quebec bob

My 2 cents worth, I started riding in 1966, like a lot of people here,and with out any reservations, I believe that this site is far and away the best place to get info about lodging, trail conditions, trip planning, making friends , meeting people, getting very good info on equipment, etc. The camaraderie here is second to none, and I agree 110% the statement about how surprising it is that most people riding Quebec are not members here . I have met some of the nicest folks thru this site, all with a common interest in the outdoors, enjoying it and our sport while respecting the efforts of land owners, lodges, restaurateurs, and everyone involved in making it all work like a well oiled machine.Promoting this idea and trying to bring more good people or business' on board is a good idea. We have some great players here who have given a lot of their time to this site, I won't mention names for fear of leaving anyone out, but this is a small community and everyone here is important and has something to contribute with every trip they post about, whether it be a good meal or a shop that helped them out , many thanks to all of you, Bob.

Ice, that 18 xtx has some nice things on it, I had a relapse too, after 19 years on Yamaha, I finally got to the dealer yesterday to pick up the 850 backcoutry I bought a month ago, has 1 tenth of a mile on it, got the 4 year warranty, came with 2 years, bought 2 more for 900 $, which is transferable. Sure hope I did not make a mistake, never has a problem with any Yamaha outside of idler wheels and hyfax and of course the skis were always junk. Planning 3 weeks this winter, hope all I have to do is modify the clutch cover to get it as cool as possible and ride it, any troubles and it is gone next year, glad to see you out riding, happy trails!!

J G, great pics, you have a nice office, you are a lucky man!!

J G, these pics are probably the best thing anyone has seen or heard in the last few days. Typically when you hear or see nothing on line from an area after a rain it usually means things are not good, nice to see you back in business, the trail looks great, happy motoring!! j

Snow is a great blanket of insulation, it could be a while for all this slush to refreeze, I cannot really remember the last time this happened.

cold temps and snow moving west to east in Quebec bringing snow to much of the province over the next 48 hours, as much as we hate this rain it is leaving a great frozen base behind which should be a great base to build on and be a bonus on the spring side of the season, hopefully all will be well at the start of the week, here is to hoping!!

15 f in Saguenay right now.

It is -5 and light snow in St Donat at 6:30 pm, looks good , storm is behind us and all is frozen, a great base for the coming snow!! You can see this @ St. Donat web cam and then hit enter for live pictures and thermometer!!

putting a pull starter on is a great idea, I had an 800 triple Pantera years ago and when it was very cold frost would prevent it from receiving the proper signal because the electric starter was turning the engine too fast, it would always start with the pull cord.

Ice, I love the excitement of Quebec riding, last year I did not get to ride, first time since the 60's, work got in the way, I have 2 business' a tire store and a foreign car service center, not being able to find good help was the problem, still is a problem, not to hurt your feelings, but it is good to hear , I thought that crap was only an American thing, and this was not tolerated here 30 years ago. I have a new back country 850 waiting for me to pick up at the dealer, first new sled in a long time, IF I HAVE TO CLOSE THE BUSINESS FOR A WEEK TO RIDE, I'M CLOSING!! At 60, I cannot let years go by anymore, I will just send people home for a week with no pay. I hope you find a way to ride that new XTX.

I have stayed at lake William, nice place, but as Mike has mentioned, this area is not the same as the east, there is good riding there but the end all for me was that in 5 days I crossed more black top than the previous 30k miles , not my idea of the Quebec riding experience, but I will say it is close to everything you could ever need or want, especially in an emergency, a great area to take the family for day outings.

I have always put the very largest windshield on as well as have a pair of gators on board for the handle bars, just put an extra high 26 inch windshield on a 2018 850 back country. Cold hands and feet most definitely ruin your day. It has always amazed me to see sleds with little to no windshield, my friend was in real danger on his Mack Z 1000 touring the Gaspe a few years ago, it was -40 for a few days, no place for a small windshield!!

J G, trails look amazing for this early and your pics are great, I know the the words are small and the phrase is simple, but behind them lies a whole world of appreciation for everything you do for all that visit this site and have become friends with you and each other, THANK YOU!!!! AND HERE'S HOPING THAT ALL THE DREAMS YOU HAVE FOR A GREAT HOLIDAY COME TRUE. Bob.

Looking good for the start, Mt Valin and Gaspe too, cannot wait to get there and break-in the new back country 850 , first new sled since 2005, thanks for the report, happy motoring!!

Yes, I have been thinking about that for a couple of years, we all know going off trail is a big problem when in Quebec and all the makers should know it too, especially BRP being natives. All I can think is out West this must be a HUGE money maker. So much of the network in the east requires great relationships with private land owners, and going off trail and running over a bunch of 3 year old trees that eventually go to market could really kill a lot of people. Just think if the logging company shut of access to Repo and Cabanon, Repo, Katawana, Casey and Parent lost all that business and their help lost their jobs because of a trail closure from disrespectful riders. When the park was shut down St Donat lost half of it's business because the trail to St Zenon and everywhere else that you could go from there basically disappeared. Now the merchants there are hoping to persuade the province to reopen the park. Over the years snowmobile manufactures have overcome every obstacle the naysayers have thrown our way. sleds are now quiet safe, and meet noise and pollution standards, and we have a much better product to enjoy our sport with, all because of new technology that many thought could not be done. so all that is left is for environmentalists to take away our trails or brake up the network LETS BE SMART AND RESPONSIBLE AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS AS WELL!!

I know just how you feel when I read ...smiles every where. I have ridden 30k plus in Quebec over 3 decades and Of all the trips and places I have gone fishing, hunting, and with my motorcycle nothing has been able to replace that feeling of Quebec trails , all the wonderful people I have met there, and the friendship that that the riders share, it is a very special place, and sport, in a country that welcomes you to enjoy their incredible natural resources, glad you had a great trip. I know you share the passion coming all the way from North Carolina, amazing!!

OUCH!!, If the police wanted to enforce the speed limit it would take so long to go from lodge to lodge legally that the whole trail system would basically have to close down, it would take 3.5 weeks to tour the Gaspe. 42 mph speed limit would have me looking for another sport. I do not need to go 112 all day but 80 to 90 is reasonable here and there when traffic and conditions are good. Mostly we travel somewhere around 60 to 70 on good trails quite safely, I really feel for this guy, that is a ton of bad luck!!

I I also looked at this offering from Polaris, but frankly I am concerned with the reliability of that 2 stroke 800, seen too many blow up. When I am out in the back country I want bullet proof or very reliable...and popular. When someone asks what riding lawn tractor should I buy part of the conversation is who is the closest dealer, with that said, 4-stroke Yamaha for bullet proof and Brp for reliable and available. I am in no way talking Polaris down, great sled for 95% of daily and weekend riding, but out in the back country of Quebec, where the weather and a break down could be the difference between life and death, I will be sticking with these 2, but I do like the effort by Polaris, sled looks nice and who knows how this model will evolve as this segment trends to getting bigger, market share will come will a reliable product, that is most important here.

No question about how prepared you have to be, I rode half way up from Mt Valin 5 years ago with 3 guys who turned around at the half way mark . Trails were ungroomed, poorly traveled, and hardly marked, drifts were everywhere, and basically without a support team, you could easily die. You must be prepared, in shape, and have a high level of confidence and smarts, if you cannot physically be on your own, do not even think about this trip. A few years ago we went to Alaska, it was a little intimidating, but to the locals, another walk in the park, truly amazing the difference in experience and ability!!

Iceman, I am ready to get a sled to do this trip as well, after 30 years and 30k miles this adventure may be the only crazy adventure I need to fill the bucket list, if you really want to do this, I would love to be a part of the team. MANY THANKS TO YOU GUYS FOR REPORTING THIS GREAT ADVENTURE, IT WAS GREAT FOLLOWING IT!!

Gaspe is always a great time/ adventure, would really like to do it this year, done it 3 times now, I live in western Mass. and would like to connect with someone or group to do it next week, mid week thru mid week, been riding Quebec 30 years, experienced and easy to ride with, thanks, Bob.

You can see the snow conditions for St Donat by looking at several live weather cams on-line...just punch in weather cams St Donat and enter they come right up.

Definitely not a good feeling to have electronic or for that matter any sled troubles on a trip like this, 30k miles since the late 80's I have been so lucky, I would love to go on this trip, but realize how well prepared and lucky you have to be, great report, be safe!!

absolutely no question about the cheap tires, I own a tire store right off interstate 90 in Massachusetts and see this almost daily. we buy from 5 or 6 different warehouses and manufacturers and they all supply us with Chinese trailer tires, it is very hard to find a dependable supply of quality American made trailer tires these days, especially 13 thru 16 inch sizes, everyone wants wally world, low price junk, you really do need 2 spares to go on the highway and most do not have even 1!!

These are the kind of people who ultimately ruin it for everyone else, they have zero respect for our environment or all the really wonderful people who are enjoying it. If I had it my way they would never ride or register a sled again, loose their hunting and fishing licenses for life and be banned from all public land as well as loose their drivers license as though they had killed a person, for 15 or 20 years!! What I would really like to see I cannot mention here.....%&#*!!? degenerates!! I hope they get caught and sent to jail!!