2023 Event Details - Multi-Day Touring (Feb 11-19)

(Scroll down for ski loppet details)

Skiers and snowshoers are welcome to participate in the 51st Silver Spoon Ski (and Snowshoe) Fest, which will run from Saturday, February 11 (12:01 a.m.) to Sunday, February 19 (11:59 p.m.) – nine days.

Objective #1: ski and/or snowshoe as many kilometres as possible in nine days.
Objective #2: ski and/or snowshoe as many specific trails as possible in nine days.

The Silver Spoon Committee is pledging money (profits from past events) to a local charity in proportion to your kilometres: $0.50 / km up to a maximum of $5,000 total. The charity chosen for 2023 is the North Renfrew Family Services.

The event “courses” consist of any trail in the area bounded by Driftwood Provincial Park in the west and Petawawa Research Forest in the east. Examples are:

• Silver Spoon / Four Seasons trails
• Petawawa Research Forest trails
• Bass Lake trails
• CNL trails (for employees at CNL)
• Driftwood Provincial Park trails
• backcountry trails across from Deep River in Quebec

Maps and distances for both sking and snowshoeing can be found at http://drxc.ca/maps/. A few paper maps will be available at the DRXC chalet.
Kilometres travelled on other trails (e.g., at North Bay Nordic) will not be counted in the kilometre tally. This is to encourage people to discover our fantastic local trails and stick close to home.

To track your kilometres, you can use either your own GPS or the maps and distance tables posted at http://drxc.ca/maps/. Calculate your kilometres to the nearest 0.1 km.

Goals for skiers:
Level 1 (Tour): Silver Spoon ski loops D, R, X, C
Level 2 (Journey): same as Level 1, plus Silver Spoon ski loops M, S, B, H
Level 3 (Adventure): same as Level 2, plus Acer, HSA, and Hawk ski trails at the Forestry
Level 4 (Odyssey): same as Level 3, plus Silver Spoon P loop, plus Bass Lake ski trail to the cabin, plus one other local backcountry ski trail.
New in 2023
Level 4+ (Odyssey Plus): same as Level 4 plus participation in the ski loppet on February 19.

Goals for snowshoers:
Level 1 (Tour): all Four Seasons riverside snowshoe trails (Welsh Bay Route, Voyageur Boulder, Balmer Bay, and Soggyland Shortcut)
Level 2 (Journey): same as Level 1, plus all Four Seasons southside snowshoe trails (Marsh Ecology, Beech Hill, Cranberry Ramble, and Hidden Valley)
Level 3 (Adventure): same as Level 2, plus all Forestry snowshoe trails (about 9 km)
Level 4 (Odyssey): same as Level 3, plus Bass Lakes snowshoe (BLISS) trail, plus one local snowshoe exploration.

In the Team category, the 4 members of the team do not need to always ski together, but they must each achieve a level to claim that level as a team.

After you sign up (see Registration tab), we’ll email you a link to an easy Google Form submission page. On a daily basis, you can enter your kilometres and trails achieved there. The reporting is completely on the honour system.

You can submit as often as you like during the week, but ensure you only submit the km you ski one time. Every submission should only include NEW distance skied or snowshoed.

If you’d rather not go online, contact our registrar Kevin McDonald (kmcdonald11@yahoo.ca, 613-584-1287) with your sign-up and tracking information.

The biggest awards will be bragging rights! But we'll have Silver Spoon trinkets for:

• most km skied by an individual
• most km showshoed by an individual
• youngest skier
• youngest snowshoer

And we're looking for:

• best outfit
• best photo
• best story
• oldest equipment and/or clothing
• most km skiied by a team
• most km showshoed by a team

Submit your photo or story to Helena Rummens (rummensh@magma.ca) by Wednesday, February 22 at the latest.

Please bear in mind these very important safety precautions:

• Avoid skiing or snowshoeing alone. If you do go out alone, let someone know which trails you’ll be on and when you’ll be back.
• Always have a map with you, especially on backcountry trails. It’s very easy to get disoriented in the bush.
• Bring a cell phone (if you have one) and keep it warm. Be prepared to call 9-1-1 in case of a serious injury.
• Backcountry trails are remote and sometimes very difficult. Bring a backpack with at minimum extra clothing, food and water, first-aid kit, duct tape. Go slow and make conservative decisions.

We urge you to read the two-page DRXC Emergency Procedure.

2023 Event Details - Ski Loppet (Sunday, Feb 19)

Description

Skiers are also welcome to participate in fun races on Sunday, February 19 (the last day of the multi-day event), to be held on the DRXC Silver Spoon Trails. Races will start at 10:30 a.m.

Courses

The race courses will use all of the groomed Silver Spoon ski trails. Racers can enter the 5 km event, 10 km event, or 20 km event, in the category of Men/Boys or Women/Girls. The six races each have a mass start on the power line near the chalet.

5 km (freestyle): M loop (includes M extension)
10 km (freestyle): M, S, H and B loops
20 km (classic): M, S, H, B, D, R, X, and C loops

For the 5 km and 10 km races, classic or skating techniques (or a combination) can be used. For the 20 km race, only the classic technique is permitted.

Note that the 20 km course involves crossing Balmers Bay Road twice. Racers may need to remove their skis (a snow bridge may not be available).

Awards

Top finishers will receive a Silver Spoon memento according to placing.

Chili Lunch

A chili lunch and hot drinks will be available at the chalet from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This lunch is free of charge for all participants in the multi-day touring, all participants in the ski loppet, and all volunteers. Spectators (i.e., non-participants and non-volunteers) are requested to contribute to the donation jar in lieu of a payment for the meal. (All donations will go to North Renfrew Family Services.)