February 5, 2006 – Here is the latest from CSM:

Don MacLeod, a Man with an Idea!

In 1966 Canadians were asked to do something special to celebrate Canada’s centennial. Don MacLeod thought it would be fun to ski from Montreal to Ottawa over three days in February. He managed to round up 400 other keen skiers to join him and the rest is history!
Don MacLeod now resides in New Zealand but he made a promise to himself to return for the 40th edition of the event and he can’t wait to meet all the CSM supporters. Be sure to say hello to Don when you see him on the trail, he will be wearing bib #1.

Like last year, the Coureurs des Bois Gold skiers must ski an additonal 5km in section 5 on Sunday February 12 to detour around some logging activity. This section will now be 20km for the Coureurs des Bois Gold.

The significant trail change comes in section 8 (checkpoint 9). Checkpoint 9 is now located at the ballpark in Mayo as the CSM trail is no longer permitted to pass through the La Blanche Forest which is now an ecological reserve. The trail has been rerouted and now passes for 8 km through some farmland and then follows forestry roads owned by Lauzon, a hardwood flooring company that is one of our sponsors, and gradually descends from a plateau to the village of St-Sixte.

Skiers Wanted!

We do not have enough skiers to beat our 20 year record of 2250 participants. Please tell your friends, co-workers and family about the CSM and encourage them to join us!
Registration deadline is February 7, 2006.
Register online at: www.csm-mcs.com.

Trail Conditions are Looking Good!
The Bombardier groomer has packed the snow along the full length of the CSM trail filling in the holes, leveling the trail thereby creating a solid ase. We are optimistic that the trail will be in great shape for the 40b th edition of the CSM.

CSM Ski Show
The first annual CSM Ski Show and Marketplace will be held at Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello on Saturday February 11 from 11am to 7:30 pm. Come by after your ski and check out the show which will include a special exhibit of 40 years of CSM memorabilia from the Canadian Ski Museum archives. Collect your free copy of SkiTrax magazine, buy your CSM merchandise and visit booths from Lixar, Camp Fortune Aerial Park and the Weekend to End Brest Cancer.