Gatineau Park ski conditions 30JAN p16-p19 & 55

#50 had been groomed early and had set up well however the Demsis "Ridge" has returned, big time,  between p16 and Herridge.  Not only is the trail clearly "bi-level" but the snowmobiles have been going in the skate lane rather than on the top of the ridge which might knock it down a bit.  Even worse than this are many very deep and wide gouges or troughs.  These appear frequently and are not only there on the steeper downhills.  After Herridge things improve a little and the closer one gets to Lac Philippe the better.  There are several thin spots on the usual hills plus there are thin spots in the classic tracks along the trail with grass, leaves etc clearly visible.
From the campground entrance to P19 the grooming is not very good at all.  The ridge at this point runs right in the middle of the skate lane.  However the snowshoe trail was nice and level-go figure?
Taylor lake road starts out from #50 looking not so good but improves after about 400m.  Its not as good as it was a few weeks ago but was quite enjoyable but this part I would rate 7/10.
There is a decent amount of snow in that part of the park.  Its not a lack of snow that is causing the problems, in fact in the tree covered sections, where the snow cover is less, the skiing is faster and the ridge is not a problem.
Trail 50 has had weak grooming for several years now.  I find it worse than other parts of the park.  The trail itself should be pretty easy to groom, its fairly level and not too rocky.  I don't know if it is a different kind of equipment but Demsis just can't get it right.