I had skied ungroomed trails in Gatineau Park before but it was a precarious endeavor with regular classic skis. With very little control, going downhill is scary to say the least. The long skis also make going uphill hard when one has to herringbone up. The tips of skis are often caught under fresh snow and voila you're stuck.
This year Ed and I bought proper backcountry skis, aiming to ski from hut to hut on a multi-day trip. The skis we purchased are Rossignol BC 80 with sturdy BC bindings and boots. The skis have full length metal edges for better downhill control. They're also much shorter -- mine are 175cm, making uphill climbing easier on narrow trails.
This past Sunday was our first long trip out. We timed it so it was after some fresh snow. This is important when planning for backcountry ski trips to minimize risk of injury. We chose Gatineau Park because it is close and has many backcountry trails. The trails took us up and down, exactly what backcountry skiing is about.
Here is the route we took.
Trails are very well marked in Gatineau Park but still navigation can be a problem. I used my Garmin Fenix 3 watch with a preloaded gpx route but still I missed a few turns. The watch beeps when I am off course but sometimes I just don' hear it. Google Maps can be downloaded for offline use and they show many of the trails with numbers (or names). Coupled with a paper map, they should be enough to get you home unless your phone runs out of power. The downside is you have to pull out your phone often to check, which is inconvenient. To be safe, I studied the map beforehand, noting possible exits in case I need to take a faster way out.
This year Ed and I bought proper backcountry skis, aiming to ski from hut to hut on a multi-day trip. The skis we purchased are Rossignol BC 80 with sturdy BC bindings and boots. The skis have full length metal edges for better downhill control. They're also much shorter -- mine are 175cm, making uphill climbing easier on narrow trails.
This past Sunday was our first long trip out. We timed it so it was after some fresh snow. This is important when planning for backcountry ski trips to minimize risk of injury. We chose Gatineau Park because it is close and has many backcountry trails. The trails took us up and down, exactly what backcountry skiing is about.
Here is the route we took.
Trails are very well marked in Gatineau Park but still navigation can be a problem. I used my Garmin Fenix 3 watch with a preloaded gpx route but still I missed a few turns. The watch beeps when I am off course but sometimes I just don' hear it. Google Maps can be downloaded for offline use and they show many of the trails with numbers (or names). Coupled with a paper map, they should be enough to get you home unless your phone runs out of power. The downside is you have to pull out your phone often to check, which is inconvenient. To be safe, I studied the map beforehand, noting possible exits in case I need to take a faster way out.
A lot of people apparently had the same idea and we very rarely had to break trails. BC80 performed admirably doing kicking and gliding. We grunted on steep climbs and cheered when going downhills. The snow was soft and the scenery was beautiful. We had a smile on even when falling.
Eventually we reached our lunch spot at Western Cabin. Many people were already there. We managed to get a table and put our lunches on stove. We also met up with Lauren, who skated up from P10. Social time is always important -- it is part of skiing as much as skiing itself.
We returned via more or less the same route, mainly because I forgot a turn on #18. We also skied a bit on parkway but it wasn't pleasant for BC80, which are too wide to fit in the tracks.
This is Ed looking good on his 185cm BC 80.
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