Leaderboard

Two of us arrived Tuesday noontime got our room then headed out for lunch and a quick spin. It was fairly cold about 10F, and the trails were terrific. Hard, flat , fast. Pretty much the way I like em. After a bite and brew at the Relay Station on 351, we headed east to the ice fishing village (city) at st anne de la parade. Then looped back on 351 where it parallels Hwy 40 heading west towards trois rivieres. Again all trails were hard hwy like surfaces. Back in to Drakkar after gas up at station just down the street from the motel. Wednesdays plan was to do a 1 nite saddle bag over to st raymond via Latuque, then down 73 into st ray. Before shoving off I said to Reggie, keep my truck keys here in case it snows, or you want to move it , whatever. As it turned out, it was a good decision. It was milder wednesday, snow cover was terrific, but softer. Did the 351,360 to St Joseph, then 355 pipeline into Latuque, all good. 3 ft of snow on the ground up there vs 2 ft in Shawinigan. We had lunch in Latuque, then down 73 we went. About 25 miles into it my buddy wasnt in my mirrors. Uh oh. Pulled over, waited,...he aint coming. 3 point turn , back I go. Hes back a mile or so, looks like hes changing a belt. Big problem, secondary spins in his hand, not good. So now its drag it around, hook up rope, off we go back to Latuque we hope. Fun, fun. We get to where the rail bed(flat trail) ends just west of a big lake. from here on its billy goat hills into Latuque. But, sitting right where the 1st hill starts sits an older gentleman. He speaks in french first, we reply in english, and then he switches to perfect english. He says hes been waiting for us to show up there and he tells us to follow him. He takes us on nearly flat dirt roads and unmarked local trails, stops traffic for us, right to the Hotel Marineau at the lights on the main drag near the airport. Once again the Quebecers drop everything to baby sit us when things go wrong. Amazing. So from the Marineau Hotel I call Reggie back at the Drakkar asking him if he knows of a driver that might be able to come get our sorry asses. He says sure Ill come get you right now. He drops everything and drives my truck with trailer 90 miles up to Latuque. we load up both sleds and back to Drakkar we go. All I can say is we sledders need to support the Reggies of the Motel/Inn world. These folks go way beyond the ordinary to help you any way they can. Can you imagine anyone from a Hotel chain helping you like this?? Wont happen. Need to support these kind of folks whenever possible.

Oh yeah, for sure. He passed us and saw we were towing, so he waited to bail us out where the hills started. Over the years weve had plenty of similar issues and always had the local quebecois save us. Just another reason to ride Quebec.

good morning playhard !!! hahhaha......always take care of the parking at the bridge...when i started grooming ...the ex operator was turning around and backward to the bridge....it was only 9' wide...so , i decided to make it wider to make a parking !!! back from grooming local trails....there s a part going up to the lake ...about 6 miles....wooowwww...tons of moose there.... colder tonight ...way better !!! jean-guy

Day 2 The plan was to continue West either Val Dor or Belletere. Quick call and the forestel is all booked up. Ok, destination Paquin in Belletere. 322 to Tq63. Although there is quite a bit of snow here they obviously need more. Ridiculous amount of brush sticking through the snow, especially after Le domaine. Although just groomed the day before it was a mess till it opens up on the forest road. Into la Verande for fuel and lunch. Super nice owner. Said she will definitely be open next year for lodging. She said they lost there Dachsund to a Wolf last fall. From there 63 fast and smooth. It’s been about 4 years since I’ve been out this way, forgot about that 30 mile super tight twisty stretch from lake Truit to Belletere. Not what the doctor ordered to end the day. At the Pacquin now actually a real nice place. Headed over to the local Pub, great time with the locals. I do believe the plan is Matagami next. 265 miles for the day

Speaking from experience when we 1st came to Quebec 16 years ago I think we were very lucky our guide who became a personal friend gave us a 30 odd page photo copy of do's n don'ts the night before we went on a 3 night tour de lac and then we had a day riding around st felicien after induction on the sleds n doing loops around the car park of the hotel du jardin we still had a lot to learn n did things I now know are a no no on the trails. ( which I now apologise for on a frequent basis lol ) i feel as a tour group of 16 we were very very lucky. We loved it so much we came back on the tour the following year with a girl I met who is now my wife... I shall be for every great full to Jean-claude leduc who has sadly passed away several years ago.

Andyman and I spent 13hrs locked in the ice on the old ferry a few years back. Had to wait for an icebreaker to come free the ferry. That was a looong night!

I guess if I was a business owner in the area that depended on snowmobiles I would become more involved with the clubs?

Here's a short video I edited from shots taken last saturday afternoon (18 january 2020) between Zec Tawachiche relay and Lac Édouard crank up the sound and the quality and enjoy And I left you a bonus, and older one from the 5 january 2020 that I had not posted here... It snowned pretty much since those images but you may have fun to watch it anyway

It is still a tragedy regardless of the chain of events that triggered this. Hopefully something good will emerge from this disaster. You can pass laws but in my opinion, education is the key. Riders have to be informed and understand the risks that come along with this or any sport. Lets all be as safe as we can be. Jack & Sandi

Five of us arrived at motel St Come Wednesday afternoon. Trying a new spot to launch from other then Shawinigan being this is a western run. Reasonable place $45 each a night, only draw back the town is shut tight! No food! The owner ended up cooking us a fettuccine Alfredo, awesome! Morning plan is to head to point Le Daived on the baskatong. Out of the gate head in the wrong direction. 40 miles later back on track. Trails pretty woopped around Mt Laurier. Warm temps and traffic taking a toll. Into la point Daived just as it’s getting dark. Beautiful place with a saq! $116 a night for a suite with breakfast and dinner, can’t beat it! Headed towards belle tier in the morning. 230 miles

The Regginator! I cannot frickin wait.

Only one shovel?

Where am I?

Here’s is first....we left Parent yesterday morning and headed to Clova for breakfast. Chatted a bit with Dominic and headed down the trail that goes down to Le Fer Cheval. This is not a federation trail and not on the map. Dominic said groomer left at 7 that morning heading south to where he turns around about 25-30 miles. Also said another groomer came up yesterday from the south to where they meet at a small River and bridge they both can’t cross. Approximately 4-5 miles from the bridge the groomer guy was broke down in a corner (trouble with hitch pin, bracket and hydraulic hose that is gonna require some serious repair). He satellite phoned Dominic already so all good. Approximately 2.5 miles from his spot heading south we are bogeying down the trail and a tree was across the trail. As we stop a beaver jumps up from behind it in the middle of the trail. He scurried off but not before finishing up knawing the branch he was working on and dragged it off into the bush with him. As we were sawing the tree up to get it out of the way we looked over to see he had another 2-3 chewed ready to drop too. Just when you think you have seen it all. Another 2.5 miles south of the beaver is where the other groomer turned around from his passage. The next 30-40 miles down to Cheval area was not only double wide groomed with no tracks but one of the most insane logging road trails we both have ever ridden. It Rivals the Kanawata/Casey run and the Chibougamau/Mistissini run for sure. Absolutely insane trail and ride.

Your videos and pictures are of the finest quality sir . Absolutely stunning quality. All I can do is snap pictures with my phone.

Saw this on trail today the old buzzard was smoking a cigar

Not to be all corny about "the adventure" but you know, with zero-drama riders even a black trail rescue is WAY better than a terrific day at work, and with the right refreshments can even be fun.

With all due respect... Screw Mar-a-Lago! Drakkar's the Winter White House!

I am here with Reggie right now. Had a few of his shots. Sitting in these comfy recliners. Reggie is the best. It’s like being at home.

Supervising!

They will sleep 5 if need be. One bedroom with two single beds and another with one single and bunk beds

Jack absolutely, such a tragedy. Staked or not I never fully trust the ice and we always try to keep a pretty good space between riders and try to stay off at night

Yes I can believe it , and before Reggie, Bernard was there doing the same thing, you are right, this almost never happens any where else, pretty normal for Canadians to go way beyond what any one else would do. That is why I always tip all these folks appropriately. Season to season they never forget who you are.

Amen to that!

Drakkar and Reggie cannot be beat. #thatshowitsdone

They have now located four more submerged sleds, bringing total to 6 sleds found on bottom, one sled still not found and 5 persons still unaccounted for. Just to clarify..... 7 sleds in water 1 sled was the Guide’s obviously 5 other sleds (the 5 missing) 1 sled the tourist who was pulled out by his friends. (Survived)

Don, I was thinking the same as you. The SMDS area has gotten a bad rap over the years for traffic but truth be told the root of the traffic comes in large part from these tour groups, and I have seen some with 20+ sometimes all over the trail with large gaps in between riders with obviously extremely large differences in skill level. It seems over time that those that were returning customers grew tired of the same old so the tours started turning into multiple night bag tours and while the groups got somewhat smaller the other thing that has happened is with more experience these groups have become somewhat more reckless. One thing I have noticed with these groups........ and I am not sure how they are instructed by the guide but they can be just plain rude. I sometimes think the guides are to blame, I have seen them pulled off to the side and as we are passing them they pull out in the middle of our group. Also sometimes when you come up behind them and finally find a safe place to pass they appear clueless and start drifting over in front of you. Sad sad thing what happened there for all involved but I do think many are rushing to judge the guide

Have fun guys we are across the River in RDL

Drama in Lac-Saint-Jean: the guide would have tried to save the front of the peloton The three survivors said that the guide asked them to turn back before leaving to catch up with the rest of the group 37 OTHER Drama in Lac-Saint-Jean: the guide would have tried to save the front of the peloton PHOTO AGENCE QMI, ROGER GAGNON Logo of journalist Pierre Paul Biron from the Journal de Quebec, Friday March 29, 2019. STEVENS LEBLANC / JOURNAL DE QUEBEC / AGENCE QMI) PIERRE-PAUL BIRON Thursday, January 23, 2020 4:10 p.m. UPDATE Thursday, January 23, 2020 4:10 p.m. SAINT-HENRI-DE-TAILLON | The expedition guide who turned to drama Tuesday evening would have voluntarily returned to the open waters of Lac Saint-Jean in an attempt to catch up with the front of the peloton, which was heading straight for death. He will finally have left his skin too. • Also read: [VIDEO] The son of a missing snowmobiler climbs the podium at the Biathlon World Cup • Also read: Drama in Lac-Saint-Jean: the identity of the five missing tourists revealed • Also read: [IN PICTURES] Resumption of research on Lac Saint-Jean to find missing snowmobilers According to Charles Tremblay, owner of the convenience store where the three survivors took refuge, guide Benoit Lesperance returned to the center of Lac Saint-Jean after making sure that the latter were safe and sound. "From what they told us, the guide came back to them after realizing that they were no longer following, that they had fallen into the water," says Mr. Tremblay. “He told them to come back here, to the convenience store, that they were going to catch up with the others and join them. He never came back. ” This testimony therefore suggests that the guide, probably understanding the danger of letting the five snowmobilers out in front, chose to risk his life to join them. "If he hadn't returned, he would have made it with the other three. But a guide will not let his world go. He surely put the gas on the bottom of the water to try to pass and join them, "believes Charles Tremblay. A local resident, Dany Gaudreault, also told the Journal on Wednesday that the police had seen "traces of snowmobiles turning around the islands and returning to the water", which could correspond to the whereabouts of the guide for find his group. Towards death This missing portion of the story would also explain why the three surviving snowmobilers did not panic when they arrived at the convenience store. For them, the rest of the group had only continued on their way. A path that will probably have led them to death. "When it's dark like that, you don't know what you're falling into." You don't know if it's a big hole or not, ”says the owner. According to his reading of the thread of events, the three French would never have really understood what had happened to their comrades. "They seemed to believe that they had taken the wrong path. They thought that the others had the right path to cross and that they had just continued. That's why they just said that they had lost their group and that they were trying to call them, ”says Tremblay, still shocked by the extent of the drama. "It's absolutely terrible."

My sled arrived at Hospital Moto Thibault at 11am. Surgery began at 1:30pm. The patient is out of danger and has been stabilized, no permanent damage. She is awaiting a transplant. Should be released Monday. Leaking from reservoir where radiator cap seals on it. Awaiting new reservoir and will put new radiator cap. No damage to motor.

On the news last night was a guy responsible for the certification training of the guides. this guide received his certification 10 years ago. Anyway does not matter unfortunately we will probably never know exactly what happened here bottom line very sad day for snowmobiling in Quebec and especially the families who have lost loved ones

A guide with 20 years of experience French tourists weren't getting started with snowmobiles 7 OTHER Guide Benoit Lespérance lost his life. His body was recovered on Tuesday. PHOTO FACEBOOK The guide Benoit Lespérance lost his life. His body was recovered on Tuesday. ANTOINE LACROIX Thursday, January 23, 2020 12:00 AM UPDATE Thursday, January 23, 2020 12:00 AM The Montreal snowmobile guide who tragically perished in the Lac Saint-Jean accident on Tuesday evening was far from being his first expedition. He had about 20 years of experience. “He's been a snowmobile guide for a long time, he's an experienced guy. It didn't seem like a daredevil guy either. He was a very appreciated person, "said Stéphane René Tremblay, a friend who has known Benoit Lespérance for 15 years, completely flabbergasted. Frequent traveler, the latter was not often in Montreal. However, he still had a pied-à-terre in the metropolis, his daughter's apartment. "It had been a year since I last saw him and I saw him again last week. I can't believe this is happening, it's sad, ”added Mr. Tremblay, who also owns the apartment. The 42-year-old guide, who mentioned on Facebook having 20 years of experience, accompanied the group of eight French snowmobilers when the tragedy occurred in an unmarked area of Saint-Henri-de-Taillon. "I have a friend who died" “Personally, I have a friend who is [presumed] deceased,” testifies Francis Pierrel, an organizer of snowmobile trips to Quebec, in shock when speaking of one of the French victims. “He has been coming to snowmobile with me or others since 1995. He was passionate about Quebec and snowmobiling. " Departing from Saint-Michel-des-Saints on Monday morning, the troop stayed in the evening at Relais 22 Milles, not far from La Tuque, before finally hitting the road the next day towards the Lac-Saint-Jean region. Among the possible hypotheses, Mr. Pierrel does not rule out that the group dispersed on the path and that the tourists unfortunately found themselves in a precarious situation. "The guide may have seen them and gone to meet them to warn them of the danger," said Pierrel. Experienced tourists The company responsible for the trip, Aventures 3000, was stingy with comments all day. The owner of the company, Patrick Denis, refused to answer questions, but a shareholder of the company, Jean-Pierre Turci, however reacted to the "unfortunate event". He specified in particular that the tourists, like the guide, had experience with such devices. “We have five clients who died [missing] and a guide. Customers who came regularly, ”said Turci. Repeating several times do not want to "short-circuit" the survey. He added that he was "saddened to lose knowledge". It was impossible to know the identities of the French tourists involved. According to the France 3 channel, the three survivors are from Haut-Rhin, in the east of the country. The five missing tourists, aged 24 to 58, are from the Alsace or Vosges region.

As of last night they have located 2 sleds on bottom, they will attempt to remove them this morning. Still missing 5 riders and 5 sleds. Guide was from Montreal area and been a guide for 10 years. Still no one knows why they left marked trail. Where they ended up is for sure an area no one rides ever, never frozen enough due to current.

We were at Lunic this a.m. after leaving 100 Lacs this morning. Was talking to André the owner and a couple days ago (maybe last week) there was a sled/sled collision about 15km from there supposedly involving an American and guy from Ontario. One guy supposedly got a broken leg. The way he was describing the one guy (to me at least) sure sounds like that Jim Jamison guy. Andre said he was older 70ish and rides CRAZY miles mostly alone but sometimes with his wife. But he swore he was from Ontario as he saw the guys registration and I thought he was from Pennsylvania. Also said the guy never had a serious accident in all his years and miles. Just glad no one was more seriously injured.

Freezing rain now rut ro

Remains of SQ helicopter that crashed during search for missing snowmobilers