aged 6, who was helped around the trails by her dad Glenn and a tow rope.  Also Continue reading →

Sun we made our annual pilgrimage to the Viking Ski Club in Morin Heights.   This is an annual treat for many of us, since we get to ski on the Viking Club’s trails, which are not ordinarily open to the public.  Every year, there are some members who are visiting the Viking Ski Club for the first time and they come away impressed by the trails and the facilities.
We gathered in Continue reading →

Many of the people at Morin Heights were so tired after a full day there, they took the day off on Sun.  As a result, there were only 14 people at Gai Luron on what turned out to be a very nice day indeed.  And no, this is not just my assessment, which is sometimes viewed as being overly rosy.  I also had to miss out on Sun.  Here is the report from Roy T.
Conditions were great! They received 4 cm of snow overnight and all the trails were perfectly tracked.  Some of us skied the back country trails off the “L” trail under ideal conditions.  The morning temperature of -4 celsius, made for a perfect day of skiing for the 14 Beaver Tails who showed up.  Definitely one of the nicer skiing days of the season……

1. “ The advanced group were treated to the expertise of Olivia, a member of the Canadian National team, super lesson! “ :- Sue_Anne
2. “he was quite ummm frazzled to say the least, with talks of many, many falls and how challenging that trail was.” :-Sue-Anne about Glenn
3. “Oh yeah.  Those treacherous winding steep bumpy invisible tree lined downhill’s are not my favorite” :- Glenn
4. “Oka was pleasant but the conditions were variable and RATHER icy.” :- Ghyslaine
5. “Condition were great today.Gai Luron had 4cm of snow over night and the trails were perfect, along with a temperature of -4 Celsius this morning.” :- Roy T
6. “I broke my wrist – my right one! “ :- Linda S at Morin Heights
7. “Gai Luron is reporting that they are fully open and if the conditions are like they were at Morin Heights today then they will be just fine. “ :-Tom before he heard about Linda’s wrist
8. “Cap St Jacques was better than expected” :-Linda H, Sunday
9. “Conditions excellent at Montagne Coupee “ :- unknown

37 Skiers at Gatineau
The trip to Ottawa and Gatineau Park was a great success!  Including the skiers who were visiting friends or family in the Ottawa area, we had 37 skiers turn out on the trails of Gatineau.  The weather was great, sunny and -15 C on Sat, and cloudy and a few degrees warmer on Sun.
Most Beaver Tailers (including three canine members of the club) arrived at the hotel during the afternoon and early evening on Fri.  This year, skating on Fri did not pan out.  A section of the Rideau Canal had been opened for skating for the first time this year just a few days earlier, but that section did not extend to the part close to the hotel, so few people if any went skating that day. On Fri evening, many of the participants walked from the hotel to the neighbouring Byward Market for dinner at one of the many pubs and restaurants.
The next morning, we feasted at the sumptuous breakfast buffet while discussing where to ski.  The thing about Gatineau Park is that the trails are spread Continue reading →