Tbone

Hi there. Does anyone know if it is currently possible to ride into Montmagny? Imotoneige showing closed trails, says river crossing is unsafe. However it also looks like the groomer went across the river last night and groomed into town. I thought I recall the trails being yellow last week, not red in this area. Any info is appreciated!

I wasn't able to cross the border last year to experience any of these restrictions. What do folks do for lunch stops in this situation while saddlebagging? Get a sandwich from the hotel in the am or take out from a restaurant in town or relais? Eat out on the sleds in the parking lot since can't eat in dining rooms? What about when it's -20 outside, is eating outside really the only option?

HI Markusvt, I'm interested in your comment about a dealer fix to address grip on at idle. I have a '19 ace 900T and according to the manual, the grips are supposed to go to 50% at idle but in my experience, I'd say that the grips go completely off at idle. My dealer tells me that this is 'normal.' Just curious do you have any supporting info for this fix that you speak of?

It's easy. 5 crosses the Main road at the econolodge. Go through the econo lodge parking lot to the gas station. Go past the pumps and exit the gas station on the side street entrance. The trail to l'oisleiere picks up across that side street and goes in front of the arctic cat dealer. Hotel is about 1/4 mile more down the main road on that same side of the street.

Yes. Was up there on Tuesday. Trails were groomed and set up very hard and flat after the warm spell last weekend. Trails are hard, some icy corners and frozen ice patches in some low spots in fields . They could use more snow to smooth out some ripples in the trail but in general, conditions around Lac William and Thetford are good, hard and fast. Headed west towards Beuceville and up towards Lac Etchemin there was more snow and conditions are good to excellent. Same for the hills around Thetford. By Ste Marie, the fields were showing quite a bit of dirt. Rideable, but fair conditions. I suspect anything south and west of Lac William to be icier and thinner on snow. Not sure how much snow the region will get this weekend but even a few inches will help improve. Overall, my opinion, you're good to go. Hope this helps.

I was hit by a passing sled on Tuesday last week on TQ5 outside of Perce. I was in a right hand blind corner, my sled all the way to the right. Oncoming sled on wrong side of the trail, cutting the corner with his ski touching the inside bank. Absolutely crazy. All I saw was a flash of green in front of my face. He must have did an evasive maneuver quickly, as he pulled to his right the rear of his sled fishtailed and clipped my saddle bag and rear of my tunnel. I fell blessed to be able to even be here today to write this report. If his reaction time was even a millisecond slower this would have been head on. I'm very lucky that there was only superficial damage to my sled. I don't know why folks think that they can ride this way, cutting corners and fishtailing around every turn. Stay safe everyone.

Phew! Here's the English translation. QUEBEC, Jan. 21 2016 / CNW Telbec / -. The Minister of Transport of Quebec, Mr. Robert Poëti, explained that, as part of the pilot project on the use of slip on tires and track vehicles off-road, it was never his intention to ban anti-slip for snowmobiles, while reiterating that security on roads or off-road is a priority for him at all times. "During the drafting of the ministerial order, a generalization of measures to all PHEVs could suggest that we will restrict the use of slip for snowmobiles, which is absolutely not the case. To avoid confusion in its application, the wording of the order will be clarified as soon as possible, "said Minister poeti. For its part, the Federation of Quebec snowmobile clubs expressed reassured by the minister. "We consider that this is excellent news for the safety of snowmobilers and winter tourism industry," acknowledged the President of the Federation, M me Denise Grenier, while offering its full cooperation in this folder. "This is great news for the snowmobile industry. I invite all snowmobilers to enjoy their sport while discovering the wealth winter and hospitality found in all regions of Quebec, "was keen to stress the Tourism Minister M me Dominique Vien .

When I first head of this new ordinance I was ticked because it does affect me personally as my sled is studded, and I've always ridden with studs, and I personally believe that studs are necessary for safety and I wouldn't ride without them. But after some more thought, I came to understand why it is so important for EVERY Quebec snowmobiler to challenge this ordinance. I'm not sure what was the motivation behind this "pilot program." Whether it be to prevent road damage, environmental concern, or political posturing against the FCMQ, what is clear is that the minister of transport, under the policies afforded by these pilot programs, can make whatever rules they wish on moment's notice, for a period of up to three years. So today it is after market studded tracks, next month it could be all studded tracks, next month it could be ban on carbide runners, after that, 2 stroke engines. The possibilities are endless. The reason that is so important that all Quebec snowmobilers regardless on your opinion on studded tracks, unite on this subject is because we need to show that making such drastic and sudden changes that affect our sport will have consequences, whether it be monetary, or lighting up the phone lines, emails, letters, etc... If they have sense that there is no opposition to these ordinances by the snowmobile community *at large* then it reinforces the concept that they can make such rules without resistance or consequences. What this opens up is a path for the environmental lobbyists(who are extremely vocal), residents that oppose snowmobiling, pretty much anyone who is anti-snowmobile to lobby with the minister of transport office to use the pilot program as a loophole to hamper the sport we all love. So we all need to write letters. Phone calls, any call to action that makes it known that the entire snowmobile community will not stand by silent while lawmakers diminish our sport. This afternoon I am going to be calling a hotel owner with whom we book rooms every year to make sure that he knows that it is now illegal for a segment of the snowmobile population to access his hotel. I think it is important for all businesses that will be affected by decreased snowmobile patronage to understand this as well and take it up with their respective organizations to lobby against such laws.

Unfortunately it's official. Press release by the FCMQ. http://fcmq.qc.ca/press-release/?lang=en PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION Pilot project concerning the use of non-skid devices on the tires or tracks of off-highway vehicles Montreal, January 13th, 2016 – The Quebec government recently presented a pilot project whose purpose is to regulate the use of traction products on off-highway vehicles : Publication. More specifically, the Order of the Minister, in its current form and interpretation, makes all aftermarket track studs illegal at road crossing and on portions of trail which utilise road right-of-ways. Pre-studded tracks (which feature an integrally moulded stud) are, however, tolerated at this time. The Federation des clubs de motoneigistes du Québec (FCMQ) wishes to inform its members that its recommendations in regards to this project were not retained and, as such, the FCMQ was not, and is not, a party to this project. The FCMQ is of the opinion that track studs are a proven safety device whose merit has been proven not only in numerous specialized studies, but also by thousands of snowmobilers over many years. The FCMQ met with representatives of the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) yesterday in order to discuss this matter. We will continue to work on the file until such time as we obtain what we consider to be an outcome that is reflective of the proven safety attributes of traction products. For additional information related to the pilot project and its application, you are asked to contact the MTQ directly at ministre@mtq.gouv.qc.ca

Full legislation in English here. http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=1&file=102444.pdf Still not sure what this means exactly. Anyone on quebec rider have a law degree?? But there are some curious wordings. Particularly item 3 under Division II-special traffic rules. And the wording of item 5 under Penal. "The operator of an off-highway vehicle travelling on a public highway or in another place where the Highway Safety Code applies while equipped with non-skid devices that do not comply with the prescriptions of section 2 is guilty of an offence and is liable to a fine of $60 to $100" It is the phrase non skid devices that do not comply with prescriptions in section 2 that leads me to think that as long as the traction device does comply with section 2 it is not fineable. And in section 2 it says that the studs need to be inserted in the tires or tracks in accordance to the recommendation of the stud manufacturer. So perhaps this is trying to cut down on home-brew studding solutions or aggressive competition style picks?

I have the android version of the app. Grooming is not there either, all other amenities are there (although the fuel one is practically pointless because there are so few fuel stops actually listed.) I also understand based on feedback of others with Iphone that the iphone version of the app is buggier than the andriod version, especially the caching of maps for use when you're not on a network.

ActionJack, yes I am using the android version. Too bad the Iphone version is lagging in the quality department. If they can get it to the same level as the android I think you will notice a significant improvement. One can hope...

Did a 5 day ride with Imotoneige in conjunction with traditional paper maps. Overall, i think the new imotoneige is an improvement over the previous versions of the app, and its free to boot. The app finds the gps location very quickly, usually withn 5 seconds of starting up. What I did was map out the route using the hotel wi fi the night before. It looks like the app caches the maps as you zoom around. So after mapping out my route I zoomed into a medium level and then swiped the map across the entire route in order to cache all the maps I need for the next day. i was successful navigating around on the trails with my phone in airplane mode without issues. Planning or changing a route worked fine on the trail without internet. The app could use some improvement, there are a few bugs, The highlighted route sometimes covers the trail number making it hard to read. It also appeared to keep the GPS active once the app is started even if not in the forefront so I made a habit of closing the app each time I am finished with it to preserve battery. Would be better next year if they put more gas stops and hotels in the app. Overall, for the price, (Free!) it works pretty well. Not a substitute for a mounted dedicated GPS unit or regional paper maps. But really convenient for those times when you take a detour, are heading the wrong way by mistake, or especially on the unmarked "orange" local trails.

Documentation says that the high level map is available without internet and if you create a route over wifi you can view the route without internet as it is cached in the phone. Will have to try it out next week to see how well it really works.

Looks like the new imotoneige app is available on the play store. It's free this year and based off of viaexplora. At first glance it looks like an improvement over the previous version.

I have just contacted FCMQ about this, because about a a month ago I inquired about this and both the FCMQ as well as the software developer of the app, Appcom, told me that there were no plans to continue the app development this year. Awaiting a response from FCMQ. Will post the reply here when I receive it.

Thanks actionjack. You post some good ideas here. It is a good point that the entire trail system is up in via explorer for browsing on the PC, but that is useless on the trails. Why would FCMQ not just make that data available to all GPS and smart phone users for free or nominal cost? Seems like that might cut down on their costs of having to print as many paper maps as well. Gotta get with the times!

Hi Actionjack, That is interesting. I also emailed the Federation in october regarding the imotoneige app and this was their reply. "The imotoneige app was not a FCMQ,s product. The app was made and distributed by Appcom. There is no business agreement between this company and FCMQ." So I then contacted APPCOM and this is their reply. "Thank you for your interest in the iMotoneige application. Unfortunately, the data was provided by the FCMQ and they stopped supporting the application and we are only the developpers behind the app. Which means that the application does not work and has therefore been removed from the Apple Store and Google Play." It sounds to me like there is some finger pointing going on, but at the end of the day the latest set of responses seem to indicate that neither want to work together to continue the app this season. Its a bummer. The app itself was a bit quirky but the map was accurate. It was real easy too, just download it for $2.99 and your're off and running. Let us know if you hear otherwise about the app release this season!

I used the imotoneige app on my android phone for a couple of seasons (2012-13) but that app is discontinued. I don't really need a dedicated GPS unit as paper maps have served me well for 20+ years however having a GPS backup is really nice for those moments where you stop on the trail and think, did I miss the intersection? Did I miss the gas stop? So I was looking into purchasing a GPS for this coming season and came across Tilou Buscuit maps in this thread. Looks like Oruxmaps app for android and the Tilou Biscuit map files might fit the bill for me rather than shelling out hundreds for a Garmin. Does anyone know how often, and generally when do the Tilou Biscuit maps get updated for the upcoming season? I downloaded last year's maps and they look awesome. If these maps work out, I'd even like to kick those guys a few bucks so they can have a few Labatts on me!

Thanks icemand and PLAYAHRD for the awesome report. We are headed up tomorrow to start a loop to Sept isles, and based on your reporte, we CANT WAIT!!. Up Bas St Laurent, cross the Matane ferry then to sept isles, down through charlexoix crossing by trailer at Quebec city and back...

I'm with MCStar on Parent. Never stayed at Ombreduvent cabins but I have heard others rave about them, and the owner. Not sure if they have a restaurant though. I have stayed at a couple of places in town in Parent over the years and they left much to be desired. The last place I stayed was the 4 saisons, probably 4-5 years ago and it was an honest to goodness fire trap (really, you needed the room key to operate the dead bolt from inside the room). We usually bypass parent and stay in Clova if we can.

thanks for the advice dooright. We will book the ferry in advance for sure! We have aspirations to make it up to sept isles this time. Never been there. Riviere du Loup to Matane, ferry across to godbout, to sept isles then back down to Quebec, trailer across and back to RDL.

What are the trails like between Tadousac and Sept Isles? ie, are they fast running or twisty through the woods? I did this run many many years ago and as I recall the trails were pretty fast and impeccably groomed back then, but it was a long time back...

Hi dooright- We're thinking of taking the ferry in about 2 weeks. Can you tell me, do we need reservations ahead of time for the sleds or can we purchase at the ticket office the day of departure?

Hi Folks- Lurk a lot, don't post often. But thought I should contribute to the forum since I've received so much good information here. Just finished up a 4 day ride in the Chaudiere Appalaches Region Jan 19-22 . Lac William, Levis, Montmagny, Lac Etchemin, St georges du Beauce, St Marie, Thetford Mines. All mint 7-10/10. 2-4 inches packed on top of asphalt hard and asphalt smooth base. Some icy corners and (very few) thin spots but nothing to be concerned with. We were really apprehensive about making the trip after the thaw but glad we did, some of the consistenly best trails in years. The groomers really worked magic with the trails. Just gotta survive the cold! Ride on! Tbone