Ski Martock

This is the hill that I grew up on/​made my first tentative snowploughs/​decided whether I was going to be a boarder or a skier.
At that time, it was great. Because it truly is a community. They have really encouraging and friendly instructors. And the hills are beginner-​friendly — they aren’t especially challenging. Also, the cabin is perfectly located for parents to cheer/​mock the kids as they ski down.
Now, we return more so for nostalgia purposes. Half a day and we’re bored. On a good day, only six runs will be open. And they exaggerate the intensity of the trails (i.e. a blue here would probably be a green-​blue elsewhere and a black here is closer to a blue).
Perfect place for a beginner or for some family time. But I wouldn’t travel to come here. And certainly not worth your time if you enjoy blacks and double blacks.

I hadn’t visited Martock for a few years, as I am not especially interested in winter sports, but it seemed like the place to go after the large load of snow NS recently received. I’m not a fan of downhill skiing so my boyfriend and I decided to give cross country a shot. I’d tried cross country before and enjoyed it a great deal — fantastic exercise and the chance to enjoy the stillness of the snow-​covered forests.
I was very disappointed with my Martock experience. Here’s why:
— Most of the employees weren’t sure of the details of what your lift pass covers and does not cover. We had to go back and forth between the front desk and the rental stations several times.
— The lodge is in serious need of an update — everything in it is ancient and scummy-​looking. Secure storage space is very limited in both quantity and the actual size of the spaces; you can choose between the risk of getting your belongings stolen in a tiny cubby or attempt to cram all your gear into one of the pint-​sized coin-​operated lockers.
— We were told by a clerk that Martock boasts approximately 5 km of cross country trails. Lo and behold, only 2 of its 6 trails were open… so that meant about 1 km was available for use.
— Trails were not well-​marked, and the ones that were closed weren’t marked as such.
— Trails were not properly groomed. We were not the only ones having trouble getting our glide on due to the clumpy, uneven trail surfaces.
Those on the downhill trails seemed to be having a good time, but our visit was cut short due to the aforementioned issues. Cross country skiing at Martock turned out to be a complete waste of time and money. I will not be going back.

A great little local hill. Lots of great ski and rider improvement, ski patrol and instructors programs, plus a good ski team that can take you to provincials. Lots of good skiers and boardres here, small with great aspirations!

Disclaimer… first time skiing… nuff said? We arrived before all the school busses of children so I went straight through checking in, picking up the rentals and getting directions from the staff. I felt foolish learning to ski with children and foreigners having the Canadian experience but the staff where wonderful, they are glad to show you why they loved being on the hill. I understand none of the runs are more than intermediate level but it didn’t matter to me. I didn’t think the lodge would be like the movies, reclining by the fireside but it could use an update from the 1970s. The second floor and the restrooms could use a redesign since the place is packed in the middle of the week. The on-​site Cleve’s Sporting Goods was handy but the parking lot needs a new coat of gravel since it was one big mud puddle.