Leaderboard

I was just thinking about our first trip around the Gaspe 2002. We went without any reservations ( It was the last time I was permitted to do so). We started out of the Quality Inn . I had a backpack with a shovel, ropes and flashlight for emergencies. When we stopped for gas at Sainte-Anne-des-Monts the backpack was gone. We went on and as the sun went down we were in Rivière-la-Madeleine. I was informed that I needed to find a place to stay. We went to Pourvoirie Au Paradis de Judes et Diane. The proprietor did not speak English but he showed me to the garage to park my sled. The place was bustling. After dinner on the way to the room I saw two guys that later we would meet on the trail. The next day we headed to Perce. The weather was warm. We came down from the mountains into a valley (I cannot remember exactly) and it was flooded. I was wishing I had a boat. We drove through a massive puddle. Soon after it started to rain. We managed to make it to Perce. We were happy to get out of the rain. We stayed at Table Roland. I remember having a great meal. The restaurant was setup more like a cafeteria back then. The next morning getting ready to leave I see 4 sleds at the shell station next door. They were all trying to get their machines going. I seems that with all the rain , the gas station had water in the gas. I did not need to get fuel so we head off. It wasn't long before we hit a giant slush zone. I sank like a rock. I carried Gemma to firm snow. My boots filled with water. Then I could hear a couple of machines coming. I tried to point them around the slush. We were all stuck. It was the two guys from the pourvoirie the night before. The three of us managed to move our machines one at a time to firm snow. I thanked them and said goodbye. They insisted we go first just in case. We made our way to the clubhouse in Chandler and took a break. The guys came up behind us and we chatted and had a laugh. I told them I caught a few fishes in my boots. Gemma and I left ahead of them. Going near Port Daniel On a down slope I got stuck bad. Water was running down hill and took out the trail. The Guys were coming I ran uphill to warn them. They helped me out. Then Rene' came down on the Yamaha. He nearly made it. We got him out quick. Ghislain Came down on a MachZ and he was determined to make it. Now I was not going to let them out of my sight. Twice bailed out. I had planed to stay in New Richmond. We got there early and I did not want to lose my new guardians. They wanted to ride on so we followed. Things got very slushy again Near Nouvelle. When we got passed it was getting dark. We made our way to the LArverne Clubhouse. Our guardians were trying to find a hotel. There was a lot of phone calls made by the waitress in the club. It turns out that there's nothing within 100 miles. So the cook calls his father and makes arrangements for us to stay with his dad. We had dinner at the club and followed the cook to his fathers house. I was blown away by the hospitality. I will never forget the kindness. The next morning we had breakfast at the clubhouse. Then we made our way to Groomers TQ5. It was perfect of course. When we got to the north the guys went to RDL and we went to Matane. It was 3 1/2 days Ill not forget. I received a few pics from Rene' via email. Rene' Ghislain The waitress and cook in the middle TQ5

Hadn’t snowmobiled for years since being teenager around 1980. 2005 bought a Polaris 550 then a 2006 Fusion 600. My boys were getting old enough to ride and we did all our riding around the cottage north of Peterborough Ontario. Fall of 2007 starting doing business with a fellow. Wasn’t long before we realized we were both sledders. One day during break at a meeting we were attending he said your a sledder; yep, you have a diesel truck; yep, you have a four place trailer; yep; you want to come to Quebec with us; yep. So would have been winter of 2008 four of us went to Mont Laurier. Stayed at what was then La Sentatier hotel (now Quality Inn). Arrived about 4:00 pm mid week day. Unloaded and headed north. Don’t recall wether it was Rasbaska lodge or maybe St Ann du Lac we rode up to for supper. Riding these perfectly groomed trails, beautiful scenery. We day tripped from there for 3 or 4 days. Weather was perfect, temperature was cold enough trails set up perfect. Hardly hit a bump over those few days. That was it, l was hooked on Quebec. Each day stopping into a different lodge for lunch. Seems the lodges added so much to the experience and the Quebec sledding culture. Ever since 2008 the same group has been doing our annual trip to Quebec. Going to different regions over the years . Have had 3 of my sons for trips over the years and now have my wife hooked on Quebec. We progressed from day tripping in the earlier years to saddle bagging. One of the enjoyable things has been introducing other people to Quebec. Everyones first trip always has that wow factor . Challenge we are having now is trying to keep our group to a manageable size. For several years always the four us us. This year we had to make a policy maximum of 8 guys. 2 years started a second group with some fellows never rode Quebec before. This winter took them to the Gaspe and had an epic trip in early Feb with 5 beautiful sunny days. Every winter spending more time riding Quebec. Self employed using up both holidays and mental health days. Already planning next winter, can’t wait. Steve

bonsoir !!! back in the old days.....someone in my town !!! ps: look at the wipers on the wolkwagen .....😀 jean-guy

Brother Iceman! This just in! You & all brave field-ops heroes who need to wash your hands twice! Tell Alain you need a paint touch-up?... "When you live outside the city limits you usually have a septic system that needs to be pumped out about every five years. It's a pretty big business and requires a special "Pumper Truck". This one gets a lot of return business. Septic tank cleaned out by a local guy with a sense of humor getting a lot of business these days."

1st day riding was pretty much a whiteout with 2’ of fresh in the upper elevations so we basically did 85 mile loop from 5,700’ to 10,200 and back to the trail head, it was a hell of a workout trying to keep the sled from getting sucked off the trail. We found the further you ride in from the trailhead the less traffic you’ll encounter when playing in the mountains and it certainly helped that a member of our party has been riding in Alpine 3 weeks a year for the last 12 years so we didn’t waste any time looking for the untouched hill climbs, best off trail riding I’ve ever experienced! My only bitch was they didn’t groom our first 3 days there and mountain sleds really do a number on the trails, almost like Tug Hill. I felt sorry for the people who came to just ride the trails it was brutal considering it was Presidents Day Weekend .

Just outside Quebec city on 3...

Awesome story!

Merci beaucoup Robert! Doing fine in NY, next door to the now famous New Rochelle, and respecting precautions! Being a rock-solid optimist I'm pretty sure that widespread testing will show widespread infection, which will (hopefully) put the death rate well below the flu. Still gotta be serious about not "sharing" with high-risk folks. Safe protocol is for everyone to act-as-if you're contagious. We're also in a recession-proof and now officially designated "essential" business, distributing cellphones & service thru about 650 small neighborhood retailers around the northeast. Pretty cool gig for almost 40 years, supporting mom & pop shops putting food on their tables. Done all Carriers over the years, currently exclusive to Boost Mobile prepaid, saving low-income folks lots of dough. Got 90% of our crew of 40 logged-in & dialed-in working remotely, spreading much kindness & compassion, and a few hardcore crew working the warehouse (safely & cleanly). We stopped walk-in/pick-ups with locals a while ago, but we're providing free-shipping as long as UPS & FedEx keep rolling. Naturally having a tough time sourcing bulk N95 masks & hand sanitizers to ship out. Personally, I've never been much of a hand-washer, but I have suspended licking public doorknobs to build my immune system (at least temporarily)! And shhhh!... Don't tell anybody, cuz people will think we be crazy, but the Mrs. & I went for a walk around our block TWICE so far this week! Hoping you and yours all fare as well as possible! "This too shall pass"

Haven't been there in years but remember it well.

good morning artsled !!! hope so !!! even if its cloudy since a few days...snow is melting ....but still tons !!! few pics of my first ride on tq 5 ...last april ....on the 30 th !!! jean-guy

My experience, 2018 new 850 Renegade X with TS skis. First season being new thought TS worked pretty good but some darting in certain conditions. 2nd season maybe a bit more objective not as impressed with them especially after putting on the new 7” carbides. Some darting and hard to steer on the cold mornings when trails were froze hard. For this season l bought a new 900T Renegade XRS with 5.7 skis. Put Aggressive Snow Trackers on before our first trip. Wow, zero darting and easy steering. Takes bit of playing getting the right ski pressure initially with shock adjustment. Amazing the difference a couple turns on the front skid shock adjustment makes finding the balance between steering effort and not pushing in the corners. Summary really happy with the Snow Trackers. Before our last trip to the Gaspe in mid March l put a set of Woody Navigators on the 850 with the TS skis. My wife rode that machine and she said they made a huge difference, really reduced the darting and she liked how it handled much better.

Huge Snowtracker fan here. 5 sleds in a row. Next one will have them before I ride it too.

4 weeks ago found a blizzard 900 NA with 1,300 miles so purchased this first 4-stroke for me. This will will be the saddlebag sled in Quebec. Adding zerks, changing oils, modifying the clutching as per DooTalk Bar549, and getting to know this sled. As of now planning on continuing with the blizzard 600 etc in NYS, that now has 7,500 miles. If all goes as planned, the 900 NA will only be used in Quebec, and with the typical 1,000 +week long trips, I'll be 86 years old when the 900 reaches the goal of 20,000 miles!

bonjour quebec bob !!! omg !!!....hahahaha i saw that thread earlier this week or last week and completely forgot to reply .....i was probably posting on my thread ... of course .....great pics for sure with nice scenery from gt rider !!! and one thing i noticed during the season .....im not a pro photograph....amateur only......but lots of great / awesome pics !!! congrats to all !!! jean-guy

Supposing not much of that was in a seated position? I'm so spoiled by the PQ Groomers, bless their souls. If you put a quarter on my seat in the morning, it's probably gonna be there in the evening!

6602 km or 4102 miles. Had our last ride canceled due to the coronavirus. We all have to look toward next year and stay positive that this virus will be conquered and we can all have a great 2020-2021 season. Have a great summer everyone despite the tough times we are all going through right now. Andy

bonsoir !!! they look alike !!!....i don t mind !!!😁 jean-guy

3,900 for the season, 975 miles in Northern Ontario, 400 in Alpine, Wyoming, 125 brutal miles on Tug Hill, 400 miles in the Keewenaw Peninsula of Michigan and an epic 2,000 miles from Les Escoummins to Blanc Sablon and back.

bonjour p l c !!! great thx....thats 1 or 2 days after we got freezing rain.....early morning ...not too long after sunrise ....on tq 5 ....climbing hill with antlers !!! the 2 next pics...same morning !!! jean-guy

2 year plan is to get the sled and truck miles equal. 5 year plan is twice miles on sled vs truck.