A Playground

Over on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, the city of Gatineau also hosts Winterlude activities. The main site here is Jacques Cartier Park, along the shore of the river. A large portion of the park is turned into a winter playground. At one of the entrances into the park stands a large sculpture of the legendary Montreal Canadiens hockey player Maurice "Rocket" Richard. With the angle of the statue's stance, the bulk of the weight is distributed through one skated foot and the stick. The sculptor had to plan this out carefully.

The park includes giant mounds of snow that form the basis for slides, along with sculptures and activity areas for beginners on skis. On weekends, a zipline is in use (I came on a weekday for less crowds and better chances at photography, so it wasn't open during this visit). This is one of the two mounds, with people in it for scale. The Ottawa shoreline is visible in the background.

There was a woodworker here last year as well, and I imagine this was the same one. While the man himself wasn't present, some of his works were to be seen.

Heading along the mound towards its lower end, I took shots of the Ottawa skyline, with Parliament, the Alexandra Bridge, and Nepean Point among the landmarks along the frozen river.

A smaller height of snow had been built up at the bottom end of the slide runs, where slide tubes are provided. This was advantageous for the photographer, or for parents watching their kids come down. The Canadian Museum of History, with its familiar curved architecture, can be seen in the background at the left in these shots, as well as tomorrow's post, where I'll pick up with more of this.