OSC Commemoration Projects

As reported before, the Canadian Ski Museum and the Camp Fortune Ski Club are celebrating 100 years since the founding of the Ottawa Ski Club with an event October 23. To complement that celebration I have undertaken a few initiatives that I hope will leave a bit of a legacy of the anniversary. I’m reaching out to a number of groups for their support in this.

When the 100th anniversary is a thing of the past I want us to have the following 3 things to remind us:

• A commemorative map of old Gatineau ski trails
• The monument to Charles E Mortureux restored
• The return of historic trail names to old ski trails

UPDATE: Maps now available for sale here.

With respect to the map I have been in touch with the National Research Council who in 1967 produced an “Experimental Orthophoto Map of Camp Fortune Skiing Area of Gatineau Park” and the NRC has given permission for this map to be reproduced for commemorative purposes. I’ve now begun talking with the Canadian Ski Museum about how to make this happen.

I have talked with Gatineau Park managers and it is my understanding that the monument to Charles Mortureux is to be restored. Mortureux was OSC president from 1919 to 1947 and the man who brought the OSC to the Gatineau Hills by buying a piece of land at Camp Fortune. I hope to get the NCC to officially confirm this restoration is taking place, and tie the event to the centenary.

I’ve also talked to Park managers about bringing back some of the historic trail names. This is consistent with existing practice in that numerous trails are posted with names as well as numbers (for example, Skyline, Western, Huron, Wolf, etc.).  NCC personnel have told me there is no overt barrier to the idea and I hope that they will officially announce the resurrection of trail names also as a centenary initiative. In talking with skiers this initiative strikes me as one that would meet with much popular support.

To date I’ve gotten positive feedback from the leaders of the following groups about these initiatives although not all have confirmed their support with their boards of directors.

• Alpine Club of Canada – Ottawa Section
• Camp Fortune Ski Club
  
• Canadian Ski Museum
  
• Gatineau Valley Historical Society
• Kanata Nordic Ski Club
• Michael McGoldrick’s XC Ski Website
• National Capital Ski Club
• Orleans Nordic Ski Club
  
• RASki
• XC Ottawa
• XCZone

I’ve yet to hear back from several others.