Thursday, March 18, 2010

St. Patrick's Day Snowboarding - March Break

What better way to spend a 17 degree Celsius St. Patrick's Day in the middle of March Break than to go for a Discovering Snowboarding lesson with my son at Sir Sam's, Eagle Lake in the Haliburton Highlands while my daughters had their own Discoverying Skiing lesson with their cousin.

The day was fantastic with some skiers and snowboarders enjoying the day in shorts and t-shirts.

The trails were in pretty good shape considering the temperatures had been in the double digits for several days already and overnight lows hovering around the freezing mark.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Water and Ice Under the Bridge

There is an eagerness to get back on the bike and hit the trails. As scenes of the partial frozen stream subside and the weather warms, that itch grows.

At this time of year, there are many trails that have begun to thaw and although the weather may be warm enough to again brave the trails, the trails themselves may not be ready.

The best thing to do at this time of year is to walk the trails first. A little hike along the trails to no only reacquaint yourself, but also to check first-hand the trail conditions, goes a long way. There is nothing worse than thinking the trail is fine and riding down a mucky soup, slipping and sliding to realize as you approach a stream crossing that the winter has taken out that rickety bridge.

A little caution goes a long way and help preserve the condition of the trails for an entire summer, fall and winter for some, of trail riding.

Remember to stay off the trails until they have dried out.