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Groomer- I believe Playhard is ready to be your new apprentice! Put him to work!

Sorry, I'm no photoshop genius:

Maybe Team Ice can haul you around in this. Safely cruise up to 70mph they claim!

I can offer the full tour of Trois Riveres street by street, you can ride shotgun in the Semi with me. Not exactly snowmobiling but some nights its sure seems like it. #truckindaneige

Slow to post anything but here it is. Stayed with Reggie and did loops from the Drakkar. Thursday went west on 23 to La Cabanon up 345 and back on 360, 23. Chased Shaggy and his better half around on their new Assaults but couldn't keep up . Conditions were good. Loved coming back on 360. Glad we did St Michel area on Thursday as you could tell there was more traffic in that area. Weekend prob would have been miserable. Friday nice and cold! Ran to La Tuque via 351, 355 back on 73, 353, 23, 302. 1 crew member blew his 800R next to the airport in La Tuque after lunch. Couldn't have happened in a better place. Could literally see the Motoneige clubhouse from where his sled sat. Made a few calls and turned out the president of the club had a truck and was willing to drive him back to Drakkar for $150CAN. Couldn't beat that! Nice guy too from what I was told. Again trails were nice. 351 clearly had not been groomed since the weekend even though the map showed it had been groomed. Was still fresh snow from the week and had a single lane running it. Was smooth though so no problems. 355 was a blast! 73 was a great run back too. We really enjoyed this loop. Saturday was again cold but no problems. Ran back out 302, 353 to 23 and back around on some local trails. Nice easy day. Traffic was picking up by end of the day so we hit the train station and back to Drakkar before Pascal took us out for a wild night not suitable for this forum. All in all a great time. Beat looking at the grass at home for sure.

I love Hockey parents, they throw some great parties. I been in many Hotel rooms visiting and indulging a bit. Good Times.

Playhard you need to get a cat cutter have iceman pull you around and still enjoy the trails. Speedy recovery.

As Mike said, he sat yesterday out with a stiff neck. Sandi, myself, FarmerOld, Jak and Rusty went out. We did 35 west to Tourville for lunch. 55 to St Pamphile then 557 up to Relais Sportif for an afternoon break. Then we returned to the Universal via trail 5. The trails are amazing. Like I said earlier, half of trail 35 was a little choppy. All the other trails were fantastic. There are only a handful of trailers in the enclosure here at the hotel. We have seen a few riders out but it is quiet overall. The riding is great. The forecast for this Sunday is 30-40 cm of snow. Not a good day to be in the truck but it is going to top off the trails with a thick blanket of new snow. Now is the time to get to Quebec and get some miles on. By the looks of the snow depth map and the groomer map, there isn't a bad area up here. Until later, enjoy the ride. Jack & Sandi

Back to sledding for our first 2019 ride, the snow cover has improved and the trail network get pretty much completed in the south of the region while it is already well run further north. Being able to start from home we then improvise our ride that happened to be this in the end It was pretty cold yesterday, -21C blue jay day, top conditions to have beautiful trails. Here in the fields near home in Joliette direction To go toward St-Félix de Valois the trail configuration have been modified to pass nearer of Joliette city just behind Lapointe sport brp dealer. Here is a screen shot of the interactive map for this sector and I added in red dashed the old approximate route for Joliette (who is not there anymore) just to give you an idea of the change. On the interactive map the trail to St-Norbert is still in red today but I confirm that it was groomed yesterday, we passed there on our returnHere near Notre Dame de Lourdes where the old junction was in the past yearsWe then crossed St-Felix and continued north. The small club shack that was in the same place for years has been moved a hundred meters in the woods just behind where it was and the trail path rearranged a little differently but as before, left St-Jean de Matha and right St-Gabriel de Brandonhttps://vimeo.com/311081145the snow condition is very good everywhere, here taking the old railway bed near St-Cléophas And here just behind St-Gabriel de Brandon city And here, riding up the big hill in St-DamienWe continued straight on #23 toward St-Zénon. Snow is obviously even better going norther, both on the ground and in the trees Another important change, the #350 coming from Koubec now arrives on the #23 five miles south of Real Massé instead of five miles north. We came back from this side in the afternoonThe interactive map has also been updated, the red trail showing the old closed route and the #350 trail in green below representing the realityWe continued through the #23, past Réal Massé ...we then turned left on the # 350 toward La Glacière. Another interesting change there, the trail instead of going through the big hills now pass by the old route of several years ago. Some may recognize this big gazebo left on the trail side Just infront, the magnificent auberge de la pourvoirie St-Zenon! I was so surprised to pass there that I had not even think to stop for lunch but by looking on https://www.snowmobilecountry.ca/en/ they are really open. I put them on the bucket list for a next time... We continued just a little further to La GlaciereWhere we had already planned to stop for lunchAfter warming up with a good meal we continued on #63 trail toward St-Zénon village And then north of the village we continued toward Le CabanonThere was a small segment of an half mile that was really rought on this trail, We then know from the Cabanon that this is because the dozer is not able to climb one of the icy hill just before ... The new dozers with rubber tracks spin on the ice while the old Gilberts with steel bars tracks were able to climb up ... the club will have to find a solution. Otherwise the snow is really good in this area, impressive how it increased in the last month. We stopped to refuel the venture at Cabanon.And then took the #23 toward southWe then forked into the Mastigouche reserve still via #23 east The Mastigouche Reserve was one of the first places to ride this season and is still top notch. Here a picnic table buried under the snowWe then turned on the #345 south to go down toward Koubec. We just went into the yard and continued, there were many sledders there!We turned to continue the #345 and then switch on the #350 a little further continuing westit's here that the #350 route is changing this year. There is this indication and the trail turns to the left A brand new trail to discover in Zec des Nymphes, very panoramic on the first part. In fact this new trail sectiion has everything from great fast stretch to narrow zipper on the mountainside!We then ended up on the #23 trail five miles south of Real Massé where we already pass in the morning. We took it south and took a break a little further at the restaurant of the Pourvoirie St-Damien. We must have passed 100 times infront since all these years but we were never stopped. They are well installed, a beautiful fireplace inside with bar and dining room. It was a particularly cold day yesterday and the hot chocolate was really nice!We then continued south, here the setting sun just south of St-Gabriel de BrandonWe then continued on #63 trail to go toward St-Norbert. Here the sun lying behind us when crossing the # 347 road We then went through the local trail from St. Norbert/St-Elizabeth to St-Thomas which was closed in the morning. this trail had just been groomed during the day and had no time to harden so not very nicel but with a couple of days and a couple grooming pass it will be top shape. We finally got home around 5:15 pm with a little over 191 miles on the dreammeter. In the end a beautiful ride with very nice conditions overall but pretty cold despite the beautiful sun. The season is well started, the trail network is pretty much connected to travel between the regions, you can take a look here to have some more details of the areas you want to ride: https://www.snowmobilecountry.ca/en/conditions/ the best of the sledding season is beginning. It's time to enjoy! Alain

Thanks Steve, will call Louise fro quebectrails.com. Yes I was concerned that RDL was a little too far from the loops we wanted to make but think it will work once I re-check the distances. I appreciate you posting your trip from 2 years ago, Im actually from Caledon just north of Toronto. Really looking forward to this trip. Off to Haliburton Forest this weekend again to get the body worked out a bit before the Gaspe trip! Ty Again.

Just my 2 cents.... Day 3 is going to be a steady day. 300km on the north shore is a long enough day. Lots of stick handling. Just a heads up that the section of 5 between the town of Gaspe and the trail into Perce has not always been very well maintained in the past. We typically avoid it by taking the orange trail just below Gaspe that goes over to the 597. As a bonus, it is one of the nicer trails out on the tip. Planning for a weather day is definitely a good idea, but if you don't have to use it, I personally would run from Murdochville to la Cache to Point a la Croix. Then the next day run from PALC to the Valga. Nice running up the Matapedia Valley. If you really wanted to treat yourself on the last day, you would go to Amqui via the 587 when leaving PALC. Food for thought

Nice Run. Gotta love finding a truck when you need it.

Best Gaspesie suggestion is wait till late March, much warmer, longer daylight, no one there. Couple years age we left there on 4/7. Just a thought. Photo is 4/7/16 last truck in the corral at The Universal.

Ray, it may cost me a steak or two, but when I tell Lois how much better the '2019 ACE 900 is over her '16 900, my steak bill will be a lot cheaper than your new sled bill. There seems to be inquiries about what new sled Farmerold is driving this year. All I can say is it is way above my pay grade to reveal that kind of information. It is such all encompassing gigantic news that such a leak could harm national security. Had a chance to talk to SnowDog,, talk to Jak, and finally got to meet Scorpionbowl and his friend Marty. New sled, new and old friends, what a great day to start out the RDL season. mike

Today rode West with JAK and met GKW at St. Pamphile and the 3 of us rode back to the hotel together. Conditions great! In big field GKW pulled alongside at trail speed and gassed his new 900T. Wheelie and gone bye-bye. New Choko coat (Adventurer): 2 big thumbs up. Toasty warm, so well designed and so well made. Saguenay Bill has been trying to get me into one of these coats for years. You would think by now I would know to listen to him. Glad to know it was my old coat and not my old age making me cold. mike

I agree. I was one of them hockey parents and a coach. The boys I coached still give me a big hug when they see me. Lot's of high lights in my life. Now I'm riding snowmobiles with my kids and some of them players I coached. There was a few wild times with them little 14 and 15 year olds. I always told the parents they made them and wasn't my fault they acted that way.

Playhard should probably be made aware that Groomer will be doing a 'Ride Along' for the first few runs and that he will be encouraging perfection.....

Had that problem 3 month ago . got the cortisone shoots about 98 percent recovered now. This season 5K miles should finish curing it ! Playhard get well soon Focker !

All things in time. I have not even been out yet, so don’t feel bad. As we used to say on the island......”Soon come”

Don, I really question why I am still south of the border, I'm not being very productive! Have one more weekend here in VT and then it's time to start ticking off the miles to the North.

just like me ...spend too much on qr .... but lots of fun !!!let me know if you re coming no problem to compare...better watch his footprints on the ribbons.....while taking pics on my way to st alexandre...lac saumon and the lake...about 3'' of fresh snow !!! jean-guy

Anytime Anywhere

Now that is Funny. Terry you truly got too much time on your hands.

Grand sourire! The "training preparation" sounds tough, but I'll do my best! Gotta either get off the grid or find some TV re-runs of "Real Housewives of Chibougamau"...

O! M! F! G! Ha! Put me in Coach! Me & Monker are really-really ready!

My wife and anybody else we ride with give me a hard time about my mittens, but doesn't bother me! These things are the next warmest things in the world next to Jacks beaver mitts!

The “Mistress” saw her first real action today. Performed flawlessly as expected and we are gonna get along just fine. Man was tough to want to get her dirty but hey, it’s what she was built for.

JG- I'm a little bored at the office and I find myself spending way to much time on QR! I need to find some friends who want to head north, we'll hopefully be seeing you soon. We'll be able to compare the white ribbons that you and Playhard are laying down!

hi terry !!! thx for the laugh ....great one...funny !!! you brought a great smile in my face... playhard...better start taking your afternoon nap...long runs are coming !!! jean-guy

Can't imagine. No "right thing" to say under such circumstances. Just "being there" for loved ones as much as possible goes a long way.

bonjour playhard !!! time to learn about grooming technics !!! found a little drag for you !!! have fun !!! jean-guy

Wow, thought you were horsing around like the joker you are David. Dam hope it’s a 2-3 week thing, sucks been out of commission during season, wishing you a speedy recovery young man. Idea....get in your truck slip it into cruise control to RDL hang with the mayor for the next 10 days. Talk with all the QRs passing through, listen to Mikes riding stories in the evening while in the day use the pool hot tub and spa treatments. You’d be on the trail with the boys while having all the amenities of home.

We drilled a batch of BVS2 shields to take the wire out thru the siliconed holes above the sealed heated section to avoid the skinny wires (eventually) breaking in the hinge loop.

Day 1. Wore the same heavy choko balaclava I used with my BV2S, left at -22, made it 3km and had to stop and open the vents. The Oxygen is an extremely warm helmet. A bit of frigging with the visor up and down but got the day in. Switched the dark sunvisor for the yellow one, big improvement. At this point I was still unsure if this was a good purchase. Day 2. Switched to a thinner balaclava, everything changed. The helmet worked much better. The visor would still get some condensation but put it up a couple minutes and it is good to go again. My opinion with two days wearing this, it is better then my previous BV2S. It is quieter, better air sealed and considerably lighter. After a long day of riding you don't have a sore neck. Plus no mouth piece, a definite bonus!! Is if perfect, no, but worth the extra $$ over the BV2S. The Oxygen could be too warm for March riding I will add more if I see anything note worthy over the next few days of the ride. Just my $0.02 worth.

Sorry to hear you had to cancel. You had a good trip planned. Hope you heal fast. I’m riding out of eastern township, heading up to bas st- Laurent on the 21st-25th. Went to Real Massé Xmas - New Years week. Hope to run into you sometime this winter.

Got plans this week end, next week end let’s crash some partys.

2018 Renegade, Best advice I can give you is if your group needs to buy 7 day trail passes buy them from Louise at : Quebectrails.com Louise works at the snowmobile club in Chandler. She is like the God Mother of the Gaspe. She will courier your passes to which ever hotel you decide to launch from. She knows all the lodging options and the people that run them and will suggest or make the actual bookings for you. We had all our nights booked, had to delay by one day due to weather. One call to her and she rearranged 2 or 3 bookings. She is extremely helpful and efficient. Between weather, machines and people its difficult to keep to a 5 day plan. Your present plan may have some to long and some to short days. And as noted above maybe missing some of the areas you should try to see if in the Gaspe. If your going late January your likely before the big Gaspe rush between mid Feb. and mid March. Could likely wing it, book 24 hours ahead once you know where you are and next day weather. Have a committee meeting late afternoon and see what the options are for the next night. I haven't stayed at the Valga but hear it is very nice. If the drive in concerns you as noted above other options for launch hotel is Mont Joli Hotel or Quality Inn in Matane. All these 3 put you in good position for a 5 day loop. RDL is a great option but will add significant km to your loop. Below is the route we did 2 years ago. Recommended by many of the Gaspe veterans here. Not saying you need to do this exact loop but it does include most of the must do trails while in the Gaspe. 1400 km (840 miles) we did in 5 days. See your from Toronto, I'm from Bowmanville. Good Luck, Steve

SUPER looking pics. and good to see u can leave from home.. Hope to see u soon..

I’m happy to see the trails are that nice that far south, means less of a drive for me. Lapointe Sport 1 hour to the trail. Another storm should bring southern trails connected.

Great report Alain, I really enjoyed reading it and the pictures are beautiful.

I did go on a short jaunt with the Mayor. He was itching to give that new 900 a little trot or should I say gallop. He didn't let those ponies rest. When we arrived back at the Universal, his smile said it all. FamerOld was in western Quebec earlier this week. I think he is due for an oil change already. That is a hint on the motor type folks and the motor breaths naturally. He covers a lot of trail too! I've got the 850 back with the new 1.6" cobra track on it. I've got to learn how to ride again. The Mayor couldn't find the trail leaving the hotel so he went over the snow bank. I followed him and didn't make it. A little throttle on the 850 spins that track and if you are not ready for it, it will dig down to the dirt and leave the skis pointing up. Embarrassing! 🙁 But it was a fun late afternoon ride to get loosened up. Today looks like a fine day, sunny and -13C. Jack & Sandi

A picture of Farmerold's new sled would cost you a couple turf and surfs for the occupier of room 136. Maybe Smclelan could throw in a nice bottle of vin rouge. Apparently I hold the answer to the biggest mystery in Quebec.

Surf & turf for everyone 😂

Think that one pic sums it up nicely!

Levis to RDL, 270 miles. 75 to 55 to 35 to 5 all perfect 10 except for minor drifting in the fields. Beautiful day, wicked base on the trails, pulled out 2 Canucks. if u think it's cold u picked the wrong sport. We usually only stop for gas, but I was able to get one pic, didn't get a pic of the amazing sunset into the hotel.

Welcome home Mayor Mike!

40 mile loop late afternoon with Jack and a mystery rider who pulled in behind us and rode the loop with us. Back to the hotel when we found out it was none other than Farmerold tagging along. Conditions are mint. Initial impressions of the new 900 (non turbo): Sweetest sled ever! Note the trail no longer starts behind the hotel. Now you need to go next door to the gas station, follow the trail along the road for a couple hundred yards and then bear left. It quickly meets the old trail. Good luck guys trying to get a free drink out of this tight ward. mike

$160 HJC full face, w/ electric shield . I run with no breath deflector, cant see bringing extra snot and saliva along for the ride. I carry spare cords in case of issues. i wear cheap sunglasses as long as its above 0F(-18c) without issues. Super cold weather and they fog.. Have had the odd temporary failure, but its almost always at the connections. Dry em off, good to go. But, you have to be easy on the connection where the wire meets the helmut. That is the delicate point that can break, and then the wires move at the shield. Been running similar setups for 15 yrs.

Her main job will be Hydro-Excavation. She will just dabble in poop occasionally.

Looks just too pretty to pump poop! Very impressive.