A cross-country skier says he was attacked and beaten by a man on a snowmobile while he was skiing last Sunday in a forest near Ottawa.

The skier, who doesn't want his name used because he feels vulnerable, said he was skiing with a friend in the Torbolton Forest near Constance Bay, Ont., when a man on a bright yellow snowmobile came down the trail. He said the snowmobiler swore at him and told him the trail was exclusively for snowmobilers.

The skier said the man shoved him and told him to get off the trail, but he kept on skiing.

The snowmobiler came roaring up behind him again about five minutes later, the skier said. He said the snowmobile approached so quickly that he jumped off the trail and broke a ski.

"He jumped off his snow machine, came over, jumped on my chest and started punching me," the skier said. "I took a couple of blows to the side of the face.

"As I tried to get up, he grabbed the right pole out of my hand, snapped it in half, and started coming at me with the short end, the sharp end."

Greg Veldhuizen, the president of the West Carleton Snowmobile Club, said he hadn't heard of an incident like that in the last 40 years, but added, "There's always a couple of snowmobilers who don't behave themselves very well."

Ottawa police Const. Michael O'Reilly is investigating the incident. He said police have identified a suspect based on the skier's description of the snow machine.

O'Reilly, who is also a member of the local snowmobile club, said the trails in the municipally owned forest are not restricted to one recreational group.

"The snowmobile club is here with permission of the city, but it's a multi-use trail. People are allowed to walk. They walk their dogs, they snowshoe, they cross-country ski," O'Reilly said.

Police haven't said whether charges are likely be laid.