General

Great skiing, grooming equipment challenges: it has been an exceptional start to the season, for a variety of reasons.

The good news: the skiing at Glebe Park has been exceptional for this early in the season, and for this amount of snow. Thanks to the trail work done, with the generous support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, several kilometers of trails are in mid-winter condition complete with deep, firm trackset. Other trail have been fair skiing, which is exceptional for the first week of December. Many of you have been out enjoying the trails, and the high school team has had the opportunity to get in several early-season practices. Yea!

The bad news: we are experiencing an incredibly frustrating series of breakdowns with our grooming equipment. Couple that with machines that have been sitting at repair facilities since last April, waiting for unavailable parts, and we have the perfect storm of machinery breakdown. We are working daily, often by the hour, to try and remedy this situation. We hope to be back to full grooming capacity by the end of this week.

Due to a lack of working machines, we have not been able to groom at Twin Lakes yet this season. We know you are excited to get on those trails, and thank you for your patience.

Thanks for your understanding through all of this. Get out and ski at Glebe; it’s amazing. Keep your fingers crossed that the machinery gremlins find someone else to play with in the near future.

We have an opportunity for skiers to order Haliburton Nordic branded ski clothing from the same company that produced our last set of clothing. Clothing and prices can be viewed here

A few details:

• All clothing orders will be taken and paid for through the link. Orders must be prepaid
• There is a minimum of 5 pieces in total for any one item – jacket, toque – to be produced. If you place an order, and the minimum is not met, you will be issued a refund by Paragon
• Samples of the clothing will be available to view and try on at the AGM on Nov 15. Samples will be available from 9 – 12.

The day’s schedule will be:

• 9-10 AM: HHNTA annual AGM
• 10-12 AM: ski swap
• 10-12 AM: get your skis waxed by the High School team
• 10-12 AM: Pickup Jackrabbit rental skis
• 10:30: Official opening and tour of Trillium Trail work

Please join us for the AGM, to hear about recent developments and to discuss the direction of HHNTA. We are meeting early this year to allow plenty of time for other activities.

Ski swap: as in past years, this is a completely self-service swap. Bring the gear you are looking to sell, clearly priced please. All transactions are between the seller and any interested buyers. Our volunteers take no responsibility for sales.

Ski waxing: once again the high-school team will be there to get your skis waxed and ready for the upcoming season. Payment is by donation.

Rental ski pickup: only for those folks that have already registered and reserved rental equipment.

Haliburton Nordic Development Team 2025/26

What:

The Haliburton Nordic Development Team (HNDT) is a program for youth wanting to pursue nordic skiing at a higher level than that offered by Jackrabbits/Track Attack. The program is intended for graduates of Track Attack, but keen skiers in level 3 and 4 are also encouraged to apply.  Minimum age is 9 years. Note: we will be developing both classic and skate techniques.

Why:  

To offer a program to further develop nordic skiing skills for youth in the Haliburton Highlands.  We will introduce concepts of training, ski waxing, and offer some race opportunities to increase exposure to nordic ski racing.  This program is separate from, but will collaborate with the Jackrabbit/Track Attack programs when appropriate.

Participants in the program will be well prepared to:

• • Pursue racing at the High School level
  • Volunteer with the Jack Rabbit Junior Instructors Program
  • Pursue higher level racing in the Ontario Cup circuit 
  • Pursue future ski adventures with friends and family

When:  

• Wednesday 4:30pm-6:00pm, and Saturdays 1:30pm-3:00pm  at Glebe Park
• Start date –  Wednesday December 10
• End date – When the trails are no longer skiable – typically early March
• Race and training camp – dates tbd

Equipment checklist:

• Skate skis, boots and poles.  
• Classic skis boots and poles – classic skis should fit the skier’s weight and be waxable. 
• Skin skis may be acceptable if appropriately fitted.

Note: The ski club has a limited supply of rentals,  especially classic skis. If appropriate rental equipment is not available, be prepared to purchase your own equipment. To explore club rental options – contact Annalee Winter or Kristy Waito via jackrabbitrentalshaliburton@gmail.com

• Optional but recommended: a second set of older skate and classic “rock skis”
• Optional but recommended: a few grip waxes, plastic scraper and a cork – Swix sells in a small kit with all of this included
• Drink belt –  allows skiers to carry water while on the trails
• Wristwatch
• Running shoes – for dryland practice when conditions are poor
• Wool/polypro baselayers/long underwear 
• Lighter-weight ski jackets and pants (”warm-ups”)
• Gloves and hats to match the conditions
• Buff/balaclava 
• Warm jacket/hat/gloves for inactive periods.

Coaching Team:

Brian Suke, Ian Ritchie, Jason Ward 

Costs:

• $75 (+HST) registration fee
• HHNTA membership to ensure full access to local trail systems
• Cost of Equipment –  check out rental options (contact Annalee Winter or Kristy Waito via jackrabbitrentalshaliburton@gmail.com) but be prepared to purchase equipment if necessary. Note: We have kept the cost of the program low with the understanding that some families may need to purchase some equipment and that this can be expensive. 
• (Optional) -Costs of Races –registration fees/travel
• Team clothes – TBD

Interested?

• Email Brian Suke at briansuke@gmail.com with the subject line of ‘Interested in Development Team’ to learn next steps.
• Please email as soon as possible to learn more.  Registration for this program ends December 1st. 
• Parent helpers.  To make this program thrive and be sustainable we welcome parent helpers to join us for practices, and to help with travel logistics/race day planning.  

 

The Haliburton Highlands Nordic Trails Association would like to thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) for awarding us a grant of $105,700. This is part of OTF’s capitol improvement fund and has been allocated to “climate proof” approximately 4 kms of our ski trails. This involves:

• Grading and smoothing trails
• Improving drainage
• Adding gravel to further smooth and harden the trails

The goal of this work is to make the target trails skiable with a smaller amount of snow, and to reduce the impact of significant weather events – thaws and unseasonable rains – on our trails. The trails affected by this work are highlighted in blue on the map below. Those trails include

• The main loop up to and returning from the Peter Rabbit trail
• The Peter Rabbit Trail
• The upper part of the Rollercoaster trail

Glebe Park Trail Closure map

To accomplish this work, the trails in question will be closed for a period from mid-October until the end of October. Several pieces of heavy equipment will be on the trails on a daily basis. For safety reasons, we ask that the public stay attentive and obey any warning signs that may be present in the park.

Do you have a youth in your family that would like to increase their commitment to nordic skiing? The new Haliburton Nordic Development Team is a Fall to Spring training, racing, and volunteering program designed to help skiers develop a life-long interest in nordic skiing. Find the full details here.

We are blessed to have had XC trails declared an essential service during the current lockdown. We all need to get outside and get moving to stay mentally and physically healthy during this time. Help us stay open by obseverving a few basic protocols when visiting one of our 3 trail systems.

• Stay distanced. It’s easy to do on skis. Stay at least 2 pole lengths apart, especially when you are breathing hard.
• Don’t gather. Please don’t ski in large groups, or stop on the trails for a visit or a picnic.
• Ski, then go home. We love to see you out on the trails, but the parking lots and trails are crowded. Get your ski in, then head home to free up space for other folks.

Observe these few simple protocols and we can ski right through the lockdown. If you have questions or concerns about skiing during the lockdown do not hesitate to contact us at info@skihaliburton.com

2019-2020_CANSI_XC_Courses

Kick off the 2019/2020 season at the annual Ski Swap/AGM

Nov 16

Fleming College

9 AM (start of ski swap)-11 AM

This is a great time to meet other skiers, get a good deal on some used equipment, and have input into the direction of the HHNTA.

The ski swap is an informal affair; if you have used equipment that you would like to sell or give away, bring it to Fleming before 9 and set it up in the room provided. All sales are between individuals. HHNTA does not accept payment on your behalf

CCC is in the midst of rebranding, and wants to hear from their stakeholders. If you are a member of HHNTA, then that means you. Every year, a portion of your membership fees goes to support CCC.

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Today, we need your participation as we embark on the most important part of our revitalization – brand identity. Our brand is more than our logo. It identifies who we are as a community and communicates a common vision for the future. Our brand must align with our strategy and core values. It will force us to make decisions on where to focus.”

Cross Country Canada Rebranding Survey