Earn your turns was the trendiest thing to say in the ski industry in 2016. While it is true that it is incredibly satisfying to know that every single time your edge catches the fluff, you burned 20 calories, we don’t have the same terrain to play with in the East as those who started the trend out West.
Let me share a little secret with you all.
There is a magical land, 9 hours East of Montreal, called the Chic-Chocs. An ancient mountain range, that is now a national park, with tons of undeveloped peaks and snow for days. The perfect terrain for ski touring, allowing you to follow a barely-there path with your skins on, and enjoy knee-deep powder on the way down. “I woke up to a 50cm dump of snow” are not words you hear from an easterner very often. Yet it's possible, and it happened, we earned our turns.
On day one, we challenged ourselves to one of the more difficult summits, Mont-Vallières-de-Saint-Réal. While this is a mountain you've most likely never heard of in our life, write it down, add it to your bucket list, it will leave you breathless (in every sense of the word). End of December is a bit early on in the season to ski down this mountain. Very exposed, the snow accumulation had been swept away in the high winds. As a precaution and to start our trip slowly, we opted for a snowshoe climb.
Directions stating clearly that to start this hike we need to follow the road from Gîte du Mont Albert, pass the lake on our left, and park where the blue signs is. To add to the confusion, this "blue sign" does not indicate in any way that following the path will get you to one of the best summits in Quebec. Let the adventure begin.
Underrated to say the least, this 12km round-trip hike will get you a view you will never forget. Straight uphill for 3km, and then a 3km walk along the ridge. To your left, a view of the majestic Mt-Albert, the highest peak of the Chic-Chocs National Park. To your right, miles and miles of unchartered territory. Looking down, we couldn't see the blue sign that we'd nearly missed on our way in.
Nothing short of a miracle happened on the first night, nearly 50cm of snow fell. And boy do skiers love big dumps. Known for it's consistently great snow and with an impressive vertical drop, Mont Lyall is nothing short of amazing. Located only 15 short minutes away from the Gîte du Mt Albert, this is a must-do for experienced skiers.
All geared up, skins on and all, our group made its way to the summit. With a 45min to 1hour approach, from the parking lot to the base of the mountain, this is not a trek to do when remotely tired or hungover. Once at the feet of the mountain, we looked directly up at the steep climb ahead, and counted another 45minute to 1hour of sweating profusely before reaching the top.
The heavily powdered, yet incredibly windblown summit makes for jaw-dropping scenery. Trees weighed down with meters of snow, windswept bushes and a small path creeping along the summit ridge. Completely in awe, and yet we hadn't even started skiing yet!
I can confidently say that I have never skied powder in Quebec like I did on this mountain, on this day. Knee-deep fluff, in a large bowl allowing smooth wide turns on the way down. It was the type of snow that reminded me why I ski. After a descend of just 300 meters, but the best 300 meters, we were faced with the option of climbing the same path we'd followed on our way up again for another run down. Legs feeling completely dead and but our souls very satisfied, we opted out.
Having heard about this great summit from other skiers at the Gîte du Mont Albert, day three was all about Hog's Back mountain. Shaped like it's name, the summit is above the tree line and is fully exposed. The last 200 meters of the climb were slightly terrifying, as the wind had turned the once beautiful powder into a sheet of ice.
Determined to find the 50cm that had fallen two days prior, we set out to discover what is referred to as "The Secret Field". As the name suggests, it is described as an open couloir, with its challenge being however finding this hidden gem. When reaching the summit from the "chemin des Patrouilleurs", you will need to peak to your right (towards the road that you should be able to see when looking straight down). While the trees are incredibly dense, you will need to make your way approximately 50 meters deep, before you find the clearing. Either you follow these vague instructions, or purchase the Chic-Chocs pocketbook and not sue me for getting you lost. I would highly suggest the latter.
Mont Hog's Back rivalled Mont Lyall for the quality of the skiing. "The Secret Field" was well worth the sketchiness of navigating through the very thick bush. A 400-meter vertical, yet not as steep and intimating at Mont Lyall. Both are must-do's in my opinion, especially after a heavy snowfall.
While the Chic-Chocs make quite the road trip, I would highly recommend to anyone who loves the outdoors. Even if you are not into ski touring, there are endless possibilities: snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, split boarding, to name a few.
Coming soon: Pro tips on how to make the most of your trip to the Chic-Chocs.
Until then, keep shredding kids.
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