Article by Will Goddard, December 1997
Looking out the window as my flight approached Halifax, I was skeptical. From what I could see in the early evening light, there just didn’t seem to be much snow around. Then it started raining.
“Don’t worry about it” my friend Minto said, as we drove along wet streets into the outskirts of Halifax,”there’s going to be plenty of snow in Cape Breton. It’s a different climate up there, and the skiing is definitely going to rule. You’ll see”
The next morning my skepticism about Maritime skiing returned as we drove towards Cape Breton. We found out there wasn’t much in the way of groomed or tracked trails around Baddeck–however the proprietor of the Outdoor Store suggested we try Tuonela, a cross-country/telemark area at Goose Cove.
Tuonela? Skiing friends in Cape Breton had mentioned this private ski area with a Finnish name run by some telemarking junkies.
We arrived at Tuonela with our tele boards. After several hours cranking turns in the powder & trees, my sore ski legs couldn’t take any more fun. A fitting way to end our Cape Breton Ski trip, I figured, as I thought back on the great skiing we’d had the last few days. I took a last look around and said to myself, “IT DOESN’T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS.” Go skiing on Cape Breton and you’ll see what I mean.
December 1997 TRAK Magazine
