Tour de la Gaspesie, what ski?

[Woodserson]

I've always thought it would be fun to do this tour in the company of a bunch of other skiers and not worry about the winter camping and get the party on once in a while. http://tdlg.qc.ca/ski-raquette/details-ski/#ParcoursSki

What I am curious about is ski selection. You're asked to only bring one pair. Let's say you could take whatever model you would like, what would it be? One week of deep snow packed by many, over rolling forested terrain with climbs and descents, putting on the miles. Fischer 109? Ashes Nansen? Wax? It's cold up there but also near the water... What if it warms the up?

Especially interested in hearing our Canadian friends' opinions.

[MikeK]

Sheesh if I'm skiing through someones tracks I'd just as soon have a double cambered ski.

But then again, I'd like to see a topo map of the climbs and descents. Herringbone 200+ cm skis up long hills only to rocket down to my death is not very enjoyable.

I wouldn't choose this trip as my re-introduction to wax, so I'd stick with the trusty 'ole scales.

Hmm... broken record?

Eons or S78s most likely.

[Cannatonic]

yes, it looks like an XC trip, but how rugged are the trails? Are there bowls & snowfields & stuff? Or maybe people are using traditional no-edge XC skis. I'd be thinking 210cm something with edges.

that's the extreme tip of Gaspe, there are lodges much closer. I'd be tempted to go there & hire a guide…here's a couple. I bought the ski guidebook for the Chic-Choc - I didn't realize that the govt. banned skiing in most of the best ranges at some point. There's lobbying to get more terrain open. Like Mt. Albert, the best range, is currently 90% closed to skiing.

these are upscale...there are smaller private lodges and yurts too:

http://www.sepaq.com/pq/gma/

http://www.sepaq.com/ct/amc/index.dot?language_id=1

[Woodserson]

I'm not sure how rugged or steep or how sauvage or how groomed... Maybe one of our Quebec friends can illuminate...

[athabascae]

First off: sounds like a lot of fun.

Second, take everything I'm going to say with a huge grain of salt, as there are a number of caveats and limitations to my knowledge, specifically: a) I have no on-the-snow experience with the current stable of skis available for XCD, and b) regrettably, I've not skied in the Chic Chocs; however, I had lived in and done a fair bit of XCD in Quebec and Labrador in a former life, and I have spent alot of time recently familiarizing myself with what's currently available on the market.

The main thing is knowing what type of skiing you will be able to do on the trip. Sounds mostly like packed trails(?). If so, I would seriously consider a fast, light backcountry ski with 3/4 steel edges (e.g., e89/voss/bc59/vikafjell class). I did most of my trail skiing in Quebec with Bonna Conquest skis, which sound like they are very similar to a Fischer e89 - it was perfect. I'd imagine that an e99/glitterlind/bc70/gamme would work well to, but IMHO its more ski than you need, especially if you are skiing with folks on traditional track or touring skis all day for miles. They would likely work very well for that type of trip - just a little more than you probably need.

Of course, if you are going to be exploring the mountains off packed trails, think about a much more stout ski with a stiffer boot.

If it were me, and its mostly on used trails, and I could only take one pair of skis, I'd go light - e89 or, maybe, e99 class. I'd personally look at the e89 or vikafjell because it is my understanding that they would be relatively stiff and with a double camber - which I'd enjoy in this context.

My two-cents. FWIW.

Tom

[athabascae]

I didn't realize that the govt. banned skiing in most of the best ranges at some point. There's lobbying to get more terrain open. Like Mt. Albert, the best range, is currently 90% closed to skiing.

I don't know the reason for this, but I'd bet its because of a remnant population of endangered caribou that live there and use the alpine in winter. In recent times, predation by coyotes has been a major concern, jeopardizing the long-term viability of this small herd. Predators like coyotes and wolves are believed to be more efficient at finding and killing caribou when they have a trail/road network to cruise. Plus, caribou are notoriously sensitive to human presence and may abandon thier range if they are too disturbed. Again, just a guess. Although, I do know that the Quebec government and Parks Canada are serious about caribou conservation...

Tom

[athabascae]

Yeap. Caribou. Particularly on Mount Albert.

http://www.ameriquefrancaise.org/en/art ... %20Caribou

These caribou are facing a number of threats and need all the help they can get.

Tom

[Cannatonic]

Tom - it's definitely because of the caribou! Don't get me wrong, I love conservation and I"m as green and animal-loving as you can find! I wish they'd try introducing caribou in Maine again - it was tried once and failed.

However, it's all the fashion to whack backcountry skiers today. It seems that we're often villianized when in fact the very nature of our sport means we only show up when the ground is covered in 3 or more feet of snow and impact is minimal.

For example, look at this, from the above page - in winter the caribou aren't in the alpine areas we use:

>>In winter, when the snow becomes a layer of ice that prevents it from scratching at the earth, the caribou heads toward the sub-alpine forest levels where it feeds on tree lichens. The disappearance of winter browsing areas is a major issue for caribou conservationists. Currently, there are enough tree lichens only on the century-old trees in the ancient conifer forests whose numbers are continually decreasing due to contemporary logging practices.>>

This month's Backcountry magazine says they saw huge clear-cuts that are being allowed and embraced by the Quebec govt. in some of the most sensitive caribou areas. Many people suspect the lower-elevation clearcuts are helping predators get up high and hunt the caribou.

So when you compare a massive clear cut to handfuls of skiers the math doesn't add up for me. I haven't seen any criticism of skiers for littering or damaging ecological resources. And yet the wealthy lumber industrialists are welcome to raze entire sections of forest. I think it's important to maintain access for low-impact users in these sensitive areas because we are the ones who advocate for conservation. A healthy "green" ecomony helps defend against exploitation.

[Cannatonic]

here's an interesting update:

http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2012/02/ ... y-holding/

it appears the two biggest problems for caribou are cutting down old-growth trees and hunting. So you see the futility of banning skiers while allowing the forest to be cut down.

[MikeK]

I'll bite on the 'bou... since we are driftin' that way.

I'd bet the issue is the geography of the area. I'm sure in other parts of Canada and the US they don't give two craps about the Caribou and cut trees 'a plenty, and I don't know how the land management is in Quebec, but it seems to me if there are herds there, they have no option but to seek grounds within that peninsula. They can't migrate farther north to find lichens to eat. That may be why the skiing is being limited.

We often see this kind of 'conservation' in the US where we have small preserves where the flora and fauna are protected, but really they are part of larger ecosystems or issues that aren't well controlled. So in essence, what I'm saying is, yeah, the logic behind limited skiing access is Gaspe is pretty stupid, but given the geography and the fact that it is a national park, it makes a lot of sense.

In the other ecosystems or areas, we often can't control where the animals go, or need larger areas than the land that is protected, so we see big impacts from the logging industry.