Temperatures well above normal for the season make a large number of ice rinks and cross-country ski trails impassable, to the chagrin of many families looking for winter activities one week before the end of school holidays.

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“It’s hard to find things to do outside. We usually do cross-country skiing, but there's no snow," says Alexandra Rodriguez, who considered the options before deciding to come and walk on Mount Royal with her 9-year-old daughter, Celeste. .

"We wanted to slide, but it won't be possible," sighs a little further Ana Calderon, towards the ice rink with her husband, her six-year-old daughter and her dog.

After three days of watching movies at home, the family decided to get outside for some fresh air despite the gray weather and the half-icy trails.

Refrigerated, the Beaver Lake skating rink was one of the only ones open in the metropolis on Monday, along with those of the Old Port and the Tranquille esplanade, in the Quartier des spectacles.

As for cross-country ski trails, they were impassable in all Montreal parks. The most determined had to travel to Val-David, in the Laurentians, to find a place to practice their favorite sport.

At the mercy of Mother Nature

Cross-country skiing enthusiasts were not better served in Quebec.

“We are always at the mercy of Mother Nature. Need new snow to make the trails. There, it's really an icy bottom, ”laments Pascal Raymond, general manager of the Faune Group and the Sainte-Foy outdoor base.

He points out that hiking and disc golf are possible despite the weather and that the base plans to start kicksledding and ice fishing shortly.

For its part, the Domaine-Vert regional park, in the Lower Laurentians, has been completely closed since Friday.

"Even the walking tracks we closed them because it's too soft and it makes holes," explains general manager Sébastien Lalonde.

In office for 12 years, he claims never to have had to close the park for such a long period at the start of the season.

" It's too dangerous. We are in a situation where we cannot pass with the maintenance equipment, otherwise we will crush the bottom of snow that we have left, ”adds the president of the Association of regional parks of Quebec, Stéphane Michaud.

The ski resorts are ready

If the whims of Mother Nature forced the closure of some alpine ski resorts on January 31 and 1, most were welcoming skiers back on Monday.

“We always have mild spells, whether at the start, in the middle or at the end of the season. The resorts are used to it and are well equipped with snow cannons,” says Josée Cusson, director of communications and marketing at the Association des stations de ski du Québec.

She hopes that the colder temperatures announced on Thursday will allow the ski area to increase even more.