Phil 1

Fuse we are likely to be in Forestville Wednesday night to begin the ride  north. We’ll keep our location posted here maybe we’ll be on a similar schedule. 

Thank you was unaware that restaurant closed. That would put KM 31 as the logical choice.

We were just up there last week.   The restaurant that was up the road from gas has closed.  The ski area had food.   They opened up a yurt restaurant with good food but it is down the trail a short distance.  

Playhard, Phil1
Last week the weather looked ideal for the Baie Comeau -Sept iles run. 
Not so much now with the snow and wind predicted. I think we will head up to Mont Valin area first for couple days, hope by mid week it settles down so we can hopefully still get out to Sept iles.
 

Food is equal. Gas at both. Riding is equal.  Steer clear on weekends very busy area. 
Passion has a store and you can buy beer and drink in the unit. They also have a stay 2 nights get 1 free, we did it last year there’s also a washer dryer in that unit. 3 bed rooms and bath down and 1 bed and bath up. Liza and Vincent are great hosts. I prefer Passion and have stayed at both. 
View out the window at Passion.

Glad to do it Stan. They gang here at QuebecRider.com is second to none

Welcome QR's newest advertiser, Hotel Matagami. There probably aren't many people that travel the Baie James area that aren't familiar with Hotel Matagami. It's located at the base of the road to the James Bay. By snowmobile, it's at the peak of the 396 loop north of TQ93, due north of Val D'or and due west of Chibougamau. The shortest way by trail  is about 80 miles off of TQ93, with nothing but a relay on the way, so when you do this loop, you've likely planned to stay at the Hotel for the night. The Hotel, and the town, have everything you need and would expect for your snowmobile stop-over. This is a favorite of many of our members, so feel free to share your experiences and welcome them to the site. Thanks go to Iceman for getting them on board...
 
 

Thanks for taking the point Fuse6!  Pas du problem advancing the surfacers!  
Sorry if this is obvious, but: That sector sure can change with blowy snow, just like across the way in MSP/etc.  "It all looks flat on the map!"
It's been 5 years (yikes) but I don't remember us hurting from the "Sept-iles to hopefully Forestville" ride.  It did seem to click better with the horses facing the barn.
 
 

Welcome QR's newest advertiser, Motos Thibault. Those who ride Yamaha may already be familiar with them. They are located in Trois-Riviere ( and not associated with the one in Sherbrooke). I'm fairly sure every member here on QR has at least one story of a dealer going beyond your wildest expectations to keep you up and running and on the trail...this is a perfect example of one of those dealers. Pierre and his staff will do everything possible, to do just that, keep you riding. Many members here are long time customers of Motos Thibault, and no doubt will chime in with their own experiences. Thanks go to Playhard for getting them on board...
 

In arriving to Matane we stopped off @ the local ski doo dealer - Andre Halle & Fils -  here in Matane QC. WOW ! Great inventory . Obviously only recently opened. Jean-guy Hallé I think you posted photos of the grand opening some months back. 
The service writer David Rioux couldn’t be nicer. He represents the Ski-Doo product well. 
Because of D. Rioux’ professionalisms our machines are getting their first service in accordance to the current mileage recommended in the service manual. 
Customer service @ it’s best. Highly recommended .

Not possible, you or someone must have reset the hour meter at some point over 17k miles.

Snow globe day. Snowfall warning at the Roquemont this am. 
Lit out on 23 at 9. Into Le Tape for fuel and the obligatory Coq Roi at 11:30 
Met maybe 4 sleds. Swimming a bit with all the pow but trial was decent. As usual tons of sleds at tape. 
Traffic a bit heavier heading to Apacia but still not bad
Wind blowing like a mo, flat light and snow so Vision on hydro lines and open spaces sketchy but trail is cherry.
Blow by Apacia and groomer has been out..lots of traffic heading south so just putting.... for cris sake tabernak and all that stay right people😳
10min out things die down so off we go. Real good until we hit the fields outside Sag. Holy hurricane .... she’s blowing!
limited visibility and serious drifts. Time to decel... wind is literally trying to blow us off the trail and can’t see shite. No prob just slow down and keep an eye on the Gps. 
Only 20k to the delta. No prob ... right?
TBC..😳
 

Mike great riding with you earlier this week and with George  A few things about George 
1 he likes snowmobiling 
2 he likes drinking 
3 he does not like triple digits on Speedo  
4 he does not like the sign SURGE
5 he prefers  skis on ground 
6 he missed snuggling at night 
lol Dave 

Another nice looking morning.  93 was groomed last night from St Honore to La Chapelle.  Lets take that.  93 is usually pretty beat but being a Tuesday it should stay good.
Across the two bridges and right on 134 to 93.  134 was groomed too.  93 to St Honore is perfect.  Up the mountain we go.  There is a fluff to the snow up here.  Down below the snow is more sugar snow.  Even around Valinuet 93 is fine.  This is just a few miles past the ski area.  The blue Canadian sky is gorgeous!

Just keep on rolling Sandi.
We pull into La Chapelle.  More sleds here than at Mt Apica.  It looks like all Quebec plates.  We go inside for lunch.  I think this is under new ownership this year.  The interior has been changed.  There is a bar where the kitchen was.  The kitchen is to the right.  The old seating area is the same.

Pea soup, hot dog and a cheeseburger will do.  The pea soup must be homemade.  There is some onion and bay leaves in it besides the peas and ham.  Very tasty.  This could be a meal on its own.
Early in the year there are 3 or 4 steps coming out of that entrance.  Now the snow is up to the entrance.  Hi Sandi.

After lunch we run back down 93.  Bras Louis wasn't groomed so lets stay on 93.  We wind our way down the mountain.  It is getting overcast this afternoon ahead of the storm that is coming in overnight.  At the 328 intersection it looks good to the right.  This was groomed last night too.  Sandi turns right and off we go.  Nice riding here.  Just before the 134 junction there are many signs saying permission fragile, stay on the trail.  I remember someone posting a facebook clip about this landowner being very upset.  Sleds are not staying on the trail and running thru his property.  We behave.
Turn left on 134 and run back to the Delta like we did the other day.
Another nice ride today, very little traffic.  Tomorrow we will wait and see how much snow we get.  It will make the conditions better than they are now even though they are already great.
Jack & Sandi

good morning !!!
back from tq  5 !!!...started not too bad...windy but no snow to blow....but once in ste marguerite.....hmmm...light snow + stronger winds
no mosquitoes !!!
btw....'' razor week''   !!!
 
jean-guy

Here in Amqui tonight very windy today 60 MPH , trails great all day great time with JG back to RDL tomorrow tried getting to the mummies but were almost blown off the tail 

hi phil !!!
yaaa...happened 2 years ago....i was going down long hill before st fidele cb ....turned around next to stand in that sharp corner ......then back slowly ......made it on top of the hill ( new clearcut )..after the one with antlers
strong winds this morning ...grey sky ....- 21c !!!
 
jean-guy

thx for posting !!!
 
free grosse poutine extra fromage + a bottle of rouge if this work with my tracks !!!!
 
jean-guy
 
jean-guy

My experience at Tug Hill was a good one. I did not experience any of the negatives that you hear on line.
The Ridge View is a great place to stay only drawback is there is no breakfast other than continental. It was a bit of a late start for us on Friday as we had to be at the DMV for 8:30 to get our stickers. Good thing we did, first hour into our ride and we were stopped by the police making sure everyone was in compliance.
I think it was 9:30 by the time we rolled out. Plan was to get into the plateau and see what all the hype is about. Lots of snow and trails were soft. The groomers were out doing their best to pack down the snow. We headed to Redfield then Williamstown where stopped at Bucks for a break. From there we went towards Osceola and looped but the other side of the park. Trails were awesome and Trail C4 has to be one of the best. We made our way to the Hook& Ladder by recommendation of you guys. Great place and food is really good. From there we made our way back.
Really enjoyed it here, nice to be at place where I have never sledded before. I did not see any of the horror stories, everyone stayed right and trails were the best than can be after a snowfall like that.
One other note, the people so very nice and accommodating. Can't wait to go back.
 

 

Was Pretty sweet today, it’s like going to Valin on the weekend you should know better. Had a fabulous day... 3 to 4 feet today going to explore the hardest hit areas tomorrow, plan on getting stuck many times.

FWIW great day, too much snow. 😳

Was Pretty sweet today, it’s like going to Valin on the weekend you should know better. Had a fabulous day... 3 to 4 feet today going to explore the hardest hit areas tomorrow, plan on getting stuck many times.

Have fun up there and stay safe.
when you talk about “has to be a record snowfall up here”........not even close. I was up there in the 1999 (I believe) Saturday snow storm. There was already 3+ ft on the ground and it started to snow real hard around mid-day. We made it back to where we were staying and started drinking and playing cards. It was still snowing so hard you couldn’t see out the windows at midnight. When we got up the next morning you could not even tell where the sleds were out in the parking lot. No windshields sticking out no handlebars no nothing. My buddy said “someone stole the sleds” ....LOL    In fact you could just barely make out there was multiple full size pickups and trailers in the lot. Turns out the “hill” came within a couple inches that day for setting a world record snowfall in an 24 hr period. I think if my memory serves me correctly it was 92 or 96inches. Guys were stranded in camps up there for days and it was a really bad scene. Took us till 6pm that following day to get our shit and get out of there and the guys place we were staying at had loaders and big plow trucks. You could walk right up the banks of snow on the sides of the road and step right on TOP of the telephone poles I kid you not.

The wifi is not working well up here so will do my best. It's crazy up here! The drive up was the worst I have ever been in. Roads were being closed just as we got through.


It was snowing so hard we drove 10 miles past our hotel witout even knowing it. We could barely see two feet in front of us on hwy 12. 
 
We came upon Boondockers, went in for directions only to realize we blew past our hotel a ways back. Decided to grab a bite eat there. I realize now that is the place you are at Phil. I should have looked you up. 
We finally get to the hotel and decide we will go for alittle rip. The lady at the desk said its best not to go. Well we are not good listeners. Let's just say I hate Yamaha!! Stuck?? Dam right we got stuck! 2 km out of this friggen place and Bucky got his Apex buried. Took us close to an hour to get that beast out. The snow here is funny. At first it's very light, but after a few minutes it packs like concrete.
This has to be record snowfall storm here. Never seen snow fall at this rate before. So far loving the adventure. The hurdles I had to jump through to get here is a post all on its own. When back I will make it a topic for discussion.
Phil, keep an eye out for two Canadians, one driving a Nytro (Fozzy) the other on a Apex (Bucky).

Much worse !