When it comes to outdoor skating, people who live in the Ottawa-Gatineau area have a lot of options.The entire length of the Rideau Canal opened last Friday, in all its glory, and there are also a number of outdoor rinks throughout the city and surrounding areas.On top of those offerings, there are skating trails close to downtown and further out, some that have been in operation for years, and others that just opened.One of the newest is Icelynd in Stittsville.It’s the creation of a partnership between former Ottawa Senator Chris Neil and several of his friends.”I enjoy being active,” he said.”Now that I’m done playing, I’m one of those guys that has to stay active and keep doing things.” He owns a property in Stittsville and decided to cut through the trees and create a skating trail, along with an outdoor rink.
He wanted to create a space for families and kids to be able to skate and play hockey.”Just being out, being active and, you know, especially with the way the world is, with the pandemic and stuff, and just be outdoors and be able to be active and doing stuff, that’s huge for these kids,” he said.”Not just for health reasons, but for their mental health as well.” Neil retired after 15 years in the National Hockey League in 2017 and said he’d been thinking about this idea since then.He said he doesn’t want hockey to be the only focus of the rink — he wants figure skaters practising there as well — but it is obviously a passion for him.”A lot of guys that when they’re done playing, some of them never put their skates on, and that’s sad to me,” he said.”I still play men’s league and I love the game.I really do.” In Lac des Loups, Que., about 60 kilometres northwest of Ottawa, three kilometres of trail weave through the forest of spruce trees created by owners Dave Mayer and his wife Monique Robert.
Skating in the Forest opened just after Christmas in 2016, and generally opens in early to mid-December running until mid-March, depending on the weather.Mayer said the pandemic has created more business for the trail because it offers something for people to enjoy.”There’s no place else to go, nothing else to do,” he said.”Can’t even go to a movie.” Mayer said when they were thinking up the idea, locals were the target clientele.
“We ended up attracting people from around the world,” he said, adding one of his most memorable entries in the guest book is a family from Australia that called the trail the highlight of their trip around the world.Countryside Adventures in Moose Creek, Ont., about 70 kilometres east of Ottawa, is in its fifth winter of operations after opening in 2017.The trail generally opens in mid-December and closes around mid-March depending on the weather.
Much like other trails, the pandemic has created more business as people look for safe outdoor activities to do while a lot of indoor alternatives are closed.”People are looking to do stuff outside,” said owner Nicolas Seguin.Countryside Adventures offers three kilometres of skating trails, three kilometres of snowshoeing trails and a tubing hill.There’s also a food truck on site.
The trail winds through an old growth apple orchard in Metcalfe, Ont., about 30 kilometres southeast of Ottawa.Owner and founder Trevor Jamieson said clients tell him the “relaxed” atmosphere and feel of the park set it apart.People can bring their dogs and play hockey on the trails.There are other activities, like cross-country skiing, hiking and sleigh rides, and he said this year he’s opening an ice skating park similar to a skateboarding park.Jamieson said the pandemic has changed the way he’s had to run the park, now in its fifth season, but it’s also increased business, a trend he doesn’t see dying off.
“I think it kind of has a permanent impact on how we like to live our lives,” he said.He said Ottawa and the surrounding area has a history of outdoor skating and other winter activities, and this just adds to the region’s repertoire.Little Penguin in Gatineau, Que., has five kilometres of skating trail built on the Touraine Golf Club.The owners of the golf course decided to open the skating trail in January 2021 and join other such trails in the area.The pandemic has also helped business here, but will it stand the test of time? “Ice skating is a great winter family activity and I am convinced that people will keep interest over time,” Carl Chénier, the trail’s president, said in an email..
