Dave Adams’ passion for cross-country skiing has taken him around the world.
The 58-year-old Ottawa native
, who grew up cross-country skiing in the Outaouais, is a former competitive ski racer who spent a few years living in Sweden and competing internationally.
Now he has several kilometres of cross-country bliss just a snowball’s toss from his Westboro home.
The Kichi Sibi Winter Trail
hugs the Ottawa River, stretching east from Westboro Beach to the Mill Street Pub.
Adams calls it “his” trail, and not only because it’s practically in his backyard.
Adams is better known as Groomer Dave. He’s the guy who maintains the trail and manages the registered charity that oversees it. He’s
also the person who came up with the idea
to groom the bike path for skiing in the first place, more than a decade ago.
Eleven years ago, Adams was making the drive from Ottawa to the Outaouais to ski the trails of Gatineau Park or
Nakkertok Nordic Ski Centre
, a journey he’d done a thousand times, starting when he was a kid learning to race.
How did the Kichi Zibi trail start?
“I was driving by all this beautiful snow along the river, and I was like, ‘Geez, what am I doing driving to Nakkertok when I can probably
do something about grooming trails down here
in the city?’ ” Adams said in an interview.
“I had the skill, I had the knowledge and I had this vision to put in a trail here.”
With the support of the Westboro Beach Community Association, whose members helped approach the National Capital Commission, a two-week pilot project was approved. The NCC even loaned Adams the grooming equipment.
Thanks to social media, it was an instant hit.
“I started tweeting about it, and people literally just dropped everything and came down and started skiing on this brand-new trail within hours,” Adams recalled. “It really shocked me at the time: ‘Holy smokes, I think I’m on to a big fish here.’ That was the start, and I’ve been pursuing this dream ever since.”
Other neighbourhoods followed the lead and created their own groomed, winter-recreation trails. Six such trails are now available: Kichi Zibi, Britannia and the Ottawa West Winter trails in the west end, and the Rideau Winter Trail and Ski Heritage East in the east. The newest trail runs from Brebeuf Park in Gatineau to the Champlain Bridge, directly across the river from the Kichi Sibi trail.
What’s new on the Kichi Sibi Winter Trail this year?
The 2025-26 season marks the 10th year for the Kichi Sibi trail, and it was off to an early start, ready for skiing well before Christmas. Although a couple of warmer spells in recent weeks diminished the base, a little more snow will bring it back to top form. Also worth noting is the clear pathway, unobstructed by major infrastructure projects.
Transit construction and the Westboro Beach redevelopment were a pain for trail users in the last few years, but the result is a sparkling new NCC pavilion at Westboro Beach, a welcome improvement. It adds a range of amenities, including a restaurant, bar, indoor washrooms, dining gondolas on the patio and more.
“It just couldn’t be better,” Adams said. “Things have really queued up for a wonderful season.”
One of the best aspects of Ottawa’s urban winter trails is the lack of steep hills, making it a natural spot for families and beginners to start. The trails run mainly on volunteer efforts, plus some public funding, donations and sponsorships, and there’s no charge to use them.
“The trail is really accessible, and I always tell families to just give it a try,” Adams says.
“Take the kids. If they hate it and they end up screaming, you just go home. You haven’t invested anything and you haven’t bought a lift ticket, you haven’t paid for a trail pass. It’s very low risk to this trail, and being flat it’s not very intimidating.”
Advice for newcomers to the sport
To provide some pointers for beginners, we
turned to Sue Holloway
, the Ottawa woman who competed for Canada in four Olympic Games, initially as a cross-country ski racer. Although she went on to compete in canoeing and kayaking events, she never lost her passion for cross-country, and now instructs children at Nakkertok.
While many kids find they prefer to go down hills, Holloway actually started as a downhill skier in her youth.
“I hated it,” she said with a laugh. “I found it cold and boring, and I had to stand in line, and I don’t stand in line very well at all.
“Then I tried cross-country and thought, ‘This is the best thing ever. I love this.’ I could go wherever I wanted and I didn’t have to wait in line.”
Between the local ski clubs, the 200 kilometres of groomed trails in Gatineau Park and the urban trails, Holloway considers the Ottawa-Gatineau region one of the best spots in the world for cross-country skiing.
“It’s heaven for cross-country skiing,” she said. “I don’t know why you wouldn’t cross-country ski if you lived in Ottawa.”
Well, many of us can come up with a few reasons, such as not knowing what to wear, not having the equipment and not understanding the mysteries of wax.
But from Holloway’s perspective, those are minor details that are easily solved.
Here’s what she recommends to get started in the classic style of cross-country skiing.
Where can I find cross-country ski gear?
Ottawa has an advanced retail landscape, including several dedicated shops with knowledgeable staff and a range of gear. Not far from the Kichi Zibi trail is Fresh Air Experience, where you can rent equipment for $40-$50 per day.
“Having good equipment does make a huge difference because it makes the experience more enjoyable. If you’re slipping and sliding, or your skis are not the right size, or your boots are not comfortable, then it’s not going to be fun,” Holloway said.
Classic skis are sized to accommodate a person’s height and weight, with bindings that match the boot. Modern boots are far warmer and more comfortable than the old ones.
If you decide you enjoy it, and want your own equipment, second-hand gear is a good option, noted Adams. Facebook Marketplace is full of cross-country gear, and most of the local clubs sell off rental equipment in the fall.
“You don’t need to spend a lot of money,” Adams said. “A lot of the thrift stores have cross-country skis, and I’m still seeing a lot of three-pin bindings on the trails. Those things are from the ‘60s and they’re still out there.”
How do I know if I need to wax the skis?
Cross-country skis these days can be waxable
, waxless with a fish scale pattern or have “skins” attached to the bottom for grip.
With waxable skis, the right wax combo can be tricky to nail, as it depends on the air temperature, snow temperature and type of snow. Grip wax applied to a stretch under your feet helps you climb, while glide wax ensures a smooth forward motion.
Waxless skis simplify the process but, as Holloway notes, it doesn’t mean you don’t wax at all; it means you wax less. Glide wax is still required.
Skin skis have a strip of Velcro-like material on the kick zone under your feet, but they also benefit from a seasonal application of glide wax, either in spray form or the hot-wax treatment at a ski shop.
What do I wear for cross-country skiing?
This is not the time to flaunt your puffiest parka because it will make you sweat. Instead, you want to dress in layers, starting with a perspiration-wicking base layer. Add a mid-layer fleece for warmth and a light jacket to break the wind. The wind is often strong along the river; less so in the forests of Gatineau Park.
If it’s your first time on skis, you are likely to fall, so a pair of light nylon pants over warm leggings works well to ward off the snow.
Add a hat, neck gaiter, mitts and warm socks, plus a small pack to carry a bottle of water and an extra layer. Holloway likes to have a vest, too. “It keeps my core warm but doesn’t add bulk to the arms,” she said. “I wear a vest all the time.”
Whatever you do, don’t wear cotton, she cautioned. “No cotton sweatpants, no cotton on your feet, no cotton on your body,” she said, “because when you sweat, it just freezes and it’s not comfortable. Any of those breathable, quick-dry fabrics are good.”
What’s the proper technique for cross-country skiing?
Most new skiers tend to do a slow shuffle along the trail. Instead, bend your knees and lean into the forward motion to find a rhythm that synchronizes your right pole with your left ski, and vice versa. Practise at home by standing on one foot.
“Cross-country is all about balance,” said Holloway. “The objective is to learn how to shift your weight from one ski to the other.”
You can learn more about how to find your stride by taking lessons or watching how-to YouTube videos. Holloway recommends the YouTube channel of Canadian ski instructor Keith Nicol, a.k.a.
@k2nicol
.
Additionally, the City of Ottawa offers lessons for all ages and abilities at the Mooney’s Bay Ski Centre, part of the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Ski rentals are also available.
Is there a good way to introduce kids to cross-country skiing?
Holloway’s main piece of advice for families is to make it fun. Don’t try to go too far, bring other kids and stop before they get too tired or cold.
Playing games on skis is a great way to entice them, she added. Tag, snow soccer and towing each other around are some of the games she uses in her lessons. Bring a ball.
And, of course, Holloway says it’s important to throw in some enticement: “Make sure that there’s hot chocolate and treats at the end,” she said.
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