This Winter There Is No Frozen Labyrinth For Skating At Éco-Odyssée

The activity has been a delight for skaters in the region – and even the province – for several winters. Unfortunately, the Éco-Odyssée water maze in Wakefield in the Outaouais will not be transformed into a large ice maze this season.

also read : An icy maze in the forest where you can ice skate this winter

The cause lies in a number of factors, including increasingly unsafe winters and the difficulty of maintaining such trails in a natural environment, as Olivier Rocheleau-Leclair, operations manager, explains:

“People who are used to ice skating have often criticized us because of the quality of the ice. Last winter was very complicated with bad conditions, either too much snowfall or too much rain. To turn it into an ice rink requires a fine balance between the two. Additionally, our labyrinth is a natural environment that is constantly in motion as water flows in and out of the area. We are only in our third year of operation. We still have a lot to learn about this area.”

However, Éco-Odyssée does not draw a definitive line on this activity and reserves the possibility of letting visitors skate on its icy canals in the forest.

“We will only open if the conditions are good, but we will not force anything,” says Olivier Rocheleau-Leclair, who has other projects in mind, notably an icy path and a large circle with lights and music.

And added: “In addition to skating, we also want to develop and test new activities, such as sliding in the snow.”

Éco-Odyssée is still open this winter

Even without skating, the site is accessible with other activities to try during the season, including 5km of trails dedicated exclusively to snowshoeing.

There is also the possibility of renting several accommodations to stay overnight in the surrounding hills and extend your vacation. Namely, two “glamping” type cabins (l’Évasion and l’Exode) and one “pod” type cabin.

As a reminder: in summer, Éco-Odyssée offers canoe, pedalo or SUP adventures in the middle of a swamp, in a veritable labyrinth of canals with 64 crossings.