test comment for Dec 2009 

Hi Harold,
    John and I spent 5 days last week skiing at Mont Ste Anne Park and 
Camp Mercier. The trails there were in great shape , well-maintained and 
track-set. However, for variety of trails, the number of trails, and the 
levels of skiing, the Gatineau Park still wins hands-down. We think that 
the Park is the best in the East.
     Both areas, though, seem to be doing better for the snow-shoers. 
The snowshoe trails are completely separate from the ski trails, they 
cross at right angles, and are well-signed.

I had been away from Gatineau Park for a few winters.  When I returned, 
and visited the park for skiing, I could not believe the state of the 
grooming, or overgrooming.  It was like skiing on a roadway with the actual 
groomed track as hard as rock.  Discovering that most of the park was 
like this was so disappointing.  It was like losing something very important 
in my life.  There is no reason for me to buy a pass or visit the park 
in the winter anymore.  My skiis are a little wider than the norm and 
they don't even fit comfortably into that rock hard track.  And more importantly, 
the grooming is an embarrassment to the park.  Where years ago I would 
sing the praises of the variety of skiing available in the Gatineaus, 
I just don't do that anymore.  For anyone visiting the park to ski, from 
another province or even from another country, their experience will be 
far less than exhilarating. 
Really, the grooming needs to change and to reflect the variety of skiiers 
using the trails.

I would like less grooming on the "back-country" trails -- requires more 
 skill to ski and that equals more fun! That is the whole point, after 
all, isn't it!?

Trail maintenance has definitely not been impressive this year. 

I've had three very poor experiences. On one occasion trail #22 was in 
generally poor shape and strangely rutted. I can't say whether this was 
due to "grooming" of some form but I have skied this trail for years and 
have never seen it in such a state. On another occasion a visit to trail 
#21 was ruined by the fact that it had been rolled and so rendered quite 
unsuitable for skiing. And just today, when conditions were such that 
grooming was absolutely essential, we were amazed to find that trail #1 
(of all trails) had not been attended to.

In general the trend is depressing. Ever less attention seems to paid 
to removing trees and so on, ever more trails are getting taken over by 
snowshoers (#16 is a particular loss), and skate skiers are encroaching 
on what should be classic only trails and destroying the tracks (trail 
#5 is a case in point). 

Please stop destroying the back-country trails!  What makes them unique
is that they are narrow little trails through rough terrain!  They have
been track set by people who love them for over 50 years!  Making them
wide enough and safe enough for a groomer basically destroys them!  Why
would you want to do that???????  

see emails with NCC ...

I agree with the basic issues that Harold has expressed. Twenty-five years 
ago I was a novice(first timer) ck skier and learned a lot by my experiences 
on back country trails, which inspired me to continue experiencing....
Back then there was no park fees and no grooming. The guy who taught me 
was Gary Watts who started the Ottawa Outing Club who introduced me and 
a boat load of people to this great winter outdoor activity. His main 
motto for teaching was "if you are not falling you are not learning". 
The experience of the back country day outing on fresh powder is something 
I will always cherish.
Dean Hammill
ex co owner of the OOC for the past 25 years

Snowshoeing is here to stay.We are selling as many snowshoe units as skis.The 
profile of this user group is much wider than that of the skier and the 
potential places they are being used is much broader.The good news is 
its a great healthy,peaceful,family,social or solo form of exercise.I`d 
say 30%of the users own both skis and snowshoes and 15% of people that 
start out as only snowshoers  ,convert to using both.The problem is twofold:snowshoers 
do not pay any fees to use the parking lots or Gatineau Park trails (except 
for taxes)and NCC has not reacted quick enough to create a seperate starting 
point for snowshoers ,so the beginning of many trails gets trampled by 
snowshoers.Novice snowshoers are often nervous about going offtrail which 
leads to conflicts on the backcountry routes.As this market matures we 
will see less of this I hope.The range of an average snowshoer is less 
than a third of that of a backcountry skier so usually you ski away from 
the problem but more education/signage is necessary.We try to begin this 
right in the store.I thought the Carman Trails snowshoe centre was the 
right way to go and we should encourage a snowshoe trails entry point

Hi Harold
Thanks for taking the initiative on this issue.As you know I`m only a 
backcountry skier.There is alot of confusion about this term because it 
has such extreme connotations in the west.
All we do is explore all the swamps and old historic trails that are ungroomed 
but so beautiful in the winter.... and unaccessable in the summer.Its 
slower and less dangerous than skiing a crowded scraped track.
Sometimes its hard work but you get to enjoy your trail on the way home 
and until it snows again (unless a snowshoer worried about getting lostinsists 
on walking on ,instead of beside, your track).The single track groomed 
trails that sometimes link our backcountry routes are overgroomed and 
are safest & most fun when there is fresh snow.I`d have no problem supporting 
cutbacks in trail grooming if it meant leaving these trails to volunteers.I 
could see an adopt a trail program where a club or corporate group committed 
to grooming trails like this by skiing them and hand clipping obstacles.Spend 
the money on the skate/classic trails and cabins.

As a classic X-country skier, I much prefer ungroomed trails, especially 
the "backcountry" trails. There are plenty of other trails for the skate 
skiers. The back country trails were much better in the old stays, before 
NCC started charging a fee and using grooming machines!  

I strongly support not grooming the back country trails.  Skiing one of 
these unprepared trails is a unique experience.  There are plenty of groomed 
trails available for those that prefer them.  The NCC should be encouraging 
skiers to experience cross country skiing in its pure and original form. 

Although I haven't been able to ski the trails this year, I can see them 
in my mind as I read these comments.  Having learned to cross country 
ski mostly through the backcountry trails, I mourn the loss of so many 
of these trails in Gatineau Park.  Yes, being able to ski fresh snow is 
one of the greatest pleasures to a classic skier, the feeling of being 
alone in a totally black and white world, the freedom to ski where you 
feel only the animals have gone before, what could be better.

Hi Harold and Marion, I am not an avid user of back-country trails, I 
"save" the treat for days with lots of fresh snow...
So I am really supporting your proposal, to stop grooming the back-country 
trails and to educate hiker/snow-shoers. I think the beauty of many trails 
can be enjoyed so much more without the trails beeing over-groomed... 
And NCC could save some money...
All the best, hugs,  Anca