Trails update

[iceman]

From news story. Club motoneige Mauricie, La Tuque and Mattawin and Alliance du Nord Parent etc.

 

AUDREY TREMBLAY

(La Tuque) Mother Nature had put the patience of snowmobilers to the test last year. The snowmobile season took a long time to take off. If all goes well, it should be different this year, even though some trails are already open in the Mattawin area.

Across the region, you can feel the enthusiasm for the approaching snowmobile season. Everywhere, we hasten to work the paths where there is sufficient snow.

"Work has begun in some areas. Quietly not quickly, one begins the work of surfacing. This is obviously better than last year. We started the season on January 21 ... ", commented Kevin Vézina, Communications Manager for the Mauricie Snowmobile Club.

"We have also started surfacing in some areas, but our trails are not considered open now," said Claude Gagnon, President of the Snowmobile Club of La Tuque.

It must be said that there is still a lack of snow in some places and there is still hope of the cold so that the bodies of water can freeze adequately.

"The Saint-Maurice River is not yet frozen, it restricts a little access to trails," confirms Mr. Vézina.

Even if we are confident for a full start of the season towards the end of the month, we know that the mild temperature could play the spoils and we prefer not to advance on a specific date.

"One is ahead, if one does not have bad temperature. It depends a lot on that. We need snow. If it does not rain, we're going to be okay.

Besides, we do not want there to be rain because we do not want to start all over again. We have many hours of work and we still have a lot to do. We have 520 kilometers of trail, we are the paradise of snowmobiling, "said Mr. Gagnon.

Moreover, the Snowmobile Club of La Tuque is looking for volunteers. These are becoming more and more rare, which complicates things a little. "When they are there, it gives us a huge helping hand. It goes much faster when they answer the call. We really need it, "said Claude Gagnon.

The Club alliance du Nord in the area of Parent and Clova in Haute-Mauricie indicated through its website that teams were working to clear the trails due to several fallen trees.

"We will begin this Wednesday, December 21, the surfacing of our trails. We are also working on thickening the ice of the Bazin River. We will return shortly with the official opening of the trails, "reads.

If the trails are currently closed in the majority of clubs in the area, in Mattawin some trails are open to the snowmobilers' greatest pleasure. Trail 360 West towards Saint-Michel-des-Saints and trail 360 towards Saint-Joseph-de-Mékinac are open according to the website of the Snowmobile Club of Mattawin.