ChrisWright

Yep, cancelled our reservations yesterday. This winter was off to such a great start and then it fall on its' arse!

That's awesome that your group has grown this way. I have a similar story with a gentlemen I met in the early 2000's in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, we have become very good friends although we don't get to see one another often as I have a love for snowmobiling Quebec and not so much the UP anymore. I too had a core group of 4 but unfortunately, they have all got out of the sport due to the added stresses of life today and the addition of children to their families. I, like many others it sounds, don't have children. My wife and I have one spoiled border collie, so it's easy for me to leave throughout the winter. I have been re-building my group over the past few years, but their interests aren't nearly as aligned as our initial core group. I am thankful I still have riding partners to enjoy the sport with even though it will never be quite the same as it was years ago when we would back pack and back country, now we tend to sit tight in one place and only ride trails in and out each day. Unlike you Chris, I don't think I would or could ever have the courage to solo. My mind would drift to all the "what could go wrongs" and talk myself out of it before ever getting started.

Hats of to you Snowmaster! First off, a trip like this solo takes some serious guts, but IMO your willingness to meet new people in take risks to create adventure is amazing!! I have totally enjoyed reading this entire thread and look forward to your next adventure.

It looks like awesome remote riding, which is what I prefer!

Thanks. Even with a stop here, it's showing 344KM to make it to the reserve via 386 to 63. I am guessing it can't be done without carrying fuel.

Hello all, starting to think about 2020 saddlebag planning and wanted to see if anyone could chime in on this one for me. I'm reviewing the interactive map and looking at a run from Temiscaming to La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve. Trails 43 to 386 to 63. Looks like this about 500KM and the map shows no services between the two locations. Does anyone know whether there is any gas or lodging that exists on this run that might not be listed on the interactive map? Thanks!

Just placed an order. Worked perfectly. Thanks to all who worked hard to set this up. Hoping some of the proceeds from the order will go back to website management.

Honestly, I don't remember. I don't believe we did. I am thinking it was just the permit costs. If there was a shipping and handling fee it had to have been very minimal, like a dollar or two, otherwise I would remember.

We've been stopped in Ontario numerous times at random check points and never had anything other than the temporary permit that you print when you order online. We always carrying it in our jacket or in with the registration cards for our sleds. They have never questioned why we didn't tape it to the windshield. As a matter of fact, they never even commented on it. Furthermore when we've bought daily passes for Ontario, they have never sent anything additional in the mail.

I would be interested as well. Keep us posted as to what the options are.

I have ridden both quite a few times. I, however; have not ridden the Lac Saint Jean area very much. To me, Quebec has a much more remote feel to it with a lot of varying terrain in comparison to Ontario. Quebec, even though it is remote, they seem to have an abundance of available services with outfitters and small towns providing amble opportunity for breaks, gas and drinks and eats. Depending on where you are at in Ontario, this may not be the case. IMO, Quebec trails are a little bit better maintained and the province does a better job of recognizing snowmobiling as a vital industry. From a day trip perspective, the North Bay area or areas South and South West of there are probably your best bets, otherwise much of what you will encounter will be ride out and ride back if you don't want to saddlebag, as the loops will be too large to do in one day. Snow and cold temps are a big deal with much of Ontario. In the southern parts the trail system rely relies heavily on the lakes to be frozen in order to connect. This area is also very rocky, which requires a significant amount of snow to get the system up and running. The northern part of Ontario, Cochrane, Timmins, Kirkland Lake, etc. doesn't require quite as much snow, but it is flat, straight, and vast. In other words, day loops are pretty limited here. The OFSC website is very useful and their app seems to work pretty good when riding. Signage in Ontario is very good and the interactive map showing open, limited and closed trails as proven to be pretty reliable. I would say one of the big differences I have encountered is Ontario doesn't seem to be very interested in re-routing a trail if necessary like I've experienced in Quebec. A couple examples - I have ridden plowed roads for logging in Ontario for miles on end whereas in Quebec it seems if it is going to be too far, they will do their best to get you around it. Another was last year, for some reason, they had to close a 2 mile section of trail and because they didn't do a re-route for it, it made it impossible to do a loop that otherwise could have been completed in a day. Oddly enough, this section was part of a trunk trail, which made it even worse. As a matter of perspective, these are the areas I have the most familiarity with: Quebec - St. Zenon, St. Michel, Maniwaki, Mt. Laurier, Sennetterre, Manawan, (Areas North, South, East and West of the aforementioned). Ontario - NorthBay, Ahmic Lake, Cochrane, Kirkland Lake, Timmins, Sundridge, Mattawa.

Really? I'm not finding it in the catalog. Could you point us in the right direction please?

BS Response. I can assure you my dealer will not have any clue as to what goes into BRP's decision making process. Hello Chris, Thank you for reaching out. We can confirm that the new 2020 Renegade X will only be equipped with a single trip meter gauge.We are very sorry if this has caused you any inconveniences and we have documented your concerns on case # 01846944. Here at customer service, we are here to support our customers by providing any information possible or, attempting to find a solution outside of our department. In your situation, your dealer is best suited to give you the information and the detailed explanation you are looking for regarding the reasoning behind the use of a single trip meter gauge. We appreciate you taking the time to let us know how you feel, as we like to hear from our customers how we can improve our products for the future. You feedback will be sent to the appropriate department for review and future consideration. Kindest Regards. David-BRPcare

This is crazy. In today's age they should be adding technology, not removing it. It's like the compass, my 2010 Sea Doo had a compass for God's sake, like I would ever have a need for it on that. Used to use the compass all the time on the sled back when you could get them. The second trip meter will be a huge loss.

Mine was actually a phone survey.

Does anyone know if this is still the place to be on Thursday nights?

If anyone has a definitive answer on this, please post. Also if there is gas available at Pensive (I believe that's the name of the place) Thanks!

I saw Monker years ago at Lac Edward!!

I read on woodrunner trail that there is a section of 53 closed due to a bridge being out. Not sure if it is the section you have highlighted or closer to Maniwaki. As far as conditions, up last weekend and all was good. You should have no problems making this loop.

Very Cool. Thanks for Sharing!

Where are these Mid May Pics???? I want to be jealous.

Looks amazing. Thanks for the pictures. Hoping my riding partner can get away from work this weekend for one last spin!!!

Has anyone ridden out of Maniwaki recently? Wondering if it will hold up for the weekend of the 24th. Looking to stage their and head up towards Gouin and then back down. Know that they have some joint use trails in and out of there. Any insight or recent pictures would be great!

I can't comment on Gaspe, but can on the others. You will find Ontario to be a different experience than what you have seen in Quebec. I personally prefer Quebec over the area you've mentioned in Ontario. These areas in Ontario are very fast riding, many rail grades, Hydro lines, straight and flat. Hearst, Kap, Cochrane, Timmins, are all very large towns, similar to Chib, or larger. Never been down towards the Sault before, WAWA area looks to be a bit more remote. You should be to the point in the season where traffic has naturally lighted, but weekends during peak season are crazy, especially around Cochrane. Conditions have always been pretty decent, but I can say I have experienced many more miles of plowed roads in Ontario as compared to Quebec, so when the sun shines and no snow, it can get tough going. They don't seem to put much effort into trail reroutes for logging operations or necessary vehicle traffic. Also, IMO, Ontario doesn't seem to take snowmobiling quite as serious from an economical impact as they do in Quebec, so there seems to be less emphasis placed on it. I feel like Quebec does everything they can to get the trails open as quickly as possible and maintain them to the best of their ability as long as possible, where in Ontario, it seems like they simply put it together when the weather is fit, with the exception of Cochrane, they always seem to be on the ball. Don't get me wrong, This is not meant to bash Ontario, I like both places very well and there is certainly a benefit to the drive when it comes to going to Ontario, I am simply offering up my experiences/opinions on both. Coming from a guy whose chased snow all over, I would say you don't know what you don't know, get out and try something new, whether it be the Gaspe or Ontario, it's going to be new and different. Keep us posted on your ride!

So are we going to get an update on the remainder of your trip? Very curious to hear about the conditions the last part of the week with the warm up.