At the doorstep of the national capital: The Gatineau Loppet 2024
The Gatineau Loppet 2024 is Canada’s biggest international cross-country ski event and welcomes close to 2,500 worldwide skiers every year – with close to 1 in 5 participants coming from outside of Canada – during one of the weekends in February in Gatineau Park. Multiple events are organized, all varying in distance – 2 to 100 km! – and technique (classical or free), allowing for every cross-country skiing lover to find a fitting challenge.
What to do at the Gatineau Loppet 2024?
The Gatineau Loppet is the only race to take place at the doorstep of a national capital, allowing skiers to enjoy tourist attractions during their stay, such as the biggest Canadian museums, the Rideau Canal – which has been classified as National Heritage by UNESCO – or the incredible ByWhat Market for a gastronomic experience skiers wouldn’t want to miss. Find more information and great ideas for your trip to Gatineau Loppet on Tourisme Outaouais’s website.
If you wish to extend your stay, you can enjoy more than 200 km of waymarked trails in the Gatineau Park, ideal to explore in cross-country ski, snowshoe or fat bike.
And nothing marks the end of a competition quite like a nice relaxing moment to get some rest. Nordik-SPA Nature is the ideal place for that. As the biggest spa in North America, Nordik-SPA Nature offers an exceptional relaxing experience, perfect for a post marathon relaxing session.
In 2022 Gunnar had visited the Gatineau Loppet. Check out, what he has experienced there:
Gatineau Loppet 2024’s spokespeople
The Gatineau Loppet, the Worldloppet event in Canada, is happy to be able to rely on Canadian cross-country skiers Cendrine Brown and Brittany J. Webster, former members of the Canadian Olympic Team, as their spokespeople for its 46th edition taking place on February 16 to 18, 2024. These two athletes are proud to be ambassadors for the Gatineau Loppet, an event that’s dear to their heart, to which they have participated numerous times.
Cendrine Brown
In December 2012, Brown is invited to join the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Quebec City before stepping on her first ever podium at the North American Cup. Subsequently, she enters the 2013 Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Liberec and ranks 15th in the free 5-kilometer race. In 2015, in Thunder Bay, she wins her first national title for the free 30-kilometer race. During the 2015-2016 season, she ends up second in the North American Cup’s overall ranking, having won four rounds. At the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, Cendrine Brown executed the best performance in Canadian history, ranking 16th in the 30-kilometer race.
Having now retired, she launched, alongside her teammate Laura Leclair, a training program for young female cross-country skiers, called Féminaction.
Brittany Webster
Brittany Webster was elected to the Canadian Olympic Team for Vancouver 2010, although she didn’t participate to all the Olympics’ home events.
Webster participated in a few World Cup competitions, but these past few years, she mainly competed in the Nor Am Cup. She participated in the 2006 and 2007 Junior World Championships, scoring her personal best score of 6th place in the 10-kilometer pursuit race in 2007. Subsequently, she entered the World Championships for athletes under 23 in 2009 and 2010. Her best score was a 5th place in the 2010 classic 10-kilometer race.
The Gatineau Loppet team is elated to be able to rely on these two talented women who honoured their sport throughout their career.
The Cross-Country Ski Show’s grand return at Mont-Bleu Highschool
This 2024 edition marks the return of the Gatineau Loppet’s general quarters at Mont-Bleu Highschool. Located on Gatineau Park’s border, close to the arrival and departure zones, Mont-Bleu Highschool remains the site of predilection for the Gatineau Loppet. The return of the event on this site will not only simplify the skiers’ logistics, but it will also allow for a warm atmosphere and stimulating exchange amongst participants.
It’s the perfect occasion to discover this year’s bigger than ever Cross-Country Ski Show, counting more than 20 exhibitioners! This is a date skiers won’t want to miss. It’s the unique occasion to discover every novelty and the biggest brand’s newest innovations, as well as a great opportunity to try on the gear on display and get great deals.
Free and accessible to everyone during the Gatineau Loppet’s 3-day event:
- Friday, February 16, 2024 from 5 pm to 9 pm
- Saturday, February 16, 2024 from 7 am to 4 pm
- Sunday, February 18, 2024 from 7 am to 4 pm
2023’s Gatineau Loppet in pictures
