NORRIS POINT, N.L. — Heather Smith-Shave likes all seasons, but winter is pretty special.
“It’s a very calming experience to be out in nature,” said the Norris Point resident.
Every day in fine weather, you’ll find Smith-Shave on the cross-country ski trails around the visitor centre in Gros Morne National Park.
She's attracted to many things on her travels.
“I think it’s the fresh air,” she said.
But there’s more.
“I love seeing all the tracks from the animals when I’m skiing,” she said, adding she sometimes spots a snowshoe hare.
Smith-Shave and her husband, Gene Shave, are members of the newly formed Tuckamore Ski and Snowshoe Club. It utilizes the trails of Gros Morne National Park.
“We love to hike the trails in the park in the summertime, and in the fall and spring, but in the winter, it is a different view that you get.”
Smith-Shave is a retired home-economics teacher who taught 40 years ago at Holland’s Memorial in Norris Point.
Originally from Dartmouth, N.S., Norris Point is where she met her husband, who is originally from Burin.
The couple retired back to Norris Point in 2013 and her husband still works as a guidance counsellor at Gros Morne Academy in Rocky Harbour and Long Range Academy in Cow Head.
“It’s a combination of the beauty of the park and it’s also about the wonderful people that we met here when we first came, and they haven’t changed a bit,” said Smith-Shave of what made them return.
The couple got involved in the Tuckamore Club after it formed in January.
“I just want to support them in any way I can,” she said.
Gros Morne National Park’s ski trails
- There are almost 11-kilometres of ski trails around the visitor centre in Gros Morne National Park.
- The four trails are all interconnected, giving users the option of longer and shorter routes.
- The terrain is good for new users, fairly gentle with some challenging areas.
- Trails are groomed on a regular basis.
- The park also has a trail from Wigwam to Stuckless Pond and one in Shallow Bay that are groomed as conditions allow.
Source: Gros Morne National Park
At 63, Smith-Shave sees a lot of benefits in skiing.
“It’s a good workout for one thing. It’s good for my muscles, good for my balance. And you don’t feel like you’re actually working out.”
Years ago, they would ski in any suitable spot and now feel spoiled with the wonderful trail grooming the park does.
She encourages more people to join the club and enjoy the outdoors.
“It’s a fantastic place here in the winter.”
The club, which officially formed on Jan. 28, was started by Natalie Thomas and Meigan Aspin.
Thomas is the vice-president of the board.
"It’s a positive way to enjoy winter and meet people in your community and be active together …"
She and Aspin are “transplants” to the area — Thomas is from Nova Scotia and Aspin is from Prince Edward Island. They saw beauty and potential in the park's trails.
“We kind of really appreciated what was there and thought how wonderful it would be to have some sort of organized network of people who enjoy cross-country skiing and enjoy the outdoors.”
In her 10 years on the west coast, Thomas has skied at the Whaleback Nordic Ski Club in Stephenville and Blow Me Down Trails in Corner Brook. It’s at those clubs where she saw the real community that exists among skiers.
Along with Aspin, she felt there was an opportunity with the trails to build something in Gros Morne.
“I feel like winter can be so long, it’s good to have an outlet. It’s a positive way to enjoy winter and meet people in your community and be active together and healthy,” she said.
In early 2019, Thomas and Aspin applied for a provincial Community Healthy Living Grant. Even without funding, they went ahead and held 10 Nordic nights from January to March, just to promote and gain interest in skiing and snowshoeing.
They were able to partner with the park and Western Health on the project and used the visitor centre as a hub.
When they got approved for a grant, they decided to use it to start the club this year.
“Our goal was, if we could build enough people and enough interest, we hoped we would get a club out of it.”
And they’ve quickly accomplished that.
A season opener saw 75 people turn out. From that, they gathered names of potential members.
In December, they got a bit more organized and on Jan. 28 the Tuckamore Ski and Snowshoe Club held its first official meeting.
It now has over 60 members of all ages.
Thomas said the focus is on capacity building, with membership centred around funding trails programming. Skiers just need a park pass to use the trails.
They’ve held and have plans for some backcountry family days — with a ski and boilup in the woods, along with fun days for kids and ski clinics.
They’re also training coaches to start offering jackrabbit and bunny rabbit programs for children next year.
Local club members are part of Cross Country Newfoundland and Labrador so young members can take part in kids’ events at other clubs. It also gives them membership in Cross Country Canada.
“For us, it’s about trying to support visitors and local users in accessing the park year-round to the best of our ability.”
Carla Wheaton is the visitor experience manager with Gros Morne National Park.
The trails were built in the 1990s in partnership with the Gros Morne Co-operating Association and have been groomed consistently by the park for a number of years.
Back in the early days, said Wheaton, the trails saw a fair number of users, but interest waned.
“The crop of people who were into skiing at that time, their kids grew up and got older. And now there seems to be a new crop of young families in the area who have renewed interest in skiing.”
The park plans to put trail counters in place to get a better idea of the numbers now using the trails since the club formed.
“For us, it’s about trying to support visitors and local users in accessing the park year-round to the best of our ability.”
In part because National Parks are there for Canadians’ use and enjoyment, but also because it promotes healthy active living.
Wheaton said the availability of these activities marries well with the park's “Healthy Parks, Healthy People,” initiative launched last year with Western Health.
She said winter can be more challenging for people to get out and be active in nature.
“These ski trails really offer quite accessible opportunity for people to get out in winter.”
