By David Jett
“Please let Ed Klim know that when I promise snow in Quebec, I deliver,” said our host, Yves Watier, during Friday night’s welcome dinner in Beaupre Quebec’s Hotel Val des Neiges. And the snow was definitely appreciated. For many of the reporters representing American states at this year’s snowmobile media ride, this trip offered the first true winter of the year. Snow conditions were sufficient to put smiles on the faces of anyone who has ever twisted a throttle. The snow was dry and cold. Incredibly cold.
Quebec is a Mecca for snowmobiling. Over 150,000 snowmobilers are registered there. The area boasts 33,000 (yes, thirty-three thousand) miles of groomed trails, which they spend nearly 25 million dollars annually to maintain. 11,000 people are employed in the industry and everyone in the province seems to have an appreciation (rather than a distaste) for the sport. “We love snowmobiling in Quebec,” Yves said more than once. And truly people in Quebec do love motoneige (French for snowmobile). Rather than over-inflating our noise, air pollution, or the other negatives that so many uninformed Americans choose to “see” all too clearly, the peoples of Quebec generally view snowmobiling as an exhilarating way to explore the winter beauty of their province. And there is much beauty to behold.
I’m quite certain that if you are reading this publication, you would be perfectly content to spend an entire winter in Quebec. In addition to an incredible snowmobiling experience, the area offers countless attractions to draw the world’s travelers. In fact, Quebec was recently rated the eleventh most popular city to visit in North America.
Renovation was begun on downtown Quebec projects in the 1960s and they have since restored every building. Yes, EVERY building. In 1985 the architecture and charm reached a level of preservation so priceless that Quebec was designated a world heritage treasure. The people are warm, inviting, and their culture is rich.
One of the things Quebec is most famous for is fine dining. Many travelers who seek out the world’s best foods, but don’t want to incur the expense of a trip to Paris, elect Quebec as an affordable alternative. If the welcoming dinner served at Hotel Val des Neiges was any indication of the quality of cuisine we’d be dining upon during our journey, well, let’s just say it’s a good thing Santa brought us gym memberships last Christmas.
Back in our room at the Val des Neiges after a four-course meal and a virtual tour of the area, one of the two English-speaking television channels available in our room gave a warning during the weather report. “Don’t go outside tomorrow unless you absolutely have to.” Yes, it was going to be a cold ride.
41 degrees below zero with the wind chill, and 300 kilometers to ride… WOW! We didn’t wait for the sun to warm the day, either. Breakfast at 7am, a few minutes drive to the largest snowmobile leasing business in Quebec, quick selections from a nice assortment of Ski-Doos, and we were off.
“It’s never this cold here.” Yves told us.
Those snowmobilers lucky enough to be spending the winter in Quebec were smart enough to see some of Quebec’s other sights on Thursday, February 13. Those of us who only had a few days in Quebec set off on the coldest ride of our lives.
We picked our steeds from a sea of Ski-Doos at the Centre de Location de Motoneiges Du Quebec Inc., which is the largest snowmobile renting and leasing company in the region. MXZs were the most common sled, with a couple of Grand Touring models for those electing to go two-up, or just wanting a plush ride. We got our sleds, headed out smiling, but it wasn’t long before we realized that many of us were not really prepared for the extreme cold.
The trails were perfect—plenty wide and incredibly smooth. The snow dust was fine, billowing large behind every sled. Cold or not, I wasn’t the only one in our group who was jazzed to finally be riding the Quebec trail system that Yves has been touting the greatness of for so long. You could almost feel the collective excitement as our group began the ride.
My wife, Leiha—four months pregnant at the time and unable to see through the ice lining on her face shield—decided to turn around and meet up with the rest of us at our next hotel. An hour or so later, I watched Larry Lancaster (Oregon Snowmobile News) flip his sled after hitting a side embankment on the trail, also due to a loss of visibility. After watching Larry, who has been snowmobiling far longer than Leiha and I combined, I was very grateful for my wife’s wisdom.
Truth be known, if we all had experience with riding at 50 below zero and had prepared for those conditions, the ride would have been a blast. Even with the cold it was a lot of fun, but as ill prepared as we were, it soon became a survival ride. The trail system is extremely well groomed and the signage resembles that found on an Interstate Highway. They do a great job of posting signs to warn of even small dangers, give directions and mileage to all surrounding locations, and even indicate turns in the trail, as is the case with any Interstate Highway.
“I was not prepared for this.” Said Jack Welsh of the Blue Ribbon Coalition. His words were echoed by many in our group. The scheduled 300 Kilometers
were cut in half. After a late lunch at our scheduled lunch stop, we were driven to the Holiday Inn, in Saguenay.
I’ve seen a lot of Holiday Inns, but never one as nice as this one. It’s huge. And the Cote Jardin restaurant there provided yet another amazing dinner and breakfast the following morning.
While in the lounge that evening, we met a gent who seemed to be referred to only as “Mr. Bill.” While not a local, Mr. Bill claims to have enjoyed spending the bulk of his winters at Saguenay’s Holiday Inn, and riding the Quebec trail system for over a decade.
“It never gets this cold in Quebec.” Mr. Bill told us. “Wintertime temperatures are usually about fifteen degrees below zero” (five degrees Fahrenheit).
Day two, Yves announced, would be a far shorter ride than planned. Nobody complained. Most of the area we traveled during day two consisted of wide-open, wind-swept flats. Yves had planned well though, and planned in a warm stop every few dozen kilometers. Our destination that second day was the Saguenay Fjord. Of course, the Fjord is completely frozen in the winter, so we rode out onto the ice, parked our sleds and went ice fishing in a hut that was warm and waiting our arrival. Nobody caught fish, but Erin Lunne, (Cal-Nevada Snow Tracks) was more determined than any fisherwoman I’ve ever met.
That evening we dined on the best food man ever tasted. The chef at our hotel was revered throughout the region, and, it being Valentine’s day, this was in incredible treat. I was also fortunate enough to sit next to Yves that evening, and thoroughly enjoyed the many tales he told of riding throughout Quebec. Many people reading this have met Yves at one or more ISC meetings, and think of him as the fun guy who promotes snowmobiling in Quebec. While this is true, he is also the heart and soul of snowmobiling in Quebec. If any problem arises that deals with motoneige, Yves is the man who solves it. If good things have come to the snowmobiling industry and/or sport in Quebec, Yves deserves the credit. He really is a non-stop, full throttle representative of snowmobiling in quebec.
Day three offered far-and-away the best riding of the trip. We were short nearly one-third of our group, as they elected to car-pool to the Manoir Richelieu in Charlevoux. Most of our vision problems were solved, we picked up the speed a bit, and the scenery and trails were the best we’d seen. The highlight of the ride took us through a national park, one that may be closed to snowmobiles in the not so distant future. I guess Yellowstone isn’t the only national monument trying to limit snowmobile use. The trail there bordered a lake, twisted and wound through one spectacular post-card picture after another. After a lunch stop, we re-mounted, and made our way to the Manoir Richelieu, which truly is a castle. Just before we arrived, we noticed that we were riding over the frozen fairways of the new golf course, which is now open.
Of course we were treated to another phenomenal meal that evening. As a matter of fact, it was the conclusion of a Valentine’s weekend get-away for snowmobilers at the Manoir, and we were surrounded by hundreds of snowmobilers from the region. We were treated to great entertainment, and then set free to enjoy our stay in the “castle.”
After most of the media crew had gone home the next morning, several of us stayed one more night in downtown Quebec, at the Hotel Clarendon, which houses the oldest restaurant in North America. We spend the day kicking around downtown Quebec, and only wished we had more time there. The architecture is phenomenal, the culture is wonderful, the dining at Hotel Clarendon is out of this world and, again, the people are warm, friendly and inviting.
If you enjoy perfectly groomed trails, the 33,000 mile network of perfectly groomed highway for snowmobiles in Quebec is second to none. Plan a trip there. We really do believe the myriad of people who exclaimed, “It’s never this cold here.” Yes, Quebec is about as far away from Washington State as you can go and still be on the same continent, but isn’t exploring new regions via snowmobile half the fun? Below are the contacts you’ll need to plan your Quebec snowmobiling excursion.
Hotel Val des Neiges
201, rue Val-des-Neiges
Mont-Sainte-Anne (Quebec) GOA1E0
418-827-5711
www.hotelvaldesneiges.com
Hotel Clarendon
57, rue Sainte-Anne
Vieux-Quebec GIR3x4
1-888-554-6001
www.groupedufour.com
Charlevoix Tourism Assn.
495 Boul. De Comporte, C.P.275
La Malbaie (Quebec) Canada G5A 1T8
1-800-667-2276
www.tourisme-charlevoix.com
Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Tourism
455, Racine East, Suite 101
Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada G7H 1T5
1-800-463-9651
HYPERLINK "http://www.tourismsaguenaylacsaintjean.qc.ca" www.tourismsaguenaylacsaintjean.qc.ca
Laurentides Sports Service Inc.
1451, rue Raymond
Charlesbourg, Quebec G2N 1Z4
418-849-2824
Centre de Location de Motoneiges du Quebec Inc.
Mont Ste-Anne, Beaupre
15, boul. Beau-Pre GOA 1E0
418-827-2130
http://pages.infinit.net/issclmq/