Jen P.
Yelp
I'm writing this review about the cross country ski area and cafe, which we enjoyed this past weekend. We have never visited this location except in winter (this is our second time, both times in the month of Feb).
First, when it snows, and when the weather stays cold, you cannot beat the 124-mile groomed cross-country trails of Gatineau Park! Starting at the Relais, there is parking, equipment rentals, indoor bathrooms and a cafe serving surprisingly good food and beverages. Just outside there is a fire pit where you can sit and warm up. And they have plenty of indoor tables for eating.
Second, regarding the trails, there is something for every level skier here. There are lots of fairly open and flat trails, some hills, some trails in the woods, some with twists and turns. My husband and I (who have skied here before) are intermediate to advanced skiers, and we have really enjoyed being able to ski for hours and experience lots of different environments. The trails are well marked and groomed for both classic and skate skiing. And they also have maps available.
Third, during our most recent visit, we were with friends who had never xc skied before. We had called earlier in the week to get help with reserving equipment through the website, and the people we spoke to were very helpful, friendly and patient. Upon arrival, skis, boots and poles were waiting. The only downside was that the skis for our one friend were nearly 3 feet taller than she was. When I asked why they had given her such long skis they said that it was because of her weight. I know that longer skis help to distribute your weight, but as my friend was a total beginner, I felt that shorter skis would be more advantageous to her learning, so we asked for a swap and luckily they could accommodate us! And I was right - the shorter skis were the ticket. She easily took to the technique and skied for 3 hours with us! She also fell down a few times, and easily got back up - something I'm not sure she could have so easily managed with really long skis.
Fourth, the skis you can rent here have a manual binding system, so you have to position the toe of your boot against the binding, then twist the lever to snap the binding on. I have never seen bindings like this and we found it very challenging to get our friends into (and out of) their skis. Our friends reported that the boots were very comfortable.
Fifth, the Relais cafe is GREAT. On the day we visited they had two kinds of chili (one veggie and one meat), brownies, croissants, cookies, wraps, sandwiches and a variety of hot beverages. We ordered two hot cocoas, an herbal tea and a coffee, a grilled cheese with bacon, a BLT wrap, and two bowls of chili, and all of it was piping hot, tasty and great portion sizes.
Last thing to note: on the busy Saturday that we visited, the entire place was being run by very young people. At the check in, there were two boys who may have been teens or very early twenties who were on their phones and seemed unable/unwilling to help us; there was one young man running between the ski equipment room and the cafe - he seemed very capable, friendly, multi lingual. In the cafe there were several young women - at every order they seemed to need to consult each other; there was a lot of giggling, but they got all the orders correct. There was no person monitoring to ensure that all the skiers had paid for day passes, nor was there anyone bussing or cleaning tables, or taking care of the restrooms (which were both a mess with paper toweling all over the floor and low toilet paper). We also did not see any ski patrol on the trails. I noticed all of this because it was totally different the last time we visited (Feb 2020), when there were numerous employees attending to folks and skiing the trails, visibly identifiable as ski patrol.
In any event, for independent and capable skiers, who just want to park, strap on skis and hit the trails, ski for hours, and then warm up with a cocoa or snack, this place is absolutely fantastic! BUT please support the park system and buy your day pass!
