Camp Fortune - April 1, 2024

A season with plenty of ups and downs, every weekend being a bit unsure, yet somehow the weather cooperated just enough to give us some great skiing. Camp Fortune launched its season on November 30th, the first to open in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, and yours truly was present. Today, April 1st, Camp Fortune is still open and in fact, the last still operating in the region with Skyline. I know I sound like a broken record, but after what I can't even begin to estimate as weeks or months of seeing no snow on the ground at home, the ski slopes surprisingly have plenty left, and the trails, now numbering 5 in total, were open nearly full width all over. Sure there were some bare spots, a few thin areas, and some exposed rocks, but nothing that could not easily be avoided.

I arrived just before opening and started my day at 9am on the chairlift. Conditions at this time of year are always more winter-like at the start of the day, thanks to grooming and a lower temperature. I started on Bud Clark, which was quite fast and enjoyable. After warming up, it was time to face Heggtveit. 3 runs back to back on this impressive wall. It is quite an enjoyable trail to experience. The top half is seemingly steeper than the lower half, or at least, that is the illusion created by the ever-increasing pitch that obscures seeing the slope farther ahead. Once you reach the mid-point, the main wall comes into view, which quickly drops you down by the base of the chairlift. A complete rush is guaranteed.

After this, it was time to enjoy the other trails on the menu, namely Canadian, and Sparks. (I did not ski Chute during this visit).

As the morning progressed, the nicely groomed slopes softened out with the sun and rising temperatures. While I departed before lunch, pictures on Camp Fortune's Instagram showed a nice pond had formed at the base, so clearly the snow softened quite a lot over the course of the day.

Great atmosphere, blue skies, and nice enjoyable trails for all tastes and skill levels... you couldn't ask for more.

The big question is... will Camp Fortune reopen next weekend? Only time will tell and ultimately depends on the weather. With some rain, and a possible small snowfall mid-week, mixed with mild weather... I am not too optimistic. Still, the snowpack was quite impressive and some crafty snow grooming could make it possible.

In any case, if today was indeed the final day, I can look back with fond memories on the season. November 30th to April 1st with the poor mild weather received, is nothing short of impressive. Hats off to the entire Camp Fortune team for a great season under extremely challenging conditions.

Here are some pics from today's visit!