A 5-day Nordic ski tour in the Chic-Choc mountains
The whole crew in front of Refuge de La Huard. Photo credit: Snowmobile driver using Devin’s iPhone SE
None of our 8 person crew expected to be skiing by moon and starlight to the sounds of Ruffed Grouse scuttling in tree branches after 7 hours of challenging trail breaking. By this stage of our expedition, the repetitive kick & glide motion of nordic skiing was almost involuntary. The thought of a woodfire, a hot meal and rest exerted a magnetic pull, driving us onwards for the last 4 kilometers before arriving at Refuge de La Pluvier. Rather than a trial to endure, many of us were enchanted by the reverent tranquility emanating from our surroundings.
In October of 2024, I was in need of an expedition. The college outdoor program I run sends out trips as long as 5-days, and as many as 29 concurrently. They are co-led by two college student outdoor trip leaders for whom I (along with my incredible co-worker) am responsible for training. I try not to over complicate things. When thinking of the best way to teach and assess the skills needed to lead a 5-day backcountry expedition, I think of taking folks on a 5-day backcountry expedition. This is why, in October 2024, I started planning a 5-day nordic ski tour for 8 students to take place over their spring break, March of 2025.
I thought back to a backcountry nordic ski tour I participated in while in grad school, in Norway. We carried all our things in backpacks and stayed in rustic huts with wood burning stoves. It required learning a manageable amount of backcountry nordic skiing and otherwise mirrored a 5-day backpacking trip. Other than the huts with wood burning stoves…and being able to glide down hills instead of walking the whole time. We had to motivate each other through challenging moments, take care of each other's physical and emotional wellbeing, and cook for each other. The same things I need our trip leaders to do when working for our program.
Photo credit: Devin Farkas and Reagan Ramano
There are a number of winter hut options in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine that would be excellent choices depending on desired route length, trip goals and the previous experience of group members. There are a good number of unheated shelters on the Long Trail, managed by the Green Mountain Club. There is a network of huts managed by the Vermont Hut Association including some along the Catamount Trail. The White Mountains of NH offer the AMC High Huts. And Maine Huts and Trails offer huts that are full service, with caretakers to make sure the wood stove is burning and in some huts, that the radiant heated floors are warm. Unfortunately, none of these fit the bill for our desired route length, trip goals or the previous experience of our group members.
Thanks to changes in the global climate, winter in the northeastern US is becoming less and less reliable, making winter expeditions a gamble with poor odds to plan the months out needed. The three High Huts open in the winter do not link up for a manageable training expedition. And while the Maine huts afford a delightful experience that anyone would be lucky to enjoy, that environment does not allow aspiring trip leaders the opportunity to practice and learn the full set of backcountry living skills they will need. Then, I remembered a conversation from years earlier with a colleague who ran a hut-to-hut backcountry nordic skiing tour in the Chic-Choc mountains of Quebec.
Photo credit: Ben Rasor
The Chic-Chocs get their name from the Mi,kmaq word Sogsôg, loosely translated to rocky or craggy mountains. They are a part of the Appalachian mountain chain, located near the end of the Gaspesie Peninsula along the southern shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The Appalachians, which formed 325 million years ago when the African and North American Tectonic Plates slammed together, stretch from Georgia, in the US to Labrador in far north easter CA. They are far enough north, with hostile enough winters to more reliably be snowy in March. Sepaq, the organization that manages the National Parks in Canada, maintains 6 rustic huts manageably linkable by a group with minimal or no prior Backcountry Nordic experience. After speaking with the very friendly and helpful call center staff at Sepaq, I had built an itinerary.
It does not go unnoticed that one of the main industries on the Gaspesie Peninsula is tourism, with the other being fishing. As visitors, we found the rugged terrain and unforgiving weather patterns moderated by the friendly people and rustic accommodations. Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, QC is roughly a 9 hr drive from Burlington, VT and is the perfect launching point for an expedition in the Parc National de la Gaspesie. It is a 30 and 45 minute drive respectively to the two main park entry points, the Parc Visitor and Discovery Center and the Grand Village de Nature Chic-Choc. The Parc boasts two circuits of 3-4 huts (known as refuges), connected by un-groomed (though sometimes packed by snowmobiles) nordic trails. The huts sleep 8-people and while you can carry all of your equipment, there is a shuttle service run by the Parc that brings your equipment hut-to-hut via snowmobile.
Our expedition in the Chic-Chocs was precisely what I had hoped it could be. We spent six days total on skis. One day was spent learning the nordic skiing skills needed on our route. The rest was our tour. My crew went from minimal or no nordic skiing experience to proficient in all the skills needed to navigate the backcountry nordic terrain of the Chic-Chocs. 5-days hut-to-hut allowed for every participant to have the opportunity to practice co-leading for a day, get feedback and then practice one more time. The ambitious but attainable days of skiing provided the opportunity for all of us to feel a strong sense of accomplishment and empowerment. We had to motivate each other through challenging moments, take care of each other's physical and emotional wellbeing, and cook for each other.
The long days spent with our small group gave us the time we needed to get past all the surface level conversation topics, songs, riddles and jokes that easily fill shorter days on the trail. As typically happens in environments like this with 18-22 year olds, we had deep sprawling conversations from topics as wide ranging as politics & Puffins, raising children & penny whistles, coping with mortality & Quakerism.
Our route travelled through pristine, un-tracked snow in a boreal forest that transitioned from open woodland to tightly packed krummholz at the higher elevations. As evident in the tracks, a moose had traversed the first few kilometers of our trail. We spotted a cow moose by accident, on the banks of the river our trail was tracing. Along the way we encountered Pine Grosse Beaks, Ruffed Grouse, Grey Jays, Chickadees and Snow Buntings in addition to the Golden Eyes and Ring Billed Gulls we spotted from the coastal town of Sainte-Ann-des-Monts.
Photo credit: Michaela Burkey, Lauren Baker
In brief, I will be visiting the Chic-Chocs again both professionally and personally. A slightly different itinerary with the equipment shuttle service would make for an ideal family expedition. Having more time, given hut availability, one could nearly double the length of the expedition we took.
I hope this post inspires you to get up to the Chic-Chocs. The information provided below should help you do just that.
The Huts:
There are two types of huts - Cabins and Refuges
All of the huts have a maximum capacity of 8ppl.
All the Refuges are outfitted with a wood burning stove, firewood, hatchet, big pots for melting snow for drinking water, mattresses, pit toilets, firewood, and hatchet.
Cabins, in addition to what Refuges are equipped with have solar power, electric lights, an electric heater and a toilet that operates with a bucket flush.
We needed to bring everything else, including cooking equipment, food, clothing, sleeping bag, headlamp, lanterns, pillow, emergency equipment and toilet paper. Plus bringing a nylon bag (like a pack liner) to haul snow into the hut to melt for drinking water was very helpful.
You have to book by calling the number online. There are a number of standard tours, though we needed a slightly longer expedition than those offered.
For an additional fee, you can reserve gear transport from hut to hut. The Parc staff will pick up and drop off your equipment via snowmobile - we opted to carry our own.
Equipment:
BCNNN equipment is perfect for this route, Alpine Touring would be too much.
We had waxless, 68mm wide skis with metal edges. They worked fine, but wider would be recommended.
We rented equipment from Skirack in Burlington, VT. What we had was all they could provide.
I plan to looking for a company that can rent something closer to 100mm wide - likely in Quebec.
Vehicles:
Two 7 passenger vehicles were essential for running the shuttle
Having a premium SUV (Ford Expedition) with 4 wheel drive was very helpful for capacity and assurance that one vehicle could help the other one out if needed
A Rear wheel drive minivan with new four season tires was sufficient for all the roads we drove on.
Two 7 passenger vehicles was plenty of capacity, we did not feel cramped at all
Resources:
Much of the information needed to plan a trip can be found on Sepaq’s website
The Discovery Center sells full sized, waterproof copies of the trail map for the park, though you can review it online here
Information on snowpack and Avalanche data can be found here
The weather forecast for the Parc can be found here
Quebec511 had up-to-the-hour updates on road closures
Itinerary:
Day 1 - Travel Day
Travel Plan
Drive from Burlington, VT to Riviere du Loup, QC.
Timeline
Total time - 7hrs
Departed Burlington at 10:30
Stopped 3 time for comfort break and fueling up
Arrived at Hotel Universal, Riviere du Loup, QC at 5:30
Conditions
High winds and blowing snow on Rt. 132 and Rt 20 closed the road past Riviere du Loup.
Resources
Quebec511 had up-to-the-hour updates on road closures
Notes
There was a 5 minute wait at the Highgate, VT/Saint-Armand, QC border crossing.
Day 2 - Travel day & expedition food shop
Travel Plan
Drive from Riviere du Loup, QC to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, QC
Timeline
Total time - 4hrs 30mins
Departed Riviere-du-Loup at 9:30am
Stopped 2 times for comfort break and fueling up
Arrived at Auberge du Vieux Faubourg, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts at 2pm
Conditions
Riviere du Loup seemed like the last big town up to Sainte-Anne-de-Monts
132 and 20 are major, paved roadways that are well maintained
Resources
Quebec511 had up-to-the-hour updates on road closures
Notes
Past Riviere-du-Loup the likelihood of service employees speaking english diminishes. Conversational French would be very helpful, and the ability to speak a few key phrases and questions is essential.
Sainte-Anne-des-Monts is a very small town, though it does have the essentials of what one would need - hotels, gas stations, restaurants and grocery stores.
The grocery store in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts has a bakery, meat & seafood section, produce section and standard dry goods sections.
The grocery stores in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts do not have good Gluten Free selections. One of our expedition member has a cross-contamination level of sensitivity. While we were able to make it work, I would highly advise shopping for those items closer to major cities (Quebec City, Montreal, Burlington VT)
Day 3 - Nordic Ski instruction and day outing
Travel Plan
Drive from Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, QC to the Discovery Center; Drive back to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, QC
Timeline
Total time - 6hrs
Departed Sainte-Ann-des-Monts at 10:30am
Arrived at the Discovery Center at 11am
On the trail by 11:50
Arrived at Abi de Portage Shelter at 2:15pm
Back to cars by 3:55pm
Back to Sainte-Ann-des-Monts at 4:30pm
Conditions
Route 299 into the Parc was very well maintained. It is a paved, 2-lane road with clear signage.
There was a decent rain event 4 days prior, on top of a 100cm base of snow, followed by more snow.
The trail conditions were groomed powder and packed powder
Highs in the 20s F, lows around 0 F
Resources
The Discovery Center sells full sized, waterproof copies of the trail map for the park, though you can review it online here
Information on snowpack and Avalanche data can be found here
The weather forecast for the Parc can be found here
Notes
There is a per person, per day fee to use the trails in the Parc, that you can pay ahead over the phone or in-person at the Discovery center.
The discovery center provides Alpine Touring rentals
Day 4 - Shuttle vehicles and first expedition day
Travel Plan
Drive from Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, QC to Stationnement de la Boussole and drop gear and people;
Drive both vehicles to and drop one vehicle at Village de Grand Nature Chic-Chocs
Drive in the other vehicle back to Stationnement de la Boussole
Ski along the river to Le Petit-Saut hut
Timeline
Shuttle Total ~ 3hrs
Departed Sainte-Anne-de-Monts @ 10:50
Arrive at Stationnement de la Boussole @ 11:10
Departed Stationnement de la Boussole @ 11:35
Arrived at Village de Grand Nature @ 1:00pm
Departed Village de Grand Nature @ 1:15pm
Arrived back at Stationnement de la Boussole @ 2:05pm
Skiing Total ~2hrs
On the Trail by 3:10pm
Arrive at Le Petit-Saut @ 5pm
Conditions
299 into the Parc was clear of snow
The road from Cap-Chat to Village de Grand Nature starts as a paved 2 lane rd. and then turns into a dirt road. For us, it was a single lane of packed snow, with sanding on the hills. 2 wheel drive, new all season tires on a rental minivan was sufficient.
Snow conditions were groomed packed powder
Weather was very windy, highs in the mid 10s F, a lows around 0F
Notes
There is no fee to park at Stationnement de la Boussole
There is a 5$ per day fee to park at Village de Grand Nature that is paid inside via credit card.
Le Petit-Saut has 4 huts. Hut #1 and possible #2 are billed as for 8 ppl. However, it was very tight and was only outfitted with 2 twin mattresses and 1 queen/full mattress.
It appeared that Hut #3 and #4 were larger and may better accommodate 8 ppl.
The hut has electricity, an electric heater, a toilet but no running water. There is a river and an additional water source by the huts. The toilet flushes by pouring water into the bowl.
Plenty of firewood and a hatchet to split wood with
Rate of travel was 3km per hour
Day 5 - Ski from Refuge de la Petit-Saut to Refuge de la Paruline hut
Travel Plan
Ski south to Rt 110
Ski west on rt 110 to rt 11
Ski south on rt 11 to the junction and take the left trail to La Paruline hut
Timeline
Breakfast @ 8:00am
Ski lesson @ 9:25am
Skiing towards rt 110 at 10:25am
Lunch break just before the trail junction on rt 11 @ 12:00pm
Back on the trail at 12:45
Arrived at Refuge de la Paruline @ 4:15
Conditions
Rt 110 was groomed packed powder
Once we hit Rt 11 we were breaking trail, sinking to 6 inch on skis
Notes
La Paruline is well outfitted for 8 ppl: 8 bunks with mattresses, a table big enough for 8 ppl, 8 chairs, a wood burning stove, big water melting pots, racks to hang wet clothes on and plenty of firewood.
La Paruline feels remote
Rate of travel on groomed terrain was 3km per hr
Rate of travel while breaking trail and gaining 500m of elevation was 1.75km per hour
Animal sightings: Moose, Pine Grosse Beaks, mouse tracks ending in a owl feather imprint in the snow
Day 6 - Ski from Refuge de la Paruline hut to Refuge de la Pluvier
Travel Plan
Ski south west to the junction with rt 11
Turn right at the junction and ski along rt 11 to Refuge de la Pluvier
Timeline
Breakfast @ 7:30am
Departed @ 9:15am
Arrive at Junction with rt 11 @ 5:45
Arrived at Refuge de la Pluvier @ 7:15
Conditions
Breaking trail through deep snow until rt. 11
Rt 11 was groomed all the way to Refuge de la Pluvier
Notes
La Pluvier is outfitted just like La Paruline
La Pluvier doesn’t feel as remote as La Paruline, it is in a campground.
Rate of travel breaking trail uphill was 1km per hour
Rate of travel breaking trail on level terrain and downhills was 1.9km per hour
Rate of travel on groomed terrain was 3km per hour
Day 7 - Ski from Refuge de la Pluvier to Refuge de la Huard
Travel Plan
Ski south west on rt 11
Timeline
Breakfast @ 7:30am
Departed @ 9:15am
Arrived at Refuge de la Huard @ 6:30pm
Conditions
Rt 11 was groomed the entire way and allowed skiers to be side by side and talk casually while skiing
Notes
La Huard feels more like La Paruline, though it sleeps two 8-person groups.
A lot of really fun downhill stretches that were very manageable on nordic skis.
Rate of travel on groomed terrain was 3km per hour
Day 8 - Ski from Refuge de la Huard to Village Grand Nature Chic-Chocs
Travel Plan
Ski north on rt 11
Drive to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts
Shuttle vehicles
Timeline
Breakfast @ 7:30am
Departed @ 9:15am
Arrived at Village Grand Nature Chic-Chocs @ 4:30pm
Conditions
Rt 11 was groomed the entire way and allowed skiers to be side by side and talk casually while skiing
Notes
Gradual uphill leading to a long and steep downhill that was too much to manage comfortably on nordic skis. We did a lot of side slipping, side stepping and butt sliding.
Rate of travel on groomed terrain was 3km per hour
Lessons
Side stepping, side slipping, butt slidding
Leave No Trace principles
Avoiding the heuristic trap of running for the stables
Day 9 - Travel Day
Travel Plan
Drive from Saint-Anne-des-Monts to Burlington VT
Timeline
Total time ~10 hrs
Departed Sainte-Anne-des-Monts at 7:30am
Stopped 2 time for comfort break and fueling up
Arrived in Burlington at 5:15pm
Conditions
Clear Roads and light rain.
Notes
There was a 5 minute wait at the Highgate, VT/Saint-Armand, QC border crossing.
