2011-2012 Ski Friends Newsletter November 30, 2011

This season The Ski Friends of the Frost Centre has entered a new phase – a partnership with the Township of Algonquin Highlands Trails Department. The Trails Department is taking over the management, operations and maintenance of the ski trails. The Ski Friends is providing support including some reporting of trail conditions, lighting fires in the warm-up shelters on weekends, and providing information to visitors i.e. being volunteer trail monitors.

This year the Algonquin Highlands Trails office across Hwy 35 (on the East side) will be selling ALL daily and season passes as well as offering snowshoe and ski rentals - and hot drinks and snacks daily. The Season Pass Application forms are now available on the Algonquin Highlands website at http://www.algonquinhighlands.ca. Click “Trails” and then “Snowshoe & Ski Trails”. At the bottom under “Documents” click Frost Centre Ski Trails Seasons Pass Application.

Outside of regular office hours, self-registration at the trailhead will still be available in the parking lot kiosk. The price structure is new. There is now a senior’s day pass discount and an early bird discount on season passes. Details are available on the main web page at www.skithefrost.ca as well as on the Algonquin Highlands website.

Algonquin Highlands Trails has made many improvements over the summer and fall period. These include the addition of a new beginners trail from the Bunny to the Bear and Beaver by way of the historic Sawmill Trail, bridging the first swamp on the Beaver after the end of the Bear and the removal of many danger trees. All of the trails have been brushed and the warm-up shelters have been stocked with wood. A number of bridges have been repaired or rebuilt and drainage has been improved in low areas. New trail maps have been prepared with more detail and new directional signs (you are here maps) have been posted at all intersections. AH Trails staff will be dedicated to maintaining the trails and providing service 7 days a week – keeping the trails in top condition as snow conditions permit.

You will now find 26 km of trails groomed for classic skiing and the three warm-up cabins. Check out the new 1km Sawmill Trail - a connector to the Bear and Beaver Trails. This trail provides a ‘beginners’ option from the bottom of the first Fox hill through the first half of the Bunny to a bridge across the creek that exits from Sand Lake. From this bridge the trail proceeds to the sawmill and connects with the Bear near the bottom of the Otter Slide. For an easy ski you can continue on the Bear past the Sugar Shack and connect with the Beaver. If you have come down the Otter Slide from the Bear Trail shelter you now have the option of returning to the parking lot via the sawmill. The sawmill was once an MNR demonstration project as was the Sugar Shack.

The Ski Friends feels that this is a real win-win partnership – Algonquin Highlands Trails is on site every day to monitor conditions and provide service while the Ski Friends gets to do what it likes to do best - that is to ski and interact with visitors.

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