Ski brakes and repair tips

I went for a nice ski this afternoon from P7 to Huron Lookout and then return via Ridge road. It was a great day with temps hovering around -5 and snow conditions that suited my waxless skis. It is mostly uphill for about a kilometre from P7 with the steepest bit of the climb at the end. Once up this hill you can turn around and see Ottawa and then ski in the woods on rolling hills until you come to to three cabins (Keogan, Shilly Shally and Huron). I took Ridge road to Keogan and then turned onto the parkways to check out the view from Huron Lookout. Then a short ski up the connector trail to Huron cabin.

The cabin was full but the bench outside was free so I put my sandwich on the woodstove and sat outside watching the action at the well stocked bird feeder. Plenty of squirrels and red headed woodpeckers were enjoying their lunch. Sometimes deer will come and eat the seeds off the ground.

The ride back to the parking lot has some fun steep downhill sections that are marked with the ominous looking exclamation point sign. The second of these hills is sometimes referred to as Suicide hill. There is usually traffic going up and down and at the bottom you have to make a right or left turn or else you keep going and hit a strategically placed bench. While waiting my turn to go down I saw a woman snowplowing and scraping her poles in the snow behind her to slow herself down. I don't think it made much difference. Then I got a tip about repairing ski poles with duct tape and twigs. Useful information for sure! It is a fun ride to the parking lot from there and a great way to end the day!