#xcskiing
@Kathryn Barr and I went up to #Gatineau #Park today to go #skiing and we did #ski 8 km from P5 to up the Champlain Parkway, but conditions were difficult. We had about 10 cm of new snow, which was great, plus there was still snow falling, too. The temperature was just below freezing and the temperature-dewpoint spread was only two degrees, so it was warm and humid, too. We both had periods when the skiing went fine with good kick and glide using Violet Special wax, but we had periods where our skis would ice up, with snow packing hard to the skis and actual globs of ice stuck to the skis as well. This required stopping, taking our skis off and scraping them, or else it was not possible to ski at all. At some points we had to stop every 100 m or so. I have seen this phenomena once before and it seems to be caused by wet snow falling just under freezing and skiing on it melts it enough to adhere to the ski's wax. One of the photos shows the result. I would be happy not to encounter it again.
Ski Trail Conditions In Gatineau Park
Now this is the kind of official report I like to see!!
Last Updated - January 16th 2023, 8:30 am
Note - The trail conditions are beautiful.
Winter storm warning
7:19 AM EST Thursday 12 January 2023
Winter storm warning in effect for:
- Ottawa North - Kanata - Orléans
- Ottawa South - Richmond - Metcalfe
Winter storm with significant snowfall beginning tonight.
Hazards:
Snow, heavy at times, with snowfall amounts of 20 to 30 cm.
Rapidly accumulating snow resulting in difficult travel conditions.
Reduced visibility in heavy snow and local blowing snow.Timing:
Heavy snow beginning this evening and tapering off late Friday.
Okay I am excited! This should get #XCskiing restarted!
#Skiing today with @Kathryn Barr in #Gatineau #Park. This was our fourth ski and our last for a while, as we have a week-long melt coming up, with temps as high as +9°C coming. Today we skied 14 km from P6 at the Mackenzie King Estate to the intersection of the Champlain and Lac Fortune Parkways and back. It is quite a climb on the way there, but much faster back!
These photos are from the second day of #XCskiing in #Gatineau #Park today for @Kathryn Barr and me.
We did about 10 km on the Gatineau Parkway at about -1°C (30°F), which is once again fairly warm for skiing. We have a big storm coming later on tomorrow, which is expected to impact skiing. Not sure if will put a halt to it or not, as that depends on how much rain vs snow we get.
Scenes from a #hike today in the #Ottawa greenbelt with @Kathryn Barr. It was -6°C with a -13 windchill, so not that cold out. The blazing sunshine was lovely. Only about 3 cm of snow on the ground, so still waiting for #XCskiing to start up - perhaps this weekend, as we have 22 cm of snow forecast!
