Super Ski Trails

These days I’m working the early morning shift at CBC Radio. That means being in the office around 4:30 AM. It’s really the middle of the night but the upside is I’m finished work around 12:30. That makes it possible to indulge in some midweek skiing, something I haven’t been able to do very often. And it’s great.

I’ve skied for eight days straight. One day was spent at Poley Mountain doing some telemark and downhill turns but most of the time I did some cross country sliding on the local trails around Grand Bay-Westfield. With the recent snow they are all in great shape.

My favorite is the Backland Road behind the Westfield golf course. I’ve followed that twice in the last few days all the way to Loch Alva. ATV’s use the trail all the time as well as snowmobiles and they flatten the middle of it nicely and chop up the snow. It’s like skiing on a groomed trail and it’s the place you want to be especially with the heavy crust on the snow. That trail is always fast. It’s being well used too this winter by walkers and the occasional horseback rider. I never saw the horse but it left behind some road apples.

The trails across the highway on Highland Road to Round Lake and beyond are also in great shape. Snowmobile traffic has groomed them up nicely. The day I skied the Caribou Lake trail toward Welsford the snow was hard packed and icy but by the time I reached the lake the snowmobile groomer had gone through and loosened everything up. Heading back to the highway is mostly downhill and was very fast. Almost too fast.

The temperatures are getting warmer but snow is in the long range forecast so conditions should remain good for x-c skiers. The local backcountry trails are in better shape now than they were at any time last winter so get out the boards or snowshoes out and enjoy them while you can.