Contents

• Day Trip Touring Plans
• Touring Destinations
• Am I Ready to Tour?
• What To Bring
• Our Tour Leaders
• Getting in on the Fun

High Park Ski Club offers two back-country activities: ski touring and snowshoeing. Information on our snowshoe program can be accessed by clicking "Snowshoeing" on the menu at the left.

We offer Ski touring on both day and weekend trips. Some of our trips take us by bus to wilderness ski areas in provincial parks and forest reserves. On others, we ski from the groomed trail network at a resort to explore quiet, scenic back-country trails. It is a great way to relax, get energized and meet people.

Compatible groups of skiers set out, depending on their preference, for a leisurely or a brisk ski, led by our trained tour leaders. Stops for snacks or lunch will depend on the area, conditions and the group. Refreshments may be taken al fresco on the trail, or in a cabin, or in the bus.

Mellowing out on the way home from a day trip, skiers are likely to share munchies. On some day trips that feature touring, the bus will stop for a convivial preplanned dinner at a country inn. Dates of these dinner trips are indicated in the separate website sections listing the X-country Ski Schedule and X-country social events.

Day Trip Touring Plans

We have a bunch of trips in the works for this winter. When checking the list below and the fuller day trips list, please note that most areas and dates are as firm as weather will allow. Also, destinations may be switched or even added - our trip organizers check conditions up to the morning of departure. We are dedicated to bringing you the best skiing possible on a given day.

There are areas where we ski on trackset trails. At other areas we ski on tracks made by other skiers, and sometimes we break trail ourselves. Tours offered will range from easy to challenging and distances skied from twelve to 25 km, although some skiers may cover 30 km or more. Most areas have at least one warming hut where we can lunch; if not, we will have the bus available at lunch time.

Touring Destinations

Horseshoe Valley

We tour through the Copeland forest, north of the Nordic resort. This makes a very gentle introduction to touring, so we use it for our Discover Touring days.

Bruce Trail

We ski and/or snowshoe the Bruce Trail, just north of Highlands Nordic, from Duntroon road to the top of Singhampton Caves. We have, in the past, skied Primrose/Boyne River. This, actually, was a little too crazy for skiing. If we get a group of enthusiastic snowshoers, look out!

Kolapore

This is run by University of Toronto Outing Club, mostly on Crown land at Kolapore. This is primarily a ski destination, but snowshoeing is possible.

Silent Lake Provincial Park

Northeast of Peterborough, near Bancroft. This is a long drive, with a gorgeous 19 kilometer wilderness trail around the provincial park. There are snowshoe trails but these either are very short, or very long. We do not plan on snowshoeing there.

Arrowhead

The trails at Arrowhead ore mostly well groomed. There is quite a good racing club operating out of this resort. There are some backcountry trails, worth checking out with an experienced tour leader. Snowshoeing at Arrowhead is excellent.

Mansfield Resort

We tour the Dufferin forest, just north of the resort.

Am I Ready to Tour?

You are ready to ski with a touring group if you can...

• ...ski at a steady pace with occasional breaks. Our tours run ten to twenty kilometers, depending on the skiers and conditons.
• ...climb hills by herringboning
• ...ski down hills with confidence and control.

X-country ski school offers lessons on hills. We strongly recommend these, since back-country trails can be narrow and challenging.

What To Bring

Bring a day pack (a back pack of some type) containing...

• ...lunch and snacks high in energy and potassium (e.g., oranges, figs)
• ...at least one litre of water
• ...extra layers of clothing, including a hat, etc. Spare gloves or mitts are of particular importance, as your hands will perspire or other wise get wet. Many change handware at lunch time. Why extra clothing? It can be difficult to get warm once you have gotten chilled. The weather can change rapidly and unexpectedly. Even a distance as short as 2 kms can seem like the reteat from Stalingrad if you get cold. Better to be not regretting bringing a little extra than wishing you had.

Few touring destinations have snack bars. Even if shelter is available somewhere, it may not be located where we want to ski. If the weather does not do what it is supposed to or what you expected, you must rely on the contents of your pack. Gloves get wet.

Our Tour Leaders

Tour leaders are High Park Ski Club members who have volunteered for this role because we enjoy sharing our love of the outdoors with other skiers. To our experience as skiers we add training in leadership, map and compass, trail skiing techniques and safety, shelter building, and other outdoor skills. We also have first aid certification, and carry first aid kits.

Our tour leaders this winter are:

• Howard Gibson, director of Nordic touring
• Linda Gordon
• Blll Baird
• Doug Johnston

Getting in on the Fun

To take part in a day touring trip, go online and book the appropriate day trip.

We hope you will come and tour with us this winter.