Leaderboard

Another cold one this morning. I start my sled and the motor temp reads -15 F (-26 C). Today it is 2/3 of the Gutz brigade, Joe and myself. A lot was groomed last night. We cross the two bridges and take 134, pickle park. Not too fast, I'm still adjusting. Turn right on 93 and this is fast and flat. The machines love this cold air. We are going to be on the mountain today so we top off the sleds at the Nutrinor station in St Honore. Back on the trail. Just how we like it, smooth with a little dust on top. We get up to the airport and the groomer had just left his house and is heading toward Mont Valin. The trail is fine. It doesn't need to be groomed but we will take it. Unfortunately we go around him but like I said, the trail is just fine. Winding around on 93 and we start up the mountain. The trail is getting a little chopped up as we approach Valinuet. A lot of tracks from the mountain sleds crisscrossing over the trail. The further up we go, the trail gets better. A lot more fluff on top of the trail here. We pull into KM 31 for lunch. Sometimes we stop here and sometimes we patronage the Chapelle. Not too busy but more sleds keep arriving. Beautiful view of Lac Jalobert up here. Nice and clean at KM 31 and good food. After lunch, we continue on 93 a little further to the groomer's house and we turn right onto 262. We are going down the back side of the mountain. The sleds are pushing some here. More fluff on the trail. A lot of tracks from the off trail guys thru this section. We get to 264 and turn left. Its a clear day and we decide to take a quick ride up to Pic du Lac du Sundicat lookout. It has been a few years since I've been up there. Only about 1 mile up the lookout trail to the top. Nice view. I think that is Jonquiere over there in the distance where the smoke stacks are. Very peaceful up here so far away from everything. I've got some old pics on a thread from a few years ago. I'll have to go find it and bring it to the top. There are 5 major lookouts made for us snowmobilers in this area. If you haven't been on the top of them, it is worth the ride. OK. Back down the trail and left on 264. This is in good shape as we get away from the top of the mountain. Not as much traffic on the lower half. We get to 328 and turn right. I remember the FCMQ put a lot of money into 328 a few years ago to make it more rideable. It is much better than it was but there are a lot of ups and downs and lefts and rights. No high speed runs on this. About 20 miles later we get to 93. Decision time. It is early and it is a nice day. Go back the way we came on 93 or stay on 328? We vote for 328. It looks like it is in good shape at the junction and it will add a few miles to the day. Off we go down 328. It is good. Not as much fluff as up on the mountain but the sleds dig into the corners so much better. This isn't anywhere near as twisty as the eastern part that we were just on. A good run thru here. We pass St David and then turn left on 134 /93. We were on this yesterday and it is still just fine. No drifts. A really nice trail. Not too much for elevation change. Just nice gentle curves and long straightaways. We cross the 2 bridges and back at the Delta. Not gassing up tonight. Tomorrow we are going home. This may have been my last trip for this season. I have to see what is going on back at home and work. That nasty four letter word. Overall it has been a good season. The sleds have been fine. The truck and trailer were asking for a little attention but that has been taking care of now. I'll see if I can find the old pics from the lookouts. Be safe everyone. Jack & Sandi

Work is finished on new bridge. We passed on 83 there last week. No more plowed to deal with. Just FYI

Day 1 / Fri Feb 14th Left home in Central VT at 5am and drove to camp in Averill VT where we met with two other couples, 6 of us total for this trip, 2 Doos and 4 Cats. On the sleds at 9am with a very chilly -11 starting temp. Crossed thru customs in Beecher Falls and headed north. Trails all groomed and stiff, the running is fast. Really enjoy running through the Eastern Townships as they do a great job with the trails, and traffic is non-existent. We run the 523 up past Sawyerville, then zip down the railbed where we catch 55. Again, super fast and set-up hard as concrete. While passing through Cookshire we are disappointed to see the little bar/restaurant as you cross rte 108 all boarded up, we have enjoyed stopping there over the years. We continue on the 55 to Weedon for fuel, warm-up and lunch at Restaurant Le Moulin. After the nice break we are now on the 65 nord and take this to the 540 headed towards Thetford Mines. Had to stop just outside Weedon and pick a baby deer out of the trail that somebody had obviously just clipped as she was still warm. Very sad, but set her on the snow bank out of the way, Mother nature was taking it from there. Lots of deer activity, so this stuff is bound to happen. The 540 took us around Thetford, up to the 35, and eventually the 75. Finished out the ride into Levis where we would spend the night at the Normandin. Arrived at 5pm and the temps never really gave us a break today, a shower and cocktail never felt so good! Over to the restaurant for dinner, decent food, but really poor service. While headed back to the rooms for the night had the pleasure of meeting Quebec Riders Andyman and SMclelan, they were in the middle of a 12 day run. Always great to meet fellow QR peeps. 211 miles for the day. Day 2 / Sat Feb 15th Woke up to another cold morning, but that would play out well as it should hold the trails a little longer on a weekend. Usually try to avoid being anywhere near QC on a weekend, but couldn't avoid this one. The Colibri shuttle was right on time at 7:45am, but would require 2 trips as our 6 sleds could not fit in one trip. That Suburban / trailer combo that gets us back and forth across the bridge is showing it's age, and is always an experience! The dashboard looks like a Christmas tree all lit up with all the lights that are on, and the drivers door wouldn't open so the driver has to crawl across and get out the passenger side. But......it's the only way I know to get across, so we just hang on! One little hiccup with my 900T......started and loaded up on the trailer with no problem, but when I went to unload on the other side everything was dead, had to push off the trailer. Was thinking maybe a frozen relay, but after messing with it for a while, it fired right up. Not sure what to think, but that was the only time on the entire trip that happened. The trails were again fast and flat and we headed east on the 3 up until the 369 north. A little rocky in the beginning, which was odd as the grooming map showed fresh groomed? We soon found out what was up as we came across a dead groomer in the trail. We navigated around it and soon were on groomed trails again. Had never been on this trail and after running through a lot of twisty wooded terrain, we opened up into a very fast, rolling run all the way to Letape, fun run indeed. Took fuel and lunch there and then proceeded on the 23 north. Almost immediately ran into a posse of Police set up just outside of Letape, had to be at least 20 of them, quite a sight! It was still so cold they just looked for our stickers and waved us on our way, no paperwork needed. The next 40 miles up to Mt Apica was pure heaven! Super wide, flat, and surprisingly, hardly a sled on it, seemed very strange being it was a Saturday. Quick stop then onward to the 368 (Bills Trail) heading towards the Delta. Again, trail was a 10, and perhaps a little to smooth as one of the girls and her Kitty missed a left turn and launched the bank and disappeared into the depths below. I was right behind her and witnessed the entire event, I didn't have a good feeling. Upon dismounting my sled and running in her direction I found her and the sled upside down in 5ft of powder, which was her saving grace. The track was spinning at about 75 mph as the the throttle was pressed against her as she was wedged under the sled. But.....she and the sled were untouched and neither had a scratch, very lucky lady. She did end up with about 8 more miles at the end of the day though! She was told she would have to explain to Bill later on in the evening about the Kitty Litter on his trail. Rest of the ride uneventful as we cut across on the 83 to the Delta for the evening. We were the last ones to fit in the sled corral, over 50 sleds and room for no more. That would prove fateful for a fellow Vermonter that we met as his sled was stolen that night from out front. They had thieves on camera at 3am hotwiring sled and making getaway. Very rare for sure in this area, but it happens. Great to see Bill and crew in the lobby. 225 miles for the day. Days 3-6 to follow...

Three of us this morning, John joins us. So today it is John, Joe and Jack. Hmm! It is cold, -25 C. The groomers didn't care. They were out last night. The trails should be good since it is cold and there won't be too many people out. The three of us pull out of the Delta and get on 83 west. Only a few sled marks.We take our time for the first ten miles or so. Let the sleds warm up and get the suspension moving. Beautiful ride on 83. The gentle curves and rolling hills. A fun way to start the day. Not too long and we are at Kenogami. Nice, the groomer even made a pass across the end of the lake. A couple of sleds coming toward us. Plenty of room. We turn right on 383. Pick up a little speed here. A nice variety of woods and fields. We turn right onto 563 to St Bruno. 562 around the airport and up to the bridge in Alma. The trails are perfect. The groomers knocked down the drifts. A little reroute here where the road construction is going on. Turn left on 93 and we are off and running. A quick restroom stop in St Henri and back on the trail. Joe says this is the best ride he has had this season. You're right Joe, it doesn't get much better than this. It is cold but that is what makes the trails so nice. 93 thru the fields and we are in St Monique. The power line is ahead. Not groomed last night but still smooth enough to let the horses run. We spread out a little with the snow dust in the air. Not any wind today. A few sleds parked at the end of the power line. I look to the right down 93 and I see the groomer coming out of St Augustin. Make a mental note of that because we are turning left to Peribonka. A little drifted thru here. A lot of open field running. The last stretch before Relais Vauverrt where the trail normally runs the side of the road, the road is closed. The trail is on the road. A nice straight wide stretch. Oh boy! Zoom and we pull into Vauvert. Good, they are open. Only two other guys in here. Another nice relais. Very clean and a good view of the snow covered lake. From here you can see how big the lake is. No hurry now. Time to warm up and have some of that good Canadian food. A few more sleds pull in. We talk about how nice the trails are. The groomers do so much work every night. Thanks again. After lunch we go a little further up 93 and then get on the local trail to St Jeanne-d'Arc. This is a quick little trail thru the scrubby pines. Time to gas up at St Jeanne. A u-turn on 93 to head back. More of the scrubby pines. Flat running up in this area. We come out behind Relais L'Erable. Maybe misspelled? Thru St Augustin and we pick up where I had seen the groomer earlier. Yea! He did 93 down the power line to St Monique. The day keeps getting better. Even though it is around -18 C, it doesn't feel that cold. It must be because we are having so much fun. After St Monique, we turn left on 367. We are heading into the blueberry fields. We make quick time of that and we turn right and take the short connector to 328. More blueberry fields. We keep the pace up. This is one of my favorite areas. Especially after it has been groomed. We zig zag thru the woods and just before Relais des Lacs, we turn left staying on 328. More woods than fields now. Thru Begin. 328 opens back up into some long stretches here. More open areas and no drifts. We get to where 93 was rerouted a couple of years ago above St Ambroise. Hmm! Its 2:30. We could turn right and head back OR we could turn left and make a bigger loop? It is too early to leave trails this good. We turn left. Up a little ways and we turn right still on 328 / 93. We cross the road and 134 / 93 is straight ahead. 328 leaves us to the left towards St David. 134 couldn't be any better. Smooth with some rolling hills. I think of Bill and Cindy every time I run this trail. They had gotten stuck in drifts here a few years ago had a bad experience getting out. It turned out alright in the end, but it was a few hours. No drifts today. Onto 134 pickle park and almost to the first bridge, where the water tower is, there is a groomer coming towards us. Some days when you think it cant get better, it does. These days make up for the bad days that we all have had. We cross the two bridges and we are back at the Delta. Great trails, really good company, good food, blue sky. What else good a snowmobiler ask for. I wish Sandi was here. Jack

Day 3 / Sun Feb 16. This was planned as a very light day at the girls request. Didn't fire sleds until around 10am and headed up to 93 via the 367 and westward to Saint Monique. Stopped on edge of lake for a bit to watch a guy doing some kite skiing with his dog trying to keep up. Looked fun but saw him wreck pretty good once. Topped off with fuel, and then backtracked a little to the 367 east and headed to relais du lacs for a break and a beer. Hit some total whiteout storms a few times, but would ride out of back into blue skies each time. Open fields had super high winds with lots of drifting. Looped back to the Delta for an easy day, just what the wife's were looking for. Headed for the Castle in the morning. 155 miles

Thanks for sharing Jack love riding along with you as I'm sat on the sofa. It was great meeting up with you and Sandi again, have a great summer be safe and we'll see you again next February god willing , all the best Gary and Pat..

Thanks piston lake cruiser for the perfect directions to the gas station Thanks Zrtkat

Here is the 300 miles loop we did from home yesterday, Saturday February 15, 2020 It is one of our classics that we do every season, many miles but easy to do because there are many fast segments. Yesterday conditions were also ideal: cold to have beautiful solid trails that last all day (-22C at 8:15 when we started) and good visibility to be able to ride easily. In addition being able to do it directly from home: we are blessed! We did it starting with the southside. As expected most of the trails were freshly groomed Here in St-Barthelemy area, we even passed the dozer which was finishing his run Its a good temperature indicator when you see the snow dust staying in the air like that... When we make this ride, we always cut between #3 and #63 near Louiseville on #350 trail , it's more direct. As long as the little Rivière du Loup is good which was the case: solid and marked The only problem at these temperatures is my gopro that I can't keep alive, it keep shutting off itself. I had to turn it back on maybe 12th time just to get there so I finally give up and left it off. Here St-Barnabé sector. Here west of St-Etienne des Grès after the stretch from the above pic, we had to turn left at the junction to follow #3 trail and there is this clown face stuck to a tree ??? there are several of them in different places in this sector that have been there for years ... I had always wonder what was the meaning ??? After refueling, we cross the St-Maurice near the Gabelle dam. The last storm having left alot snow last week, the river is a bit bumpy but it's not bad East of St-Maurice river, pleasant surprise: #3 trail was mint! We got on the St-Maurice river in Grand-Mère (trail M19) We then went straight at #23 trail junction to continue on the river Be careful to follow the stake trail, it's a clear water spot on the left! The trail is well marked and it's impossible to miss it, just follow the safe route.. The river trail was a bit bumpy but is still rideable at a good pace. The scenery is as beautiful as ever Here the little trail as we got out from the river and pass under the #155 car road bridge Then back to perfects conditions The conditions were so good that we arrived at Marineau at Rivière Mattawin for lunch at 12:10 with 130 miles on the dreammeter We shared there a good lunch with Cobra from here on QR that was starting his vacation alone in the area. I was knowing him from the many messages we had exchange in the past about the conditions and more, and the timing was good so we hook up there for some riding together after our meal. The #360 was nice and fast with his as always superb views. Given the nice trail conditions, we chose to expand the ride a bit by looping on the M20 trail. This trail had never deceived us and was even nicer this time. The picture do not do justice to how good it is to do this stretch a beautiful large glacier on the mountainside, outstanding when the sun shine Good luck for trying to respect this sign!!! The last 20% of the length is a little slower but so beautiful We took a break at the #345 junction and we then continued south We took another break at the Taureau reservoir dam. It was just 3:45 pm and it was going so well that for a moment I had considered looping around the reservoir on the #360 and pass through St-Michel des Saints but by doing a quick calculation, we already had a 300 miles ride with the initial plan so I decided to be reasonable and keep it more relaxed. Big thank you to Cobra for one of the very few pic where we are both Kristine and me on it And another one of Cobra and me We then crossed the dam and continued south. This red renegade have a darn nice look! We met a dozer who was starting his run very close to the Cabanon where I stopped to refuel. We then continued on the #23 south of the Cabanon where we passed this other dozer which was doing his south loop We arrived at Réal Massé around 5:15 pm to taste a good vegetable soup and have a last good chat with Cobra. With my bad frenglish and the limited Kristine's 4 english words vocabulary, he had a good challenge but when people sharing the same passion meet, it all go well and we had a very good time together (for us at least 😂). Beside being a gentleman, Cobra is a very good experimented rider and we consider ourself lucky to had the chance to share a ride with him. We left around 6:15 pm in home direction. The trail conditions were still good even in the evening on this cold day and we've been home a little before 8:00 p.m. with 309 miles on the dreameter, the smile still from ear to ear from this very nice ride. In summary, the conditions are at their top right now, can't ask for better. Hopefully mother nature cooperate and the winter conditions continue so that we can still enjoy it for a while! For more details on the trails in the area and more: https://www.snowmobilecountry.ca/en/conditions/ Alain

Day 4 / Monday Feb 17. This will be another quick run as our destination is Le Fairmont Richelieu , an easy run down the Claremont Express. Temps have plummeted again, and the wind is as Groomer would say 'windy like hell'! Before leaving the Delta, we run into the Gutz Bros saddling up for a ride, more QR peeps! Departure time not until around 9:30 and we jump on 83 and head south. We do slide off into St Felix to top off the tanks as the Cat crew that's riding with us would not be making the entire 135 mile trip on one tank. After fueling we continue on the express and it does not disappoint, a super quick run all the way to the Castle. We pull into the heated garage, drop our gear in our rooms, slip into bathing suits and head for the outside tubs. Can it get any better than this? We arrange for the door man to have fresh drinks sent poolside every 20 minutes, and he does not fail. After we are all prunelike, we shower and head to the casino for a little pre dinner blackjack. This trip just keeps on getting better as our dealer is rolling the cards in our favor! After a great dinner and stay, we all ended up being payed for our visit, gotta love casinos.

We always go up the 23 and back down on 355 through Lac Bouchette. Nice wide fast forestry roads for the most part. We rode up 23 last thursday and back down on Sunday, smooth sailing all the way.

bonjour !!! earleir this morning.....great day for riding !!! jean-guy

Here are some pics that Sandi & I took Jan 23rd & 24th before the rain came. These are from the new scenic overlooks in the Mont Valin area. You have to see these in person. The pics do not do them justice. The first pics are Lac du Syndicat which is the overlook off of Bras de l'Enfer which is a local trail between trail 93 and 328 This is probably the steepest climb It is steep. The next pics are from the overlook that is off Bras Louis A little steep but not as tough as Bras de l'Enfer Lac du Syndicat Beautiful view of Valinouet The next ones are from the overlook of Lac Boivin on trail 93 just after La Chapelle Not too steep Coming back down the access trail looking at Lac Jalobert These are from the overlook of Monts Ste Marguerite An easy climb The first 4 miles on the access trail is flat and then the last mile is a slight climb When we reached the overlook, I couldn't figure out how we got so high AWESOME! The last group of pics aren't from a summit but from the local trail from Bras Louis to Onatchiway If you're on the mountain, bring your camera and spend a little time on these overlooks. They are breathtaking. Jack & Sandi

Red and green. One to ride up and one to come down. Avoid the red on a weekend. Yellow has the long plowed section this winter.

Problem solved! #33 already reopened and will be groomed tonight 👍

These were form 2010. I think that was the second year the lookouts were made. The clubs created the lookouts because the trail to the original tower lookout, on the top of Mont Valin, was closed. Jack & Sandi

Check the groomer map update Monday morning after 6:00 AM to see what was groomed. 23 (red) gets you up in elevation in about 10-15 miles. It is a lot of park roads so it is quick if smooth but if it is warm over the weekend and not groomed, it will be bumped up. 355 (green) would be my second option as long as it was groomed recently. Not as much traffic here. 73 (yellow) would be my last choice. Longest distance and like Iceman says, part of it has been plowed. Jack & Sandi

In Kanawata now, made it up to Mistissini few days ago. Thank you Snowmaster for your earlier reports this year. Great place to see, even had a club sandwich in your honor. Cheers!

As I read this post it made me think of after 30+ years riding, thousands of thousands of miles and all friends and riding partners that have come and gone, everyone should appreciate and cherish the people your with, as time goes by it all changes

23 is overused , stay away on weekend gets bumpy esp. bottom half from L'etape down to st. raymond.. ...north of relais 22 they had plowed to fix a bridge,passable but 20km of bulldozed road.. trail up thru lac bouchette is good ..

bonjour jeff and sandy !!! yaaa...so many hrs ...and to end up my career as an operator like that ....yaaa...sad for sure !!! i ll never forget first time i met both of you ...just a few miles west of ste marguerite !!! another cold morning today ....-38c at 6 am....sunny ...-27 c right now many thx for all the meals at the restaurant ...and take care of yourself too !!! jean-guy

It has been a good week but then isn't any day of snowmobiling better than work? Be safe. Jack

So back to the ride. We head up the trail to 83 and turn right. Need gas. A few miles up by the little bridge, we turn right on local 27 and go into La Baie to the Ultramar and fill up the sleds. Lets go see the fishing village down on the bay. Joe has been there recently but I haven 't been there since the early 90's. Oh I'm showing my age now. We run along the trail which is the pedestrian way along the edge of the bay during the summer months. I was going to say during the good weather but the winter is the good weather for us. You can see the village from the pedestrian way as you ride along. We drop down onto the ice and follow the red stakes. This is a cool thing to see. If you haven't been here, take a ride thru. Sometimes we are so focused on getting from point A to point B, we miss the neat things in between. The snow is plowed to make little roads thru the village. The huts are all lined up in rows and blocks. Cars, trucks and sleds parked next to the huts. There are probably a few bicycles tucked away in here. We get off the bay and get on the beginning of trail 368. We wind our way around and then 368 opens up into fields. A little wind blown here and some drifting but we can live with that. Cruising along we get to 83 and turn right. Not much further now. Thru Chicoutimi and I can see the Delta. What a nice day of riding in Quebec. Jack

I'm a day behind here. Yesterday, Joe and I decide for a ride east on 83. We are going to meet some of the other QRs at the Auberge des Battures for lunch so we have to time this right. We are gassed up and off towards Chicoutimi. We be good and go slow thru the 20 kmh zone on 83. There are plenty of places we can run fast without getting the local people upset. The trail is good. We go by Bec-Scie and keep on cruising. Everything is fine. I get to the turn off for the Auberge and look at the time and the odometer. Its 9:30 and we are suppose to be at the Auberge for 11:30 for lunch. The loop we want to do is about 60 miles so this should work out just right. We continue on. This part of 83 was groomed the night before. Just a little chatter in the corners. A little oncoming traffic but 83 is wide and everyone is behaving. We get to the 383 cutoff to L'Anse St Jean and the groomer had come out of there last night. The next stretch should be perfect. Joe asks me if I want to swap machines and try his 900 Turbo? Sure! I've been curious on how it would feel compared to the 850. On we go. I'm a little unsure because it has the ETC, electronic throttle control, that was on Sandi's 1200's that I could never get accustomed to. It is a lighter push on the lever compared to the cable control on the 2 strokes. Not as twitchy as the 1200's were. OK. I'm getting comfortable with this. I'm in regular mode. Joe has a nice seat on this. Later he tells me its Ski-Doo's big soft seat. I could be sitting in my easy chair at home watching a game. This is comfy. The 12 km go by fast. We turn right onto 383 by the relais. I refer to this relais as the one legged bird relais. A few years ago there was a little bird that had lost a leg some how. He would hang around here and wait for sleds to pull in. I remember the first time we met him. We had parked and this bird flies over and lands on my windshield. I had a package of crackers and opened them and when I looked back at the bird, I noticed one of his legs was missing. He would take pieces of crackers right out of your hand. So cute. So that is my story about the one legged bird. Maybe some of you have seen him too. Back to the sleds. Joe tells to stay on the 900. He wants me to get used to it. We run up 383 to the first local trail, trail 22. 383 was groomed last night and there had been sleds on it. Very smooth. 22 was also groomed but no one on it yet. We are first. Yea. A couple of centimeters of fresh snow on the trail. Off we go. A little twisty in here. There is some logging going on but nothing interfering with the trail. Before we know it, we are back at the junction with 83. Here we swap back and get on our respective sleds. I want to ride the 850 again while the 900 is fresh in my mind. Hmm? What happened to my nice soft seat? Oh yea, my sled. The 900 is a little heavier on the front end. It corners pretty close to the 850. I'm used to the 850 so I know exactly how it is going to respond. The 900 I didn't push as hard. Not my sled and again, I'm not used to it. Rear suspension, I didn't even feel it back there. It felt like a shorter track. Probably that big soft seat absorbed what the suspension doesn't. I could ride either sled. Its all snowmobiling. While we were switching sleds, a group of about ten sleds go by heading in the same direction as we are going. We take off and we do catch up to them but they are rolling along at a good clip. No I'm not going to try and pass them. Ten sleds, no. It is only 8 km further to the turn. They go straight and we take the trail to the Auberge. I haven't been there before but Joe has and the others. Its about 5 miles down their trail. It does get groomed so it is in decent condition. We pull in and I see that the other guys are here. I look at my watch, 11:28. Perfect. We go inside and Bill, JD, Daniel, Colette and the Gutz boys are here. Very nice place. It sits right on the bay. They are only open for lunch if someone calls with a group of 6 or more. We did and there are others that are coming that aren't with us. A really good soup. It looks like carrot to me. Warm rolls. I get the trout and Joe gets the pork. This is really good. Then comes dessert. A white cake with a light maple syrup with whipped cream and two raspberries. Oh I could make a meal out of about five of these. Wow that is good. To be continued.

bonjour mike !!! great thx....only a guess....since i started grooming , 20 years ago...must be around 100 000 pics...or very close....did nt keep them all ....but i still have tons !!! in 20 years...don t think im wrong ....got stuck 5x...maybe 4 never calculated....somewhere around 7 000 hrs or so .... merci !!! jean-guy

Jean Guy...I have been enjoying Quebec snowmobiling since 1988, when the trail system was only starting to become what it is today. Over the years there were a small handful of guys around Quebec who had a vision of what the sport could be, Bob Boulton at Motel Lefloruron in St. Donat, Mike a Le Mallard at the entry to Mount Tremblant, Dennis at Le Cabanon, Bernard at Motel Safari. All these guys, and many more mom and pops out in the bush put there heart and soul into this sport, got up early mornings and worked late into the night for all us riders. They did all the hard work for us and provided it with a warm, caring attitude and almost always went above and beyond, many have come in the years to follow and still do today.We all remember the ones who really stood out and shined above and beyond all the time, making our trips most memorable. I hope you know that we all know you are one of those bright stars, grooming to a perfection, some of the best kept trails anywhere..then there is your real skill...posting here , from your heart, with the finest pictures of what Quebec is and has to offer. You are a very big part of this game for all of us..on the trail and here on Quebec Rider. You are leaving behind a job that will never be done with the care and enthusiasm that you brought every day, very big shoes to fill.Nothing lasts forever..go chase your dreams, Best wishes and Many Thanks, Bob.

bonsoir playhard !!! merci .....it has been a pleasure to help everyone...back in 05 ....i was lurking on hcs....and then in december 06 ...asked my brother to register me...computer stuff come from another planet for me !!!! can t afford to travel ...but meeting friends at the clubhouse...restaurant...etc...made me travel between the 2 ears... posting pics is my way to pay for all the gifts ...beer and wine i received over the years !!! merci pour ton appreciation !!! jean-guy

We are on the same boat! My old hero 4 had did way colder rides than this one and was still running... the 7 is really caprisious at cold. But when it work, the captured images look like a magic carpet ride! so nice that I don't look back at the hero4 at all. We need to be creative to keep it alive, I am me too in search and development! You are welcome aj17ca ! It's especially for this that I make those report: approved tested rides! ready to be tried 👍

Beautiful report. I remember when we met it was the camera flash from a moving sled that alerted me. Those GoPros can be such a emmerde. Once I get fed up enough I give up too. My older Hero would run all or most of a day in the waterproof housing with it being charged by a battery pack - made its own heat from running and charging. My Hero 7 no such luck yet. I am actually working on a heater solution for mine. Not proven yet, so not sharing yet.

Thanks Rick! I create expectation! 😄 I was doing my photo report since so long that many people told me the same. When I was at Marineau at lunch with Cobra, an other QC rider reader that was there had took a couple minutes to say hi tu us and was telling me that he was following my reports religiously! Thank you snowmaster but the student had surpassed the master here!!! 👍 We are also very lucky to have a big bunch of sledders that made ride report here on QR, all in their own styles. Each one is a great add on to this great forum, the only one where you can find this! I had to admit Kristine is a real trooper to ride on the backseat for 300miles. Cobra was pretty amazed, looking at her that was following me, leaning in the curves and snapping pictures at the same times... he told us:"now I know how magic happened!" 😄 I'm still searching a replacement for kristine's 2005 straight 4mp sony camera, this old stuff is hard to beat but begin to be wear out a bit... as for my gopro, I will need to install a bloc heater on it!!!😅 You are welcome P Hardy! it's a part of our pleasure to share a bit of the fun we had on our rides! Thank you zeusand! You are welcome Blueskyride! It's exactly what we would like to have more this season: blue sky ride! the pics chaser we are really appreciate the sunny blue sky days Thank you grumpysanta! I saw your ride on FB, you really have the twin of JG sled!

GREAT report like USUAL you guys..

Great report Alain! Thanks for letting us ride along...vicariously!

Great report and photos as usual! 👍

Thanks for taking the time to post Alain, it is greatly appreciated by those of us who don't get out near enough!

I have learned and now have been (schooled) by the master Alain !!! Bravo mon ami.....best trail report EVER ....and all with freezing camera and Kristine (4 words of enlish) on the back. My wife wouldn't last 10 miles....LOL So good to see you guys had a phenomanal ride. Cobra had a good time for sure !!! We have been in touch and looking forward to a ride with him. Those pics at the dam are (send me to be blown up and framed) for sure pictures. Such clarity....your camera is FANTASTIC !!! BRAVO !!!!!!!

Great report and pics Alain, I am sure I am not the only one who fires his laptop up on a Sunday night looking for your report!

In NH where everyone was throwing up hand signals all day everywhere, law enforcement is taking the Iceman approach........... https://nhsa.com/nh-fish-game-law-enforcement-encourages-hands-on-handlebars/ my favorite is when your out riding at night and your still getting hand signals.