We recently had a chat with Wendi Reid from Kawartha Nordic Ski Club. It's one of our favourite places in the Kawarthas, and we wanted to give them a little shoutout just in time for the snow this weekend!

WHAT’S KAWARTHA NORDIC?

Kawartha Nordic is a ski club, situated right on the edge of the Canadian Shield 40 minutes from Peterborough. There are 29 trails including 25-30km of classic and skate skiing trails, 25km of more narrow classic trails, plus several snowshoe trails. With a bright main chalet and quaint warm-up cabins along the trails, this is nordic skiing at it’s best. Rental equipment is available and all are welcome.

WHO'S WENDI?

Wendi is the Lead Lodge Attendant, and she's one of the first friendly faces you'll meet when you arrive at KNSC. She begins the morning by lighting the fires in the lodge and setting things up to greet the day. After that, she sells passes, outfits skiers with rentals, and makes suggestions on which trails to try. When she's not having lovely conversations with skiers and snowshoers, she orders equipment and clothing, handles school and group bookings, and generally makes sure everyone has a great experience.

We asked Wendi a few questions about what she loves about Kawartha Nordic, and this is what she said:

What do you think is so special about Kawartha Nordic?

“We have a lot of trails, and a lot of our trails aren’t really that close to another trail… we can have two busloads here on a busy Sunday, and you’re still able to find solace out on the trail. You can find a quiet place and not run into another skier for 15, 20, half an hour.”

What is the favourite part of your day?

"One of my favourite times of day is in the morning when it's quiet, and I go into the lodge and I chop up some fresh kindling and start the fire and just have a moment with my coffee before the day begins".

Do you have a favourite trail?

“From the base of Beaver, if you go up Kawartha, I must say it is one of my favourites. It’s both skate and ski, and I call it the rollercoaster! It’s little up and down hills all along for about 2 km’s through the trees as well, so its very scenic, but it also gives the opportunity to try little of your climbing up the hills, and control on the downhills.”

WHAT'S NEW THIS YEAR?

If it's been awhile since you've explored KNSC, there have been some improvements!

NEW TRAILS:

Dave, KNSC’s groomer extraordinaire, has created several new trails off the stadium area near the main lodge. These new trails criss-cross the existing trails, but feature more challenging downhills and climbs. So if you’d rather not venture too far into the wilderness, this allows you to stay close to the lodge and still get in 5-10km of skiing.

NIGHT SKIING:

There are 2.5km of lit trails for night skiing, plus several of the new trails can be skied at night since the lit trail shines on them too. The woods take on a whole different vibe at night - it's definitely worth trying if you haven’t before!

NEW DECK AT THE MAIN LODGE:

The front of the main lodge now has a new deck/boardwalk, designed to eliminate some of the water pooling and ice formation that previously happened right at the entrance to the lodge. Now it’s safer, and much more enjoyable!

COVERED ENTRANCE TO RENTAL TRAILER:

This new addition will be built sometime in the spring or fall. It will allow folks lined up for rentals to wait under a covered roof, out of the elements.

 WHAT'S HAPPENING?

With 85% of the trails currently open, and the rest expected to be open by Sunday this week, you can bet there are a whole lot of fun goings-on planned for the rest of the season. Get all the details here.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 | NEW MEMBER SKI

If you're a new member or thinking about it, this is your chance to go for a group ski, learn about the trails, and see how much fun it is!

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 | KAWARTHA SKIATHLON

The annual skiathlon race is a fun, introductory race experience for skiers of all ages and abilities.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 | FEED YOUR SOUL NIGHT SKI AND COFFEE HOUSE

Come for a soul-nourishing night ski, and a coffee house with live local music in Woodfine Cabin.

WANT MORE INFO?

http://www.kawarthanordic.ca/

Check Conditions: http://www.kawarthanordic.ca/grooming.php

Trail Maps: http://www.kawarthanordic.ca/maps.php