About Us
The Five Winds Backcountry Ski & Snowshoe Club is a four-season outdoor club for the Greater Toronto Area communities. We are non-profit, volunteer-run, and members-based. During the winter months, we enjoy cross-country skiing on marked, ungroomed wilderness trails, off-trail snowshoeing, and winter camping. Each Sunday, from January to the end of March, a luxury coach will take us to different areas of our trail system. During the spring, summer and fall, we enjoy activities such as hiking, backpacking, trail-clearing, and camping.
The club was founded in 1973 by a group of wilderness skiing enthusiasts from Toronto, who created the basis for the vast trail network we cherish and maintain to this day. That network is now around 200 kilometers long, between Gravenhurst and Georgian Bay, mostly in the Gibson River forests. The terrain includes breathtaking precambrian exposed rock ridges and vistas of lakes.
Our members cover a broad range of experience, skill and physical fitness and are very open in sharing their love of the Muskoka wilderness. Members that ski our trails are generally sufficiently comfortable in conditions without tracked or groomed trails.
Five Winds is a member of Cross-Country Ski Ontario, an organization that supports and promotes nordic skiing participation across the province.
Activities and Events In winter, we travel in small groups of 5-8 of similar abilities and speed, and navigate for the full day’s wilderness experience. As a backcountry club, many of our members seek out off the beaten track adventures, whether it's skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, or backpacking. We traverse ridges and cross creeks. If the snow is fresh, we’ll break our own trail. You may not come across another soul; or as in the case of our winter bus, may only see another group at the end of the day when waiting to be picked up by the bus. What to expect on your first ski or snowshoe day In the fall, we host workshops on various wilderness topics, including wilderness navigation, winter safety, and equipment. We also encourage our members to also get together and organize wilderness paddling and backpacking adventures. Events like these, whether as official club activities or not, are great for developing skills and confidence in Canada’s outdoors and creating bonds with each other and the land. |
Stewardship of the landWe at Five Winds view ourselves as stewards of the land that we enjoy. Our values emphasize environmental and ecological conservation and protection. We share a love of the land and the water, as well as a desire to preserve it for the enjoyment of future generations. Our members perform trail-clearing and maintenance when we are not in the skiing and snowshoeing season. |
Land Recognition
Members of Five Winds live throughout the land now known as Canada. We share a love of the land and the water, as well as a desire to preserve it for the enjoyment of future generations. We acknowledge all the past generations who have taken care of these gifts and the animals and plants they shared it with. We would like to specifically acknowledge the Wahta Mohawk First Nations for freely allowing our members passage through a portion of their land in the Muskoka district of Ontario.