Image: Lynn Perrett
When the winter wind has brought snow too deep to bike or run in, and the thought of one more day at the gym is just unbearable, embrace the fresh whiteness, strap on some skis and head out for a zip around the local park.
Cross-country skiing is the ultimate winter sport. It’s as good a workout as running, but not so hard on the knees. Unlike downhill skiing, it doesn’t require cutting down swaths of forest and running huge lifts up mountainsides. Best of all, winter turns every park and open space into a track, creating a multitude of options for the creative urban skier. Getting out can be as easy as popping into a local sporting-goods store, such as Mountain Equipment Co-op or Europe Bound, laying out about $15 for rental equipment and hopping a streetcar to High Park.
For a simple introductory experience, there are waxless skis — just lace up your ski boots, snap on the skis, strap on your poles and go. Left foot forward, right foot forward: an easy, sliding motion is all it takes to get started with the classic style of cross-country skiing. Lessons are available through most resorts and from clubs in many cities, and there are also plenty of stores that can provide a lowdown on equipment. In Toronto, two good ones are Silent Sports in Thornhill and Velotique on Queen Street near the Beach.
Break an urban trail
In Toronto, there are no formal cross-country ski trails. But after a good snow, skiers can be found making tracks in most major parks, including Morningside, Tommy Thompson, Centennial, Earl Bales, the east and west Don Valley and Rouge Valley, and on the Islands.
Every city has somewhere to rent equipment and many cities also maintain trails. Ottawa, for instance, has a five-km trail at Mooney’s Bay Park, just south of Carleton University. The trails are groomed for classic and skate skiing (a faster, more advanced technique). The trails are lit to allow night skiing, and a day pass is a mere $2. As well, the Rideau Trails in the west end and Green’s Creek in the east offer groomed trails maintained by local clubs.
Get out of town
The best and most scenic skiing is outside the cities. From Toronto, there are ample opportunities, with around half-a-dozen full-service nordic resorts within an two-hour drive from downtown. Local clubs, including Trakkers and the Scarborough Cross Country Ski Club, offer great deals on bus trips to some of the best, so you don’t even need to drive.
Just outside almost any city in Ontario, fully serviced ski trails can be found. Soo Finnish, near Sault Ste. Marie, has 40 km of trails. Ottawa has Mount Pakenham’s 20 km of trails for just $8 per day. In Sudbury, rentals are available at Laurentian University, which is also home to one of a half-dozen trails in the area. If you bring your own gear, there are hundreds of smaller places to go, ranging from the Sawmill Ski Trails in Hepworth to the undulating Glenelg Ski Trails near Markdale to the nearly 100 km of Haliburton Nordic Trails.
One of the highest resorts, and so one of the best in the Toronto area for snow, is Highlands Nordic in Duntroon, southwest of Collingwood. It has a clubhouse, cafeteria, pro shop, lessons and rentals, including polks (special sleds designed for pulling children along ski trails). Its 23 km of trails include loops for all abilities. There are a couple of good climbs that take you to the top of the Niagara Escarpment for a spectacular view of Georgian Bay, and some superb skiing in the upper meadows. Also in the area are the Scenic Caves trails at Blue Mountain and the Mansfield Outdoor Centre, about half an hour closer to Toronto on Airport Road. Full-day passes are typically $15 to $20, although many resorts offer a half-day ticket as well — a good option, as more than four hours of skiing can be a gruelling experience.
Go at your own pace
If a gruelling experience actually sounds like fun, there are events to suit such extreme tastes. Paramount among them is the Canadian Ski Marathon, a two-day event during which participants attempt to ski a 160-km classic course from Lachute, Quebec, to Gatineau. It includes climbs challenging climbs and descents, plus all the pleasure that comes with skiing across a field before sunrise during a Quebec winter. Somehow this brings out the best in cross-country skiers, who can be a surprisingly sociable group, considering it’s such a solitary sport. Convenient, affordable charter buses to the event run from Montreal, Gatineau and Toronto. Attempting the whole marathon isn’t mandatory —many skiers join in and complete only the sections they wish.
For a more relaxed pace, head out to Gatineau Park, which has almost 200 km of groomed trails. Provincial parks and local conservation areas are home to some of Ontario’s best skiing. Algonquin Provincial Park and Arrowhead Provincial Park near Huntsville are two with exceptional trails.
Nature-friendly trails
Best of all, cross-country ski trails tend to go through scenic, wooded areas where wildlife is often easy to spot. Porcupines munching on trees, squirrels chattering away in the sunshine, even coyotes are not unheard-of trail companions. It’s also not uncommon to slide down a gentle slope and slowly glide to a halt a few feet from a pair of deer grazing on a tuft of grass sticking out from a frozen meadow. And when it’s time to leave the deer behind, go for a nice dinner out, then tuck yourselves into a cozy B&B to complete a perfect weekend getaway.
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