doonali

We are just back from a fantastic week on the warm Cuba’s beaches but I was looking forward to ride the venture again since our first and only one ride was on December 17th. Without any day target other than to have fun, we left directly from home (St-Thomas de Joliette) and decided the itinerary one intersection at a time. Here is the final route that it gave:



The weather shock of coming back home was really present with a 52 degree C drop at -22C on this Saturday morning. It was very humid and a layer of mist was still partially shading the sun even at 10:00 am. The trails have been groomed and the quality was impeccable




Very close to the #3/#43 trail junction there is a savanna that is always longer to freeze and it is with no surprise that we saw this hot hole in the middle that can be easily cross on each side. The good surprise is that the driver of the dozer had taken the trouble to back on several hundred meters on each side of the woody section to surface the whole trail just apart from the hot hole: I raise my hat to Carcamp snowmobile club!





We then took the #3 trail eastbound. The pines of the windbreak lines typical of the place were all frosted over a small layer of remaining ice from the previous ice storm.



With the little haze still floating it was really beautiful






Winter in all its splendor!



We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of snow to the ground and the trail conditions look more like a late January than beginning, a very beautiful start. Here we see a little more the traces of the last ice storm





On the #3 trail a little east of Berthier, the Bayonne river is already ready and I am surprised to see that the dozer has even crossed it! Look at my mirror, it's so humid that a frost has formed over it! First time it does that ...



Surely no stranger with the haze that still floating over the snow ...



With all those fields in perfect conditions our rhythm was obviously fast and the cold biting so we decide to fork on the #63 to the north to ride in more wooded sections, more pleasant under the circumstances.



Here a short stop at the St-Gabriel de Brandon belvedere which is located just up a big hill north of the village named Mont Lanaudière, that was a small ski center years ago



There is still behind my sled a vestige of an old ski lift.



Considering the time ahead, already 11:15, getting on the # 23 north and going to have a lunch at the Réal Massé outfitter seems the perfect timing, so we continue north.



Even more snow as we go north, here climbing the big hill in St-Damien of Brandon



The snow is not only to the ground but also in the trees creating magnificent scenery







With the deep cold the quality of trail was top notch and we could ride at good pace.





It's really the big winter up there.





We arrive to eat at Réal just a few minutes before noon.



The good hot vegetable soup of Réal, the one we could eat with a fork with his much big chunks of vegetables in, it is one of our classic of the winter, always as good and comforting!



Although there were quite a few people, the service was good and fast and 45 minutes later we were already on our departure. This one chose the air way to come to eat here!



Was very nice to chat with Lus lsd and his buddy BoumBoum that we had not seen for a long time


Encouraged by the beautiful conditions beyond our expectations, we had continue on the #23 to the north





We had first think to switch on the #350 trail towards the Glacière and then go back down south on the #63 but it ride so well that we chose to continue up north on the #23



We were not disappointed, obviously it starts having a few traffic bumps from time to time but nothing to slow our pace.



Sign that there’s alot snow there this year: no rock and no trace of sand even near the Cabanon



We finally turn on the #63 just before the Cabanon towards the village of St-Zénon



Here seen from behind after crossing it, a sign that it is still the beginning of the season: a small ditch not frozen. We see it well in advance and easily crosses it. There was about 2"thick water and an hard pack base



Here the big hills towards the village of St-Zénon



Always as fun and beautiful to ride!





A little past the village of St-Zénon we stop refueling at the service station Crevier before continuing on the #63 trail south



In Glacière direction





Very nice conditions. We pass the Glacière and continue south. Much deep snow in this area





At the junction with trail #343 we continue south towards Bazinet Outfitter



The scenery is white coated there!






The Bazinet outfitter



I must admit that I had doubts about the next section of the #63 tot Ste-Emilie. With a more irregular base it is more difficult to get it good and we got it rought almost all last season but to our surprise it was very beautiful as I had not seen it as good since a very long time.

It was beginning to be a bit dark for moving pictures and I had to stop to avoid blurring. Here in the power line south of Ste-Émilie



The Black river just north of the BRP Géro sled dealer is already well signposted



We had continue with the sunset and took a small hot chocolate break at the TimHorton of St-Jean de Matha



We then came back home around 5:15pm via #341 and #43 trails, which were still nice despite a few traffic bumps in St-Félix of Valois area.

Finally a total of 171miles in outstanding conditions, far exceeding what we were expected. The trail network is well established even in the south which already has a good snow cover now and the cold of the last days will help overcome the last recalcitrant to freeze spots thus giving us a vast playground to ride on.


Get out and enjoy, the season is on...



Alain

I love the new tecnology on sleds but the old machines and there nostalgia is something I never tire of...    
Wishing your father a happy 93rd.

Dec 30  
Sun is trying to peak out but truth of the matter is winds are picking up and a new system is  blowing in, temperature's expected to drop to -18°c tonight and another storm tomorrow 15 cms.


 
 

Rode out of Jackman on Friday the 23th and Saturday 24th.   Got to try out the new sled Yahama Sidewinder. 
 
Rode to Lac Etchemin via 75 to 55 on Friday.  Mostly very good, a little thin in a few spots.
Then on Saturday did 25 to 55 to 535 to 540 to 35, Stopped in St. Marie for fuel and a bite to eat.  Then back down 75 to Jackman.  Trails were very good up around St. Marie great trails overall for early season riding.

hi eddie and steven !!!
 
yaaa...low traffic...i know about that !!!logging road has nt been plowed in a week .....many roads have been plowed....even next to '' orange camp '' !!!
pic 19 and 20 ...at the ''29 ''...i was with 2 friends ...landed my truck in the snow bank...left side...waited 6 -7 hrs in the middle of the night !!! the guardian of the faribault camp  saved us around 9 am in the morning !!!must be back in 85 or 86 !!!
all my tracks steven ...no machinery along the road !!!
old pics today !!!
dad 's birthday today ...he s 93 !!!
still sunshine ....-17c !!! wind kaputt !!!
 
jean-guy

hi jg !!!
 
back from the signage run in town !!! great day ..not too cold !!!
sport car ....tough on my legs when you spend too many hrs without moving...just lucky i go out time to time for pics !!!
great if you come in the area !!!
 
jean-guy

We put de condition of trails on Facebook and the precipitation of snow

hi shane and jackstraw !!!
back from my first one on tq 5 !!!
rock'n roll day !!! woke up at 5 am..-14c...started at 7 am......once on main street near auberge.....-8c at city hall...then exiting long straight ste marguerite....mini rain drop ...tiny
ones...then ,on the other side of long hill ,east of ste marguerite....i could say , heavy rain ...then after 90' corner...time to time...with drizzle...right after 90' corner ...good snow there !!!
last hill before cb ,snow up to the knee...drizzle at the bridge !!! ....then after climbing long hill west st fidele cb ....back to snow !!! then got colder....-11c right now...look like not much rain in town..just crusty a bit !!!
rideable ...yes....but need another 4-5-6 '' ...specially in town ...still a bit of debris ,bad stuff on trail..need more snow to fill ditch , windmills area....saw only 2 sleds.....1 deer !!!
 
jean-guy
 

Finally done, our first ride this season along with here our first ride report! We surely crossed Hden that posted earlier with pretty much the same path but in reverse: we did Cabanon/ Mattawin round trip


Saturday morning, around -18C very gray sky and snow. Starting from the Auberge Le Cabanon parking lot in St-Zénon


Dooright had trace the route for us earlier this last week and it was an easy one to pick this path knowing that the vast majority of the trail is on forest road base so it is easy to get beautiful trails condition even with a limited snow cover




There are a few miles from the start of the auberge out of these forest roads which still lack some snow but on this Saturday morning, freshly groomed with cold temperature it seemed almost perfect. Once back on the main road, it feels like in the middle of the season, almost no rocks and very beautiful


Here at the entrance of the Mastigouche wildlife reserve




What helps a lot is that the firsts snowfalls threy got were very wet, which once frozen left a dense and compact material on the ground rather than fluffy snow this is what explains the good trail condition the snow cover still thin at about a foot before the precipitation of the weekend.



In many spots this snow had stay in the trees creating magnificent scenery




Here the Mattawin River Bridge





There are a couple miles more rough after the bridge



Until we get on the #360 in Zec Chapeau de paille territory.

Very nice trail


The trail is groomed up to the junction with #345 north to Lake Repos outfitter. Then there are a 10 miles that were not groomed yet before joining the section maintained by Mattawin. Honestly, apart from a few trees that have fallen in the road and it did not really made a big difference and it is still a pretty fast section while staying alert.



Here on the section maintained by Matawin with the glaciers that begin to form


Very nice and fast


This section along the river is always very nice to ride.





The beauties of winter




It looks like this on many miles !!




The #360 at its best



All this on a beautiful and fast trail




The last miles to join the Marineau auberge once out of the Zec are obviously less beautiful because the base is more rough and there are still some holes not completely clogged but it ride well even two-up. Here the classic view of the Mattawin River


We arrived at noon at the auberge Marineau with a little less than 80 miles on the dreammeter. We had a good lunch break and were nicely received as always.



The sun tend to point a bit after the lunch. Here a snowy section just after the bridge leaving from the Auberge



The view over the river with a little more light



We took the reverse path on the #360 to return


It looks like mid January in this area



We must pay attention to the branches that can hit our helmet. I got screwed and almost lost my Gopro when it got hit by one that I had missed and got ejected in the side trail snow.





It was snowing a little less in the afternoon




glaciers section seen the other way





Here in the ungroomed section, the worst pass with a lying tree in the trail that you must care of. There are a couple others that just partially obstruct the trail (I don’t even let the throttle) and all them can be seen very well in advance no problem




And although it was not yet groomed, we pushed some good speed spikes without problem


Since the #360 was riding so well, we decided to push up to the Taureau Dam before returning to the Cabanon. Minimum as beautiful if not better on this side



Dam crossing is no longer possible but it is still a nice place to take a break



On the return on the #345 not far after the Mattawin bridge we crossed the dozer


And we continued at a good pace towards the south. We took a small break at the entrance of the  Mastigouche reserve


We finally got back at the trailer a little before 4:30 pm with 178miles on the dreameter, not bad for a first ride.


In summary already very good for a season start, very few rocks and the snow that is actually falling in quantity will help to improve the conditions and widen the trail network. Temperatures are winter one and the lakes and rivers are actually at freezing, we can safely say that the snowmobile season is already begin and we will be able to enjoy it for the Christmas holidays!

You may want to take a look here to follow how the trails opening will go on, many details here:

http://snowmobilecountry.ca/en/conditions


Alain



 



 
 

I thought I'd start a thread here because of the early conditions that we're having this year and that the fact I'll be able to leave from the yard. I'll be exploring and reporting trail conditions more in the Monteregie area south of Montreal.
Dec 18 
-5° C with 1/2" of freezing rain on my windshield, other areas north of the river (St.Lawrence) will be getting that addition 10-15 cms in snow form. 
More snow in the forecast for later this week.
Lake St.Louis ice is thickening by the day, I predict us islanders should be able to cross by New Years weekend, grooming has already started in club Harfang de Neige.

Warnings
4:28 AM EST Saturday 17 December 2016
Snowfall warning in effect for:
Lièvre River area Low - Wakefield area Maniwaki - Gracefield area Papineau-Labelle Reserve area Papineauville - Chénéville area A long period of snowfall, with total amounts of 15 to 25 cm is expected.

5 to 10 centimetres of snow is expected today over these regions. However, accumulations will be higher tonight as an additional 10 to 15 centimetres of snow is expected.
Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions.
 
my backyard here in Cantley
 

1.  The trail that use to cross the Saguenay River from Larouche to St Charles has been changed for the better.  Won't have to go to Larouche, it will come off 383 much closer to Jonquiere.  Doesn't show on the map.
2 .  There is a new trail off 23 that will go to St Andre.  This trail is on the this years map.
3.  There is a new trail being cut from 23, about 20 miles north of L' Etape  that will connect to the Ravage.  However it is meeting resistance from the government and the FCMQ per my source. 
 

Actually, I have stayed at the Hotel Chiboug 3 or 4 times. Rooms are very nice and  the hotel restaurant is quite good. Going down the 1/2 mile alleyway to get there is interesting. Being on the main drag downtown really does give a taste of the town, and I say that in a good way. As I recall there are lots of small stores and restaurants, lots of people wandering the streets. Its a flavorful way to see the area. I would recommend everyone try it once.  I would actually prefer to stay there than anywhere else in the area.   I'm guessing it attracts people from area outposts and villages who come to shop, or on weekends, come to celebrate life on whiskey and beer.   If you survive a Saturday night at the Chiboug, depending on your condition Sunday morning, you may get a medal of honor or a purple heart or a toe tag.  But seriously, don't pass it up. I would do it again in heartbeat. Promise, you will have a story to tell!
mike
 
 
 
 

hi phil !!!
hahha !!!
should be very soon !!! about 12-13-14 '' of snow but not everywhere...on my way to '' school bus '' this morning ...one field still low ...need lots of snow to fill 2 deep ditch !!
i waiting ...im ready ...hope to have a phone call before weekend...saw president at clubhouse yesterday ...told me that cross point trails were groomed...can t find info about it !!!
new slides ,sprockets are fixed on my sport car ....i ll be faster in some corners...even if he puts his knee down ...'' king kenny '' will stay behind in  my snow dust !!!
pics..an  hr  ago !!!
 
 
jean-guy

getting better !!!
an extra 6 '' !!!
still cloudy .....-8c !!!
 
jean-guy

I had tried to planned an exploration run for tomorrow Sunday but finally failed to fit it in the planning... too much busy, I will be there next weekend.
They open the trails in Mastigouche reserve on summer roads and the comments from those who ride there are very good on FB. Looking very promising for the next weeks and Christmas holidays

Alain
 
 

Having lunch at RDL, the bed (85) was great above Cabano, 544 west towards pohenagamook was open from 85, not sure how far, degeliss was scratchy but passable. good early seasons conditions,  one more storm and it week be great.   thinks snow RR

Looks great RR, and yes Lee, Josie and company at Moose Valley are great. Love the little cabins.

Hey voila.....the 83 is Surfaced by Club Saguenay, wonder when was the last time that this club was first and not up on Mont Valin?
 

Again, to help to pass through the hard waiting time before riding, I put together a compilation of the links to the ride reports I made last season.
8 ride reports of 14 sledding days containing more than 300pics and a video tooks mainly in Lanaudiere, Mauricie and Haute-Mauricie.
From 16 January 2016 to 12march 2016, enjoy!
www.quebecrider.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4036-st-zenon-glacièrepourvoirie-repos-16january2016-photo-ride-report
www.quebecrider.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4056-joliettest-zenon-mastigouche-reserve-23january2016-photo-ride-report
www.quebecrider.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4081-joliettecoin-lavignest-alexis-des-monts-30january2016-photo-ride-report
www.quebecrider.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4104-st-gabrielst-zénon360trailmattawinriver-6february2016-pics-ride-report
www.quebecrider.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4127-vidéo-report-lanaudièremauricie-trail360
www.quebecrider.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4147-grand-mèrest-joseph-de-mékinakgazoduczec-tawachiche-13february2016-photo-report
www.quebecrider.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4176-joliettest-cômechertsey-photo-ride-report-20february2016
www.quebecrider.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4240-jolietteréservoirgouinrouyn-norandaville-marie-28feb-5march2016-photo-report
www.quebecrider.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4263-jolietterivière-mattawinmastigouche-reserve-photo-ride-report-12-march-2016
for more, wait for new ones or take a look at last year ones:
www.quebecrider.com/forums/index.php?/topic/3937-pictures-ride-reports-2014-15-compilation
Alain

final tally.........Maniwaki 12 inches minimum, Réservoir Baskatong samething.
 

Woke up to this
Heading for the country place tonight, will post pics from up there, that area got hammered with 30 cms.
 
 

First major winter storm Argos is reeking havoc in the upper Midwest on its way East!
Buckle up!  Big winter ahead!
Yippee!

Ivanka 2025...my choice for our first female president...hey now!