We all have those days when hills simply hold no appeal. Either the trails are a bit icy or the body rebels. Or we just much prefer the gentle terrain. The flats are equally great for working on technique and being lazy.

Mainline is the Morice Mountain Nordics standby flat trail and a great warm-up skate. The original road, Mainline accesses the center of the trail network and is mostly level from the parking lot, along the lakeshore and on to Sawdust Loop and the Go Big or Go Home Junction. Sawdust Loop, although classed intermediate, has long been a go-to favourite of the beginner skiers. The only bump along Mainline is The Hump with the popular Wimp Way detour. Not that The Hump is a big hill, but it is big enough if conditions are icy. Wimp Way offers a great option to access further low-incline trails like I am Groot and the first few hundred metres of Golden Bow and Trespass. It is perfectly acceptable to ski the flat sections of any of the trails and then turn around rather than continuing into uncomfortable terrain. On Trespass, the first popular turn around point is Beaver Pelt Lake, or keep going, with a few more hills to Dead Bunny, the last corner before the real hills start. This Dead Bunny turnaround is very popular with the skaters.

Back at the lake, Lakeside turns left off Mainline. It can be combined with the intermediate Possum and Lynx for a gentle run when conditions are good. Challenge is a slightly hillier alternate to Mainline.

Another spot popular with all level of skier, even without dogs, the collective dog trails, to the north of the parking lot, also provide several green route loops with a bit more elevation change and good in-track downhill runs without too many surprises.

But the Uber Flatlander terrain is Silverthorne Lake. Prime granola (no set track) classic skiing at any time of the year and randomly occurring deluxe skate conditions keep The Lakers watching for prime conditions.