vt_bluyamaha54

Sorry to hear about the cancellation Andy. It is a short season any way you look at it and any "unscheduled event" hurts. Hope everything is OK. That is an epic trip. Looks like weather, conditions, etc all came together to make a very memorable journey. Great report. P.S would you ever go back to a 2 stroke? I think the new 900 will only add to the percentage going 4 stroke.

I went thru there last weekend. This is very close to the large construction project at the top of the hill in St Georges. I don't get the cargo of autos but I can understand how he got there. He actually wouldn't have driven very far on the trail. - Sorry to be a spoiler to what seemed like a really crazy pic

It is always good to hear about investments to better the sport. Those of us in the States should be jealous since we would not see that here. Vermont has been working more than 10 years to create a 93 mile rail-trail. It received less that 5 million and was tied up in environmental court until about a year ago. Thanks for posting, Steven.

Thanks Mike. I thought - especially for the free weekend - that the trails were mint. Sat night was cold too. It was dark when we left Le Jasmin and headed west on 35. At 45-50 you could feel it hit your arms and knees. Would like to meet up some day. Your posts always seem to cross some of my tracks.

WOW! This doesn't happen often. Not usually sufficient ice to get out there.

With limited riding in Vermont still (go figure - its FEBRUARY!) we decided a trip to the Chaudiere Appalaches region would be good. Almost forgot it was also the 'Open House' weekend but needn't have worried since we found the trails well taken care of and an easy 8.5+ overall. We both have season passes and surprisingly, many of the sleds we saw had either Quebec plates or purchased stickers. Fri 2/7 - Snowing lightly from the border to our motel. Arrived in time to take a late afternoon ride which included travel on 535, TQ55, and TQ75. There is a big construction project at the top of the hill in St Georges with a short section of snirty gravel. Not bad when we passed after working hours but it may be an issue during the day. Clicked off about 70mi before bed. Surprisingly, there were less than a dozen sleds in the Beauceville Club parking lot and just TWO trucks w/trailers! Any of you who know the place know how big their plowed lot is and that in other years it would be at least 60% full almost any Friday. Sat 2/8 - About an inch of snow overnight; bright sunshine and cold. No definite plans on a route for the day - we'll just stay away form St Georges and Thetford Mines since most of the traffic will likely be near those areas. We hit the regional trails - 535, 540, 545. Traffic was light so we decided to try TQ55 beyond Lac Etchemin to see how bad it was. It wasn't. Decided to go to the end of TQ55, continue to TQ35 and get a late lunch in Tourville, Another surprise: it was busy but only 'Sat afternoon' busy; not 'Sat afternoon of 'Quebec free w/e' crazy. I don't care for the RR bed (TQ35) but we took it back west rather than go to TQ75 or TQ5 for our return since it was getting late. We didn't plan to ride big miles but returned to the motel with 298. Probably saw 70 sleds for the day but some passed 2x - I guess riding a ways and then deciding to turn around and re-ride a good trail (?) Sun 2/9 - No snow overnight but very cold. Light snow forecast for late afternoon and continuing after dark so decided to aim for a mid-afternoon departure. Must have been v. cold because my Vector joined the 'no start when cold' club. I knew there was a problem as soon as I turned the key and didn't hear the fuel pump run. Took out the relay, put it in my hands and warmed it up a few minutes, reinstalled and got an immediate reward. Decided to ride toward La Guadaloupe to check out Domaine La Guadeloupe Lodge/Campground. Took an orange trail in that direction. It showed signs of traffic but was still 8/10. Hit the junction forTQ25 and it was freshly groomed, untracked and perfect all the way into the parking lot. Rode TQ25 east to the southeast edges of St Georges to see how the trails and traffic were. Some traffic but definitely not a madhouse and the trails were still very good. Sleds loaded by 3 and on the road home. An enjoyable 60+ miles for the day. As others (Mikerider comes to mind) have said, these trails have a hard ice base from the rain and meltdowns earlier. There is anywhere from 2 to 6 inches of snow on top of the base and the groomers have done a great job of redistributing it over the trails in this area. Stepping off the trail most places gets you in snow up to at least your knees. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend riding in this area based on what we found. A few pictures - The crowd at 'Le Jasmin' Saturday

. . . and if there is a storm within a couple of days of your MSP -> Perce leg, you will have a difficult time with drifts. Got to allow extra time for possible breakdowns/bad weather. x2 - I don' think Ken's place (Fleur de Lys) is open in winter any more(?)

Looks like you needed a "snowmobile tux" to attend - lol!! Enjoy your time in 'Paradise', Ray!

Thanks for the information Jack. I didn't mean that the Collett units are Bluetooth; they are 900mhz radios with Bluetooth for connecting cell/MP3 players, etc.like your unit patches that in via hardwired connection. I have had good luck with them in the cold in the past - that isn't the issue. The problem mine have now is that they are starting to have 'RF circuit' issues where the audio is garbled and/or their range is far less than in the past. Collett is saying replace rather than repair due to their age. They are about ten years old - with lots of use - so replacement isn't unexpected. Definitely agree that a reliable and clear radio is a huge asset for added safety with a group. Just something as simple as letting everyone know you need to stop or missed a turn is invaluable. Also, not having to stop to communicate is huge. Another big safety plus for the Collett units is that they automatically receive the 'Groomer Warning' signal. Collett distributes free transmitters to clubs requesting them for placement in their groomers and you hear a 'wee-waah, wee-waah' signal when an equipped groomer is approaching. This has been a godsend more than once!

My Collett Communicators are getting old and Les Collett suggests replacement rather than repair due to their age/changes in the technology. I have liked them and depended on them to varying degrees over the years but was wondering if anyone has found something else that was better? The Bluetooth enabled replacement units are now over $300 - defying the usual trend in technology to drop in price and provide more power. I'd love to hear positive and negative feedback - Thanks in advance.

AMEN! X2! . . . and I hope we don't have someone come forward extoling the safety value of the "light system". It's just another bad way to try to tell oncoming sledders whether or not they can wander all over the trail.

The saying "you can't appreciate where you are unless you see where you came from" certainly applies to snowmobiling! Thanks for sharing the great pictures JG. They brought back allot of memories - unfortunately not all wonderful ones! Changing spark plugs more often than we fill up now and having the carburetor(s) in your lap made a long day. Belt life was measured in hours, fuel was 25:1 premix, and you usually had the hood open at least a few times during an afternoon trip with the family. If you were lucky, all the sleds that left came back under their own power. 'Grooming' was a guy with a doodlebug towing a drag that looked like a bedframe - and it probably was. I made lots of memories with some of those old machines but I like the modern conveniences on the new ones!

Sorry to hear about your troubles but glad it didn't totally wreck your trip. I would have to say something is very wrong: either an incorrect belt or an alignment issue with the clutches. I didn't see the belts and you didn't give details on how they failed but it is extremely rare for Yamahas to shred belts. Most anyoneone here can vouch for the fact that getting 4-6000mi on a belt is not unusual for these sleds. Were they Yamaha belts or aftermarket? My guess is that the sled was in a mishap and no one re-aligned the clutches during the fix - just replaced body panels(?) Something affected alignment and caused the failures Wouldn't the force of the belt blowing force that aluminum piece away from the normal path of the belt? .

The iMotoneige App is quite good too - although I haven't had much chance to use it. (Both Apple and Android formats) http://www.imotoneige.ca/en/

When Yamaha went to FI on the Apex, mileage generally dropped. The EXUP change improved things a bit. Mid-to-high teens when chaincase has synthetic, track is properly adjusted for slack (factory spec is too tight) + alignment , etc. and you aren't breaking trail in deep snow should be norm.

I'll bet this trips allot of folks up. Seems totally unnecessary to me - (of course it doesn't apply to most of us)

I agree w/you. Unfortunately, we now live in an era where there are seldom "consequences" for anything. Also, not that it makes it OK but look at how the manufacturers, magazines, and TV (mostly) portray snowmobiling: someone blasting through a pristine meadow somewhere. You have to think that contributes to the mindset of people doing this type of 'cowboy riding'.

These are far better than zip ties/tie wraps. Highly recommended for tying up your ice scratchers - or anything else! Get some in different lengths to keep on your sled for "who knows what". http://www.niteize.com/collection/Gear-Tie.asp

Good health, happy trails, safe journeys, Tom.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all Quebec Riders and their families! We are all fortunate to have such a great community of folks that love Quebec snowmobiling.

I wonder if this is some kind of 'Green' initiative where the province is trying to lower emissions of motor vehicles. Crazy to me.

Thanks for sharing! I am sure the thought was that the bridge will be used allot - snowmobiles, ATVs, and people. I also don't remember that the old one was bad(?) The restaurant (JoJo's) is very good, I have eaten there several times. The 'BBQ chicken' is excellent - like fried/roasted chicken here in the US.

Wow!

This is a big mess. My condolences to those who have been affected by this.

I know you and I had discussed a Gaspe trip but as things turned out, this was not a good snow year for that. I am glad you mapped another route and enjoyed yourself. There are allot of amazing places to explore and everyone here will help you plan many great trips. Your slide show was great!