Ski - Gatineau Park

Mr. Blount,

Thank you for contacting the National Capital Commission (NCC).

In answer to your concerns, the growth in the snowshoe industry in the last few years is phenomenal and is universal to most natural parks and ski areas.

Over the years, the main problem that existed on our ski trails was caused by walkers / hikers damaging the ski conditions.

The occurrence of people walking on the ski trails remains a concern but it has not constituted a major issue for the last two years. It is quite probable that a large numbers of the users who were walking on the groomed trails in the past have now joined the ranks of the snowshoeing community.

We are aware that the challenge now resides in better communicating this service to this group. Signage encouraging snowshoers to use the designated trails is in preparation and will be posted at various trailheads, such as P12. It is also presumable that many snowshoers are not aware of the negative impact that their activity has when they travel over the tracks made for skiing.

Globally, any skier may contribute to improving the situation by taking a minute to explain to each snowshoer encountered on a ski trail how the elimination of the tracks is affecting the quality of the ski experience. We will also ask the parking lot attendant to pay attention to this particular issue.

If you have any additional questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact us again.

Pierre