wulsock1

Facebook can be a useful tool.......Rapide 7 back in business.

Hi Everyone,
Great Website. We are a snowmobile rental and tour company situated in Baie-Saint-Paul, Qc, Charlevoix.
Some say this is the nicest region of Quebec. We are very passionate about trail and back-country riding. Our team is very skilled and knows all about trails, conditions, services etc..
We can even help you out with repairs or emergencies, recoveries etc..
(The goal of this post is not to sell tours or rentals by the way)
So don't hesitate to give or a call or write us an email if you have any questions about the area!
Conditions update for Charlevoix: 12/03/16
- A large snow storm as left a lot of fresh snow last week. Trails are in great shape and well maintained. Weather is mild and warm but wont affect too much conditions. Should be good for another 3 weeks. Even then, it is possible to snowmobile on the Provincial Trail #3 in Charlevoix very late in the season since it's all altitude and sheltered parts in micro climates, allowing riding in April!
You can call us anytime at
-418 760 8565
-drop us a line at info@aventure-laurentienne.com
- visit our wesite at www.aventure-laurentienne.com
- visit our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/Aventure-Laurentienne-526196507393581/
Phil B
Owner and passionate rider

The major attraction is without a doubt the renowned and mysterious Devil's Mountain (Montagne du Diable). No snowmobiler ventures into the Upper Laurentians without riding up to its peak -the second highest peak in the Laurentians after Mont-Tremblant at 783 metres/ 2569 feet. The beauty of the frosted scenery and ice-covered trees will definitely impress you. The panoramic view at the top is breathtaking, and the friendly restaurant-bar Le Relais de la Montagne du Diable is open during the saison.
 

Here's a time saver but requires a little math  (some may already do this) - our group is 6, we all ride roughly the same sled, eat about the same, and drink about the same. I'm the "Banker". ONE bill for everyone, and I pay for everything.  When the bank is out of money, everyone throws in $100, and on we go. Pull into the gas pump 2 by 2 on each side of the pump. Fill one, and while you're moving it out of the way be filling the next, and so on. Again, one pump (you can use 2 or 3 to speed things up), one bill, one guy cashing out and we're out of there. Lunch, the bar, the rooms, etc. it all works for us. Want to see an outfitter's eyes light up with joy - tell them one check for EVERYTHING - all the rooms, the bar tab, the gas, etc. 6 individual guys checking out of an outfitter trying to figure out who had 2 beers and who had 3 could take you an hour. It usually takes us 10 minutes. Watch 6 or 9 guys fill up and pay individually at the gas pump - you might be there a while. At the end of the trip we divvy up any money left in the bank. One year we had 5 1200's and 1 E Tec. I figured out the total miles, gas mileage, and the E Tec got a gas credit back from the bank. Anyway, over the years we've learned that it all works out in the end for us, and saves a ton of time.  You have to have a good group though .  If you can't do all 9 on one, at least make partners (roommates, or similar sleds, or something). Anytime you can cut down on the number of transactions, you'll be much better off. Good luck!

Day 5:  Tuesday Jan 17th
There are "good" days of Snowmobiling & there are "great" days of Snowmobiling.  Today was an "EPIC" day of Snowmobiling!  Definitely a Hall of Fame day from beginning to end!  
Woke up at Motel Senabi in Senneterre to 12*F.   I always try to get one or two days in each of my trips where I head out on the days ride 1-2 hours before sunrise.   There is nothing like watching a new day develop from darkness to daytime while riding my snowmobile.  We pulled out at 6:45am under a clear, star lit sky.  Once we crossed the river next to the hotel we made first tracks on a perfectly groomed ribbon.  I knew at that moment today was going to be special.  Took 93N towards LSQ and witnessed a spectacular dawn of a new day.  Truly breathtaking & calming.  First tracks all the way to LSQ!  Took gas & continued on 93N getting gas again in Desmaraisville, Chapais, Relais Lac Cache, Scierie 54 & La Dore.  Trails were ridiculously good & fast.  Tons of snow up here.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky all day.  No wind!  We did not pass a single sled the entire day in either direction!  Perfect trails were there for only us to enjoy.  You can't make this stuff up.  Timing, luck, karma, call it what you will.  We were blessed for sure!    Arrived at 6:45pm at Hotel du Jardin in Saint-Felicien.
421 miles

Ran over a rabbit with explosive indigestion?

Before i begin the ride report for this trip. I need some advice. I know this aint Dr. Phil but here goes.... I've always had a mistress my wife is well aware of it, and we are able to keep it together and things are just great. Recently I've met another woman, there in lies the issue. There is plenty of me to go around but i'm not sure my original mistress will be willing to share me with the third woman in my life. I'm not sure how to explain to my mistress that she has some competition. Do I just come out and tell her or what? I am just not sure what to do. What do you think I should do? I am so confused. 

Just to finish this up please no one be offended. 

I realize many of you live further away than I do, but my number one thing to pack is my own truck. Be it saddlebagging or day trips, if I get sick, family emergency, breakdowns, etc., I can hitch a ride, bus or whatever back to the truck and go home without ruining anyone's vacation, or, if buddies have problem, I can stay and keep riding.
mike

That about covers it! One thing I do recomend as far as cloths go is to vacuum seal at least one set of cloths. The sealers that you use to put food in. That way if you do end up wet some how you know you will have something dry. Zip lock bags work good but they can open up in your saddle bags sometimes. My brother helpled some guys one time the ended up in a bunch of slush at a river crossing and ALL their cloths were soaked. It turned out ok but could have been really bad.
As far as Mcguyver stuff nothing beats a new Bic lighter or two in your pocket!

Your forgot to mention the roll of toilet paper for those close calls with nature.

A small but good thermos or insulated water bottle, buried inside the saddlebag so it lasts longer, fill with HOT tap or coffee pot water before leaving the hotel. Good to drink, or to thaw the ice from Bombardier helmet ports. Still wet at the end of a cold day.
1.2mil garbage bag to line your saddlebag, 2 gallon zip lock Freezer bags (those are heavier duty than the storage bags)  inside with your dry stuff, don't overstuff, they flatten and pack nice. Never had one open or fail. Couple candy or energy bars, the light airy ones are easier on the teeth when frozen compared to the heavy solid ones. Put one in an inside pocket a half hour before eating. A couple dog treats or jerky for the friendly dogs you meet along the way. Change the belt before the trip if it's remotely used, so your less likely to need your spare, because then you'll have no spare. 5 or 6 foot security chain and good lock for sled-to-sled lockup to make your stuff look less attractive than the unlocked sleds nearby. Thin gloves and gauntlets for comfort and dexterity. Rain-x your shield before the trip to make freezing rain easier to clear off. At least 1 person should have a shovel, folding saw, fuse assortment, big and small ty-wraps and fresh duct tape for MacGuyvering, spare gas for whoever needs it. A volt meter is sometimes handy.  Motorcycle compact jumper cables, they always work compared to the wizbang lithium jumper packs that are hit or miss.  Flashlight with spare battery. I prefer the Fenix E12 since it's pocket size and takes 1 AA battery which is 2x capacity of AAA and it's the same battery my GPS can use in a pinch. Spare balaclava, sometimes to swap, sometimes to double up on the thin ones when it's -30, with Windblock fabric in the neck is much warmer than airy fleece, yet still thin and not bulky. Some plan in case a heated grip fails. 1 spare carbide. Bonus cinch strap ( not a bungee, they don't work good in the cold) over the saddlebags to prevent bouncing which can easily rip the factory straps out of the bags, eye bolts in the tunnel to attach. A spare strap for "that" guy that didn't plan ahead and now has torn his luggage strap out and it's really flopping around. A motorcycle cargo net is also awesome insurance! I like a combo cable bike lock to lock my jerry and permanent bag to the rear bumper, again just to add a layer of inconvenience to me or thieves. Small Leatherman for cutting belt fragments that wound up behind the primary. Spare fuses, and if Skidoo....spare relays, and know where all of them are ahead of time, on the trail in the dark when it's -30 is no time to dig out the manual. Spare helmet cord for that rare occasion you may need to plug in. Copies or PDF of all your paperwork, passport, and credit cards front and back, email to yourself. Earplugs if you're a light sleeper. Ice scratchers for those few occasional just wrong morning hours where it was groomed like concrete the night before, and it takes a couple hours to loosen up. When stopping, peek under for bent carbides or loose studs, even the pre-studded Studs pull out or can partially pull out and flap into a heat exchanger. Name and email address labels on stuff like keys, phones, bags, gps, etc.  Email always works, your phone number may not. Nice to haves include an axe, sat phone, bus schedule. Must haves are a lot of money and a good sense of humor for the inevitabilities Murphy throws your way. That's it for now ;<)
 

snow clouds !!!
 
 
jean-guy

HAHA.  We always behave at the ballet.  Would be a bad phone call home to ask the wife to send bail money to Chibougamau.  LOL

I remember that small town well. Had a seized crank bearing and got towed into the store lot. Begged for hours to get a local to take me and sled to North Bay. A 20 something guy comes flying into parking lot doing donuts in his truck and pulls up to pump, I am thinking great! this guy will do it for sure. I ask him, he says he can't. I question Why Not! He says he has no drivers license, HA! Finally a dude that we asked earlier came thru. He waited till the wiffy went to bed and snuck out. Paid him $200 and when we got to NB he went and blew it at the dance bar. Haha. What a day that was.

I would not recommend going to the Ontario side. The bridge you have to cross is a steel grate. Carbides might not like it much. Even with wheels on the skies it would be tough. I don't think you will be disapointed with DumoinValley.

I found it 22 Feb 2006 almost 10 years ago! Funny this winter marks 50 years since I first started sledding time flies!!!
7 day Trail Ride Report That could have been a double obituary.
Day1 Feb14th
Rode Edmundston NB- St Raymond Quebec via 85,526,35 547,5,75,73 day one. For the most part the trails were excellent and we arrived in St Raymond at the Roquemont at 4:08 in the afternoon as we had departed at 5:40 EST from Edmundston.
Day 2 
Rode 73,353,318,360,347,345,33 St Raymond-Lac Beauregard via Repos. Another beautful day on the trails with great snow conditions and very low traffic.
Day3 Rode 33,13,83 to Windigo Outfitters. Windigo is 42km west of Relais22 .It is 12km south of TQ83 on a side trail. Great place to stay with great food and hospitality and Martina the co-owner is a sweet heart and a great cook.
Day4 is when this trip went sour. We watched the weather forecast and were aware of the large system that was approaching however the forecast showed 15cm of snow and the wind not starting until late evening so we thought we were good to go. We are riding short track sleds but felt confident that we would have no problem with the snow that had fallen overnight and the snow forecast. We rode 83 to Roberval and attempted to ride via the lake trail to rejoin 83 by Desbiens. The conditions on the lake were very poor as the visibility was very low but with the help of the stakes and my GPS we made our way to Chambord. The trails in this area are very poorly marked and are signed as TQ83 even though the map shows 83 to be nowhere near this area. We made our way to the Toit Vert and spoke to some riders who had come from the south via 355/83.After hearing their report we headed south on 355 then local trails to St Andre. Up to this point we are doing fine however the wind is really starting to increase and the visibility is dropping.We took a local trail toward Hebertville and the snow was really adding up by now and it was all I could do to make it through the drifts at WOT. My riding buddy got himself buried several times on this hydro line trail and we were soaking wet by now from all the lifting. The point in this ride that we could have helped ourselves came next when we crossed a plowed road. Looking back we should have just rode down this plowed road and went to a house or business and asked for shelter. Shortly after crossing the plowed road we entered the huge fields west of Hebertville and this is when all Hell broke loose. As we started across the first field the wind was increasing and the visibilty was dropping very rapidly. It basically reminded me of watching the Tsunami roll across the sea in Thailand last year. My partner got buried several times and I would go straight ahead until I could find a sheltered spot with less snow where I could turn and go back to him. We were getting more tired with each incident of getting buried and at this point we were in a field with no visual reference to any landmarks or direction of travel. We had been trying to follow the red markers but they were spaced at a distance that exceeded our visual range. I knew our situation was getting very serious at this point as my partner is 57 and we are both completely exhausted and soaking wet from lifting and pulling the sleds out. I told him to stay put and I would do some circles in the field in hopes of spotting another marker that would allow us to forge ahead another short distance. I should explain something here as I could see a small opening in the treeline ahead that I thought may be the trail as I had been on this trail once before but the trouble was the snow was drifted to 5-7ft and if I ran into the drifted area I knew I had to be at full throttle and the maximum speed that I could get up to but what if that was not the trail but a BARBED WIRE FENCE? Then we would be in a deeper mess with injuries or death. So off I go in circles and eventually get myself buried in 6ft of drifted powder even though I am running WOT! The best way I can describe this situation we are now in is wear your snowmobile gear to the gym and work out,then ride 150 miles with the same gear on add 5-7ft drifted blowing snow ,now comes the good part close your eyes and try to ride these fields.The best description is to think what it would feel like if you took your sled out in a local field and simply jumped on fired her up and went wide open in circles with your EYES CLOSED! So here we are, me buried on one side of this field and my buddy across the field wtih strict instructions from me not to move!
I knew we were there for the night at least as the visibilty was very poor and the wind was 70MPH and MINUS 24 degrees C.We were in a pickle. At this point I just changed my focus from trying to make it to safety to making safety come to me. The first thing that came to mind were the words of my late grandfather that he had told my Dad and he passed on to me as a young boy when we would hunt and fish in the woods of southern New Brunswick that I love so much. "If you ever find yourself lost just stop and lay down and relax for a couple of minutes to regain your composure and things will become clear as to what you should do" now we were not lost and I did not lay down but it was the same principal. So I said Andyman what do you have on this sled that will save your life along with Dave? I knew the first thing that would help would be telling someone on the outside the mess we were in and where to find us. So with my sled running I recorded our position on my GPS. One thing that did go right was the fact that my sled was pointed directly into the wind when I became stuck and it was in a high nose up attitude so if I more or less laid on the seat I was protected form the 70mph wind. I always carry pen and paper so in a very cautious manner I unzipped my bag and retrieved it and recorded our position I was very careful not to set anything down such as my gloves as they would blow all the way to the next county. The next thing I did was to ask the GPS to find the nearest town and take me there which it did in a very efficient manner and it told me to simply go .7 of a mile across the field and pick up a road and follow it etc. The problem was the .7 of a mile was not possible with the 5ft plus of snow! I then retrieved my survival kit from under my hood that I had faithfully carried for years and never used until now! I had 6 litres of injection oil with me so now we had fuel for our fire and I had several containers of gas line antifreeze as well. I always had lots of antifreeze with me as I sent my wife Lisa to pick some up one day as it was on sale on she came home with 18 CONTAINERS thank God she did! So I was getting near the point when I was ready to abandon my sled and head to the treeline. The problem was Dave was still sitting across the field just like I told him! 
Now I am not a very religious man or a man large in stature but my family all have very strong beliefs in God and I asked God to give me the strength to save myself and my buddy Dave and take us back to our families. I looked across that field and talked to the darkness and storm and said Dave you have to come to me so I can save you as I am not going to die here I am going home to my wife and son! When I had left Dave at the other side of the field he was not stuck so I knew all he had to do was pin the sled and head to my light and together we could make it to the woods. Shortly Dave knew he had to come to my light and he did stopping right beside me. I told Dave I had made the decision that we had to abandon our attempts to get out of the fields and make a fire and shelter. I asked him what he had with him to help us survive and he said with despair nothing I don't even have matches! But he did have some candy that his wife Debbie had hid in his bag for Valentines and I said bring them!
We now headed for the woods in snow up to our armpits and went to the nearest spot and made a snow cave in an alder grove. I knew we needed to attempt to alert the outside world ASAP if we had cell coverage so I carefully retrieved my notes with our position and got Dave to hold the light and say a little prayer and turned my cell phone on.I was worried that it would not have coverage or battery power as I had not charged it as we had stayed at outfitters the 2 previous nights. The phone came on and had coverage! I called home and my son Andrew answered he is only 14 but a very smart young man and I calmly told him that we were in a very serious mess and to record our position and get it to the QPP via Saguenay Bill at the HI in Jonquiere. He typed the coordinates into his computer as I read them and the rest of my instructions of our position reference to Hebertville and that we needed to be rescued.I hung up and my next call was to the HI and a young lady answered and I told her my name and I had a guaranteed reservation that I would not need as we were stranded in a blizzard and I needed to talk to Bill ASAP. Bill came on the line and said oh Hi Andyman and wanted to chat I quickly told Bill this was an emergency and he needed to copy this info down. Bill started to get nervous as he told me he didn't understand GPS but I quickly reassured him that all the police would need is these sequence of numbers to know our position on the face of the earth. Bill copied them and I told him our position on TQ83 and reference to Hebertville and we needed help.
Our next task was to build a fire. When we got to the edge of the woods I found a plastic container hanging on a branch just like God had hung it there for us and I carried it with me to our shelter. I took out my Leatherman tool that I had faithfully carried for years and never opened on the trail before and cut a square out of it and this was where we would start our fire. Dave was worried that we had no paper to start it with and how would we ever get it going. I looked up at him and said well Davey Boy, Andyman is a Boy Scout from way back and I am going to peel some birch bark from this tree beside me and you sir are going to stop leaning on that birch tree and peel some off! We both had a laugh despite our situation. I then used one of Lisa's antifreeze bottles and some small twigs and took my lighter out and said another small prayer that it would work and after several attempts it lit and we had fire! We then set about a routine of getting wood and tending to our fire.
My phone rang and it was the QPP the officer explained they did not have GPS equipment and my heart just sank.He wanted me to explain where we were and I did to the best of my ability with the info I had received from my GPS prior to shutting it off. He told me they were coming to search for us and I thanked him and hung up. I told Dave about the conversation and that I did not hold out much hope to be rescued by them as I felt they would never be able to find us in this blizzard. So I said Dave don't worry we will make it through the night and at first light we will save ourselves! I felt confident that we could get my sled out and then be able to cross the fields once daylight came so we could see the markers and fences.
So as we worked at our fire I thought how can we help save ourselves? For those of you that don't know me personally I am an Air Traffic Controller and have been involved in many searches for lost aircraft etc over the years and I tried to think of all the ideas that people had used to save themselves. Then it came to me I know!!! I need to call some of my sled buddies with GPS and have them plot our position on a topgraphical map then tranpose that to the Provincial Trail map and then translate these instructions into french and get this to the QPP. How hard can that be? So I called home and told my wife to start calling my sled buddies until you reach one and get him to do this and then call the HI to have Bill get it translated. I then hung up and called Bill and told him that he needed to find someone in the hotel with a GPS and go through the steps I described above to help rescue us. Bill callled me back shortly and told me he had someone with a GPS and was bilingual as well! I thought yes the jackpot!!! By this time a small army of sledders from Hard Core Sledder as well as other concerned sledders had assembled in the lobby of the Hi all very concerned about us and doing their best to come up with ideas on how to rescue us. Another member Snowcrazed showed up with his laptop and he had mapsource loaded on and together they had our position in a matter of seconds. They then set about calling the QPP and telling them exactly where we where!!! Around this time Bill called me back and told me he had Daniel to talk to me and Daniel told me that he had told the QPP exactly where to look for us and if they could not find us then HE COULD. He wanted to come but I felt that it would be extremely foolish to risk their lives as we were already in grave danger and it would make much more sense to stay there and wait for first light.
I now felt we had done our part and it was up to the QPP and search party to do their part. I did not think we would see anyone until morning but I was to be proven wrong.I am not sure of the exact timing but I believe it was around 11pm that as I was tending to the fire Dave screamed Andy I see lights and low and behold there were 3 sleds coming across the next field to our east. I grabbed my trusty mag light and told Dave to signal them and I would pour fuel on the fire to make a signal. They saw our light and turned directly at us! All I could think of was how are they moving across that field and if they came near us then we would have 5 people stuck needing rescue! Well it was just like a John Wayne movie three QPP officers came 3 abreast across that field and when they were a few hundred feet away they turned their police lights on!!! What a good feeling as that officer stepped off that sled and took his glove off in minus 24 temps and shook my hand and told me to relax we were in safety now and they were taking us to safety! I thanked him many times and did as he told me to put that fire out! Do you know how hard it was to keep going!!! We then found out how they were able to get to us as they loaded us on their Skandics which by the way are the most amazing sleds I have ever seen. They pulled up to us in 5 ft of powder and just stopped and even backed up and turned!!!
The police took us to a 24hr gas bar where we attempted to find a room but there were none available as with all the highways closed and a hockey tournament there were none to be had. So we spent a very uncomfortable night with a hundred other stranded travellers. The daylight brought good visibility and very cold temps so with 30 minutes of sleep we then set out to find a way to retrieve our sleds. Then just like a another sign from God 3 of the best guys you will ever meet rode in on their sleds. They were Mike Getman,Steve Big BIrd, and Justin from NY. We had met these fine gents 2 days prior at Windigo and all planned to stay at the HI but like us they did not make it. They managed to get to Hebertville and got the last room available. After telling of our adventure Justin the youngest of the group simply looked up from his breakfast and matter of factly said "we are helping you" no questions asked! True to their word we rode on their sleds and retrieved our sleds after some wild breaking trails and being stuck.
Dave and I them slowly made our way toward Jonquiere and when we stopped at a relais we met 2 gents from PA and they had been through an almost identictical exeperience but had managed to leave one sled on the trail and make it into Hebertville to find a room at a Gite. We teamed up with our new friends from PA and rode to the HI. When I walked into the lobby I went to a chair and basically collasped.I was out of gas big time as I had nothing else left to give and I knew we were safe.After a rest and getting cleaned up we came down to the lobby to find it full of people who were waiting to meet us. We had to tell our story a number of times and I don't mind saying that more than one tear flowed from my eyes.
Day6 Rode with our new friends John & Skip from PA to Quebec city via TQ83/3 ,what a difference a day can make! Beautiful day with super trails but cold in the morning.
Day7 Rode a reverse of day one with exception of 526 as we used 548 to go back to 85.Ended up with 1588 miles despite wasting a day and a half in the fields outside Hebertville.
In closing I want to thank everyone involved from the bottom of my heart for all their assistance and prayers and if I have left anyone out or mixed up the sequence of some events it was not intentional.
Well I must go as we are getting back on the horse tomorrow and heading to Bathurst to go sledding but with a renewed sense of respect for mother nature.
Andyman
Ps Dave got frostbite on his feet but no other injuries.
Learn from the mistakes of others. You will not live long enough to make them all yourself!