Wax the skis, brush off the boots, and test out the snowshoes – Silver Spoon 2022 is about to start on Saturday, January 29.
The 50th Silver Spoon Ski (and Snowshoe) Fest will run for nine days until Sunday, February 6.
Join your fellow skiers and snowshoers in racking up kilometres for a good cause, on your own time, in this “virtual” Covid-safe event.
The Silver Spoon Committee pledges $0.50 per kilometre toward a local charity: the Four Seasons Conservancy, whose forested trails we’ve been enjoying for many years.
Everything you need to know is on the Silver Spoon website (search “Deep River Silver Spoon” or go to www.bright-ideas-software.com/silverspoon/), but here’s a summary.
The event is free of charge. The only requirements are that skiers must be current members of the Deep River Cross-Country Ski Club, and that snowshoers must sign a (one-time) waiver for the Four Seasons Conservancy.
The membership form and waiver can be accessed via www.drxc.ca.
To register (at any time until the last day), visit www.zone4.ca and search for “Silver Spoon”. You can sign up as individual skier, individual snowshoer, and/or team of four skiers.
We’ll use your email address for communicating and tracking. If you’d rather not go online, contact our registrar Kevin McDonald (kmcdonald11@yahoo.ca, 613-584-1287) with your information.
To log your kilometres, use either your own GPS or the maps and distance tables posted at www.drxc.ca/maps/. A few paper maps are available at the DRXC chalet.
After you sign up, we’ll email you a link to an easy Google Form submission page. On a daily basis, you can enter on that form (on the honour system) how many kilometres you did and which trails.
Skiers can aim for four levels of goals:
- Level 1: Silver Spoon ski loops D, R, X, C
- Level 2: same as Level 1, plus Silver Spoon ski loops M, S, B, H
- Level 3: same as Level 2, plus Acer, HSA, and Hawk ski trails at the Forestry
- Level 4: same as Level 3, plus Silver Spoon P loop, plus Bass Lake ski trail to the cabin, plus one other local backcountry ski trail.
Snowshoers can aim for:
- Level 1: all Four Seasons riverside snowshoe trails
- Level 2: same as Level 1, plus all Four Seasons southside snowshoe trails
- Level 3: same as Level 2, plus all Forestry snowshoe trails
- Level 4: same as Level 3, plus Bass Lakes snowshoe (BLISS) trail, plus one local snowshoe exploration.
To stay local, we’re tallying kilometres on any trail in the Ottawa Valley between Driftwood Provincial Park in the west and the Petawawa Research Forest in the east.
What about prizes? The big one will be bragging rights!
But we have a few fun categories in mind: best outfit, oldest equipment and/or clothing, best photo, and best story.
Questions about the event? Contact our chief Anne Murphy (amcmurf@gmail.com, 613-858-2123).
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