Leaderboard

Another New Brunswick day, still far away from the Quebec ZEC territories , but we are having a fun run here. Leaving this am in light snow but with Winter storm warnings posted we knew we were going to have fun this afternoon. We were not disappointed! We ran the New Brunswick snowmobile Assoc, Zone 3. A nice run this morning on a great loop out to Caraquet NB for lunch, and yes, fresh seafood!! Than the winter storm warnings kicked in, Heavey snow all afternoon made visibility and snow accumulations interesting. By the time we were back in Bathurst we had a foot of powder in the trail in places and having a blast. We expect another 6” tonight so our run tomorrow will be even more fun😁 Happy Trails RR

Play hard, well we are definitely out of the ZEC territories on this report, as we decided to stay in New Brunswick today and ride some areas that many of us have not ridden in 20 plus years. So,e never at all. With all the trails in NB open for the first time in 3 years we figured if we are going to do it, let’s ride it this week. And we have a big storm coming in tomorrow. Just gets better!😁 We left Moose valley, lunch at Serpentine lodge and ended up in Miramachi City. We had the full scale of riding conditions today. We didn’t want to leave any condition uncovered😋. A great lunch with Alyre at Serpentine, he knows Andyman well as Andyman has been here a few times! we also talked with several friendly riders there today and got to ride the interior NB. Also we saw the ice jams on the Miramachi rivers, pic below is where the Renous and Miramachi fork together. A good 265 miles of NB riding today😁 More fun tomorrow Happy trails RR

They built an ice bridge last year to cross trenche river.......samething this winter. Latuque SC is grooming relais 22 to Trenche river and Club Passe-Partout is grooming Roberval to Trenche river.

Monday Lac Bouchette to old Scooby Raid / Mont Vilian. All trails until close to Mont Vilian were real nice, then no grooming and lacking snow. Today/ Tuesday we stayed on the Monts Valin and it is all excellent, groomers running. We went to Relais Wapishish very nice people and Jeff speaks perfect English. New cottages to stay at also. Sorry no pics because internet here at Auberge 31 is slow.

I know Vermont and NH state in the OHRV regulations that chasing/harassing any wildlife is a fineable offense. I would guess it also is in Quebec and anywhere else. My encounters have always been resolved by stopping completely, shutting the machine off and staying seated until they are out of sight. Following them slowly on the trail can sometimes have a bad outcome if they decide to turn back so I don't recommend it. Just be alert to the surroundings as there can always be another animal in the area that you DON'T see!

.....or as an old wise man told me once, "if out playing in bear country with friends always carry a .22". So I ask him "why a .22 as that won't kill a bear". He says "It is not for the bear, it is to shoot one of your friends in the leg".... Wise old man. :)

1.)That's why you always need to ride with at least one buddy who is slower than you. 2.)Chances are a single wolf is not going to take on a pack of helmet wearing aliens unless it is rabid. 3.)If it is,refer back to #1😉

For my upcoming trip I'm bringing my Oxygen helmet, Ginger's Oxygen helmet, 2 BV2S & the one Team Gutz calls my mid-life crisis helmet...lol...I may even bring my bike helmet...

Yes, it should be, but when 3 branches off after the small warming hut, it had not been groomed at all, then after st simeon, it turned to a singletrack, which brought us to a camp access (I figured that would happen based on the type of sled track), so then we broke trail for several miles, then back to a singletrack, which only brought us to another camp access, then the trail turned bad, and GPS showed we were still at least 15 miles from the ferry, so we turned back, since it was getting late. I was told by another group that it is a landowner issue that has not been resolved yet, at least as of last Wednesday.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen it that cheap, maybe they raised the prices on the burgers, lol.

Grooming’s a little different out there, it’s a suspension beater.

Here’s a translation of the article The Matane-Baie-Comeau-Godbout ferry service will resume on Tuesday, according to the usual schedule. The service had to be interrupted last December 17, the eve of the holiday season, due to a failure of the F-Gauthier ferry propellers. The Société des traversiers du Québec then set up an air link between Matane and Baie-Comeau. Only the pedestrian clientele, however, could use it, forcing motorists and truckers to make a detour of several hundred kilometers. From Tuesday, the service will be provided by a boat of the Co-operative of maritime and air transport, the CTMA Vacancier, until the end of January. In the meantime, the STQ has indicated that F.-A.-Gauthier will be in dry dock in Lévis from January 14, for a period of about two weeks. Visual inspections and advanced analysis will be conducted to accurately determine the nature of the problem. In the meantime, the STQ is concentrating its efforts on quickly finding a replacement vessel. She points out that none of the other vessels in the fleet have the size or certification required to navigate this maritime area in winter. Research has been conducted in Quebec, Canada and internationally. STQ says it is in discussion with potential partners. "There are very, very concrete scenarios on the table, discussions with partners as we speak. We are not far from the goal at this time, "said Alexandre Lavoie, spokesman for the Société des traversiers du Québec. Mr. Lavoie did not want to specify whether F.-A.-Gauthier was removed from the water for a short or long term. "Too early to say for the moment, we will wait for the results of the analyzes to decide," he said.

This needs to be asked... Does anybody know what the ferry crossing will be like in 2 weeks??

hi smclelan !!! back from a '' tour de ville '' thx....west of the 90' corner...in that patch of wood....and east of that stand in the hairpin , before going down the hill ...where you see the windmills...on my way back !! and glad you replied ...just curious ....you re a mod , so ...almost part of the administration of this site... i noticed today ...that i hit 500 000 clicks just asking to you and administration ....was there a free grosse poutine extra fromage with a bottle of rouge at 500 000 clicks ???...just asking !!! jean-guy

good morning !!! back to the main subject !!!.......ahaha went grooming tq 5 + ste florence... blowing snow...strong winds mini drifts on my way back !!! -12c at 3 am !!! jean-guy

We rode from RDL to ST Hubert, to Squa tec, Rimouski areas , than St Gabriel de rimouski, after that back country our way into Moose Valley NB. Good going, but as Groomer had reported the closer you get to Rimouski, it gets very skinny. But heading south towards Moose valley put us right back into good going. special note, the road from the NB border to the depot Kekegewick river crossing will be plowed for at least one more week, heavy logging on this area of the trail between Moose valley and Amqui Playing in the Moose valley area tomorrow, than?? Happy Trails RR

Jean Guy My condolences to you and your family. Maybe your club can have a portion of a trail named\renamed in his honor? Team GutZ

I just spoke with the local. They had just ordered 10 more in since I talked to her Monday. I asked if I could buy 2 in case we needed them over the weekend if there was failures. She said Mike take them and if you need them then its warranty next week, if not just return them. I drive an Arctic Cat. If and when I do buy a doo, they are my dealer. I always hear stories like that from this dealer and they are not a small shop either. Always service first.

Similar to “I don’t have to out run the bear I just have to out run you”.

I had the option of 15 or 16 last winter.

I want to say 16" is the only width for the 137" skidoo ice cobra, so you may get it by default. Mine is 3 years old, so maybe they have both now...

9 January 0c Snow Machine on. Started back snowing good about 11pm. On and off in bursts all night. Now full on. Supposed to go until 9pm tomorrow much the same on and off. 8” Total so far since midnight monday. 15.5 hour shift home now and off to bed. Back at 6:30pm tonight to do it all over again. No rest for the wicked. Riding will have to wait for me anyway.

3 modulars, 15+ years, 60,00ish miles, every condition imaginable no failures, no fogging, no warranties, no problems funny though....the helmet DOES HAVE its vagueries for sure

Done this loop several times in 2 1/2 days, some sleds can make the distance to Apica and some can’t, spare gas will take care of the balance. Very busy place on the week end for the restaurant and service is nothing like L’Etape so I would recommend a trail side snack gas’n go. You’ll want to ride as much as you can on the first day to bring you into the Valins, next day pretty easy to get to the casino and lots of time for site seeing, last day is a 1/2 day back to truck.

Sorry to hear that JG, to live to 95 is a great achievement. He lived a great life

You guys won’t be disappointed with the Ice Ripper, I’ve been using those tracks for years, gave up on the studs for obvious reasons, in my case the tracks were ripping on the outer edge. I recently had to change my original Ice Ripper on my Enduro so I opted for a 1.6 lug in a 16” width. If you do the calculation the 16” x 137” has more square inches of coverage than a 15” x 144”. For a 137” it does quite well off trail and gives you the grip off the line on the trail. Good luck and happy trails.

tonight, in the snowy valley ..... the founder of the oldest skidoo dealership in north america ,my dad ...mr andré-albert hallé left us for heaven at 95 y / o dad was like all of us...adventurer , explorer and enjoying outdoor he s going to be reunited with mom !!! happy trail dad !!! jean-guy

We have seen moose in all of Quebec. Very large one on trail 63 near Belleterre, on 83 near Clova, several in Gaspi. This is my thinking from deer hunting, fox hunting, coyote hunting with dogs. All animals have their crossing points. I believe that a animal will continue on the trail until he gets to one of these crossing points. It's the same with a fox, rabbit, and even a wolf. When deer hunting watchers are put out on certain spots. Where the deer are known to cross. As for the moose i would like to think they are only looking for one of their crossing points. Think of their size and a walking moose can cover miles of trail and when you meet them it may take an hour to get back to where they feel comfortable to get off the trail. So I believe even tho it may take a while, give them time to get back to where they want to be. An hour of our time is not worth the life of one of these wonderful animals. I truely believe what I just wrote. Please give them time.

I’m surprised more people haven’t had these encounters given all the high mile riders here. It is surprising that more of these encounters happen here in the US, specifically NH & VT, I have no experience in ME, but presumably it’s because in Quebec the wilderness to civilization ratio is so large compared to the states. For sure the Quebec gold mine for moose on snowmobile trails is the 595 on the Gaspe, North of La Cache, the moose crap on the trail is evidence enough. Everywhere else I’ve been in Quebec, it seems more like a random encounter. Here’s what I do and recommend, but will appreciate other thoughts. Most of the time when u first see the moose, stop as soon as possible, and most of the time he will start running away from you, down the trail. The one time this didn’t happen for me was in VT on a small trail to a mountain lookout, it was a beautiful warm blue sky day and a young moose was sleeping in the trail. Once he got up, I nudged him along the trail, starting and stopping several times until we got to the top and it was easy to wonder off, maybe 15 minutes for a mile. For most cases, when the moose starts running away, maybe 75% of the time, they will dart left/right into the woods in a 1/4 mile or so, great for everyone. The other 25% or so is the problem, and is usually an issue when the snow is very deep. In this case, there are four options, first is the topic in this post, chase it till it dies, second encourage it to get off trail, third drive by it, or fourth turn around. Encouraging the moose off the trail seems to work well for me. Once he starts running away from you, stop and wait, preferably when he gets over a hill or around a corner where he can’t see you. After a couple minutes at least, start up the sled and ride up on him again, he will likely just continue down the trail. Keep repeating this until he gives up and goes in the woods or you give up and resort to the other options. Only twice did I need another option, once was on the 595 on the Gaspe, I believe that trip was with smclelan (?) and it wasn’t a long encounter till an open field where it was somewhat safe to pass. The worst was by club scott where starting and stopping went on for well over a half hour with no end in sight, at that point you know the moose a little and take a chance at passing him on the trail in full stride, not knowing if he will dart right into u as u approach when he gets startled. It’s scary, but at least it’s almost a fair battle between man and moose, we would either both get very injured or both walk away. I can’t recommend that technique, it’s just what I chose. The other cases I can’t speak to are, during the encounter the moose charges you, this seems to happen to groomer often, lol, or a sled arrives from the other direction.

$1.66 per liter at Mont Apica last weekend.

Definately gas at mont Apica

I sure will! Either way If I don't see you have a GREAT season!!!

It's hard for me to justify the money for the O2 when I'm still in my ten year old Mod 2. Outside of loosing one of the screws to hold the shield on I have not had one thing to complain about. I even tried a BV2 and it didn't make the cut. Ended up buying a new Mod2 in Matane and shipping the BV2 back home in 2015. That was NOT a cheap trip that year! But thanks for the info about the new ones guys! Maybe next year!!!

A great lunch with Alyre at Serpentine, he knows Andyman well as Andyman has been here a few times! we also talked with several friendly riders there today and got to ride the interior NB. Also we saw the ice jams on the Miramachi rivers, pic below is where the Renous and Miramachi fork together. A good 265 miles of NB riding today😁  More fun tomorrow Alyre, what a character he is. We spend 5 days riding northern NB last winter so stopped at the Serpentine lodge a couple times. One friend in our group has been rider NB several times so he knows Alyre well. Does he still have the big beautiful dog? Posting picture below to give anyone that hasn't rode New Brunswick what's available vs the Gaspe. The Gaspe loop was 1,600 km. New Brunswick trip was 1,900 km, bit of overlap a couple of days in the centre.

Cabanon to the river matawin, back in the late 80's and early 90's always read around 100 to 102 miles on my sleds, but you know the speedometers were probably off by 10 percent...180 each way, still amazing when you think 4 trips, on those old suspensions, it a hell of a day even today.

Have not been this year but in all years past, they have 1 pump. Newer clubhouse (2-3 years).We always try to support the local clubhouses, so its really a matter of timing in most cases. L'Etape has multiple pumps and a very good restaurant attached- mostly chicken dishes, but great experiences every time we have stopped for gas/lunch

New years resolutions to decrease their carbon footprint and Go Green! But like most new years resolutions, they only last 2 weeks. GutZ

Be careful on the 3 past St Simeon, trail closure was in place last Wednesday, we could not pass to get to the Taddoussac ferry, friends of ours had to flatbed to the ferry crossing. Not good. We ended up doubling back and setting out the next am on an alternate route up to Valin.

Done this trip a couple times! Morgan VT to Hotel Universal in RDL. 6am-7:30pm 464 miles with a 1 hour lunch break. 100 miles of railbed that only takes an hour!!🤣

Thought I would copy a post that I put on DooTalk a couple weeks ago after my first 300 miles with my O2... Vision and comfort is amazing vs Bv2S (I have had 3 since 2006)Size runs big (I use L vs XL on Bv2S)Smoke visor that comes std is only good in bright sun (purchased amber). Super easy to changeVisor doesn’t come down far enoughWill be adding one strip of electrical tape to top edge of visor for sun shieldingTried sunglasses but couldn’t get them to not fog (more attempts coming)Visor fogged periodically and didn’t quickly de-fog in the up positionShield never foggedHelmet very warm, especially on high (too warm unless cruising along at 50+mph. (temps +10F - +20F)Fit is excellent, but takes some trial and error (haven’t tried clava yet)Drinking from a thermos is a challengeFeels lighter and easier on your neckPower cord fits great down through Klim jacket between the coat and the liner and attaches to the tether clip.Biggest concern - too much moisture builds up in the helmet. If you ride with it cracked open for a while (15 minutes) when you just want to cool down, ice can form on the seal and the shield will not close. I think BRP needs to find a way to let more fresh air in. Or exhaust more spent air. (I am 5ft10” and 155 lbs so i am not one of these sweaty mouth-breathers that other threads have joked about). At the end of the day (or even at lunch) there is considerable moisture trapped in the protective collar. Pretty much soaked at the end.

Rev and play hard, we had a real fun day today with our adventure ride to Lascension de Patepedia. An awesome blue sky day for us before the snow coming. 200 miles of 35 groomed and 165 single track or powder riding. Just what we wanted! Back at Moose valley for a second night👍 We even got to open one of our old worm holes from a few years ago, a special treat! gorgeous views today, and a great lunch made by the one and only 603 Backcountry for lunch! The hospitality here att Moose valley is over the top, in fact the provincial Governor comes tomorrow to review all the great work they are doing here! After talking with Andyman, we plan to explore some more in NB this week, heading for Bathurst or Miramichi tomorrow. Thank you Andyman for the tips! Happy trails RR

hi gutz !!! thx....playing with speed on camera can change the '' effect of light '' !!! i just realized i had only 2 pics left ... gorgeous day for riding ...blue sky ...slightly windy ...-15c !!! jean-guy

This was our run yesterday, we ended up with 240 miles. I nice back country ride between Rimouski and the Amqui trail was an extra bonus for us yesterday. The saddle bags come of today, as we are staying another night. More playing in Moose valley today! Happy Trails RR

good morning !!! in the gaspesie we work late....hahaha i saw your post before taking a nap ....but too many strange words...so , i sent it to one of my sisters ...she spent 30 years in bc... she sent me a bunch of stuff....and she wrote ...you ll have to use your imagination ...ahha..too tired so , im going to follow phil's avenue.....calice the tbk d hostie de st-cremel.....ahahha what people are going to think of me? btw....i saw a ghost tbk !!! jean-guy

Trails are incredible conditions 2 week Canadian vacation over get out there now!

Note there is one hill north of La Dore that you can go a long way in the air before touch down. Don't know where it is exactly but I do remember it.

Now that I am retired, I don't plan my trips too far ahead. Just wait for a good forecast and a good day to travel. When I worked, I knew my vacation schedule months in advance. Wish I could be more precise, it would be great to meet up. I haven't even made reservations yet. Still trying to get all the medical appointments out of the way this week so I can free up the calendar for the rest of the season. But please, check with me when you are passing through, if I am at RDL, we need to have a drink, maybe a couple drinks! mike

hi tom !!! yaa...better....need a few more inches in town...still bumpy a bit if i can say that....where trail is wide... no problem.... i took pic of the truck climbing hill in town to go to ste marguerite...long one.....wheels were spinning ...all the way up !!! see you soon !!! jean-guy

bonsoir !!! signs day !!! from gas station up to '' school bus '' ... mild temps....snowing lightly !!! jean-guy

Oh and that worm hole on the NB/Quebec border, extra special!😁