Tay Valley Cross Country Ski Club

The trees were planted at Lombardy Public School on May 5th, as the first initiative of the ski club Green / Eco fund to help offset the carbon released by fuel used for trail grooming.  One hundred and fifty trees were purchased from Ferguson Forest Nursery and planted by students to provide shade trees and habitat along the barren fence line surrounding the school playground.   

If you have suggestions for future initiatives or if your kids’ school is interested in trees for student playgrounds, please let us know at tvccsc.president@gmail.com.

 As spring slowly takes hold, the club wants to know how your ski season went. Every year, at the end of the season, we send out a survey to hear what you think about the club and the ski trails, grooming, programs, etc. 

Please take a few minutes to answer the following survey before Friday, April 14th: TVCCSC Wrap-Up Survey

Richard Brousseau and Kim Fournier have topped the charts! Richard skied a jaw-dropping 1012kms this season to claim the top spot on our Kilometre Challenge. Second place and Top Female goes to Kim Fournier who skied a remarkable 773kms! CONGRATULATIONS!

Watch this space for photos of the two champs holding their club trophies.

That’s it for Murphys Point Provincial Park for the 2022-2023 winter season. The park is now officially closed. Skiers can ski at their own risk until the trails are impassable and the gates can be closed (they’re snowed in).

The park website indicates that trails are closed. No trail conditions will be listed.

Please note that our club’s distance challenge is still open until next Sunday. You can ski anywhere you like and record the distance HERE.

And finally, since the season has officially ended, the free shuttle from Perth to Murphys is no longer running. Many thanks to Lanark Transportation for a productive partnership!

For the latest trail conditions at Murphys Point, you can consult the ski club’s Facebook page. Our groomers update the conditions and let skiers know if they have groomed. You can also check out the Ontario Parks Snow Report page for any of the parks that are open for snow sports.

The constant temperature swings we have been experiencing are challenging for our groomers, so be sure to check out the latest conditions before heading out.

Also, don’t forget the Ski Club and Lanark Transportation have teamed up to provide FREE transportation between Perth and Murphys Point every Saturday! Check it all out here.

Despite the yo-yo temperature swings our groomers have kept the trails in great shape. Go out and enjoy them while you can!

Sadly, with the rain and freezing rain, followed by a quick freeze, we do not feel that we can get the access routes and race trails safe for Saturday morning. Therefore, the Tay Valley Loppet is CANCELLED for 2023.

A number of the event organizers skied last night and the trails were incredibly fast and hard packed.  Our grooming team have been out this morning trying to prepare as well as they can but the additional rain and freezing rain and freezing temperatures Friday evening will be more than we can handle in one night.

We will work on a refund method for the race fees and parking pass registration costs and we will let you know what options we have available.

We waited as long as we could to make this decision and we apologize to those who registered in the last day and this morning. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

We would like to thank our generous sponsors and all those who registered in advance and hope that all of you can join us next year.

Drew & Brent 
President & Loppet Coodinator
Tay Valley Cross Country Ski Club

Just a reminder that the TVCCSC Loppet will be held on February 11th 2023 and we are looking for volunteers. Email us at tvccsc.president@gmail.com.

As well, Renfrew County is hosting the Ontario Winter Games in communities throughout the Valley over the course of two weekends in February (Feb 2-5 and Feb 9-12).

Here is a note from the Ontario Winter Games organizers:
We are so pleased to be working in partnership with Cross Country Ski Ontario and Biathlon Ontario to host these games for youth athletes from all over Ontario. These games are 100% volunteer run and we are proud to showcase our communities, venues, and talent to deliver what we hope will be #thebestgamesever.

• Cross-Country/Para Cross-Country Skiing will be held on Feb 10th and Feb 11th at Ma-te-way Park in Renfrew, Ontario.
• Biathlon will be held on Feb. 10th and 11th at the Calabogie Highlands Golf Course in Calabogie, ON.

As neither of the host communities for either Cross Country/Para Cross Country Skiing or Biathlon have a local club, we are reaching out to clubs from around the area to assist us to fill the considerable volunteer roles both Provincial Sport Organizations have requested in order to run the events. Specifically, we are looking for both on-course and start/finish line volunteers in a number of areas.

To register as a volunteer, please go to: www.renfrewcounty2023.ca/volunteer. Once registered, search “Opportunities” to search available shifts. There are lots available!

Registration is now open for the 2023 Tay Valley Loppet. Go to our online registration page at Zone 4 to sign up. Check out our Loppet page for all the information you will need.

Lower your carbon footprint, enjoy a stress-free commute to the park, and meet other skiers by doing the “Ski Bus Shuffle Shuttle”.

The free shuttle bus ferrying skiers from Perth to Murphys Point Provincial Park will run again this Saturday, January 21st. There are several pick up locations in town. Check out our Shuttle page for all the details.