COMP - New authorized skiing areas in the Chic-Chocs
Great news! This winter, the "Parc national de la Gaspésie" has authorized new wonderfull skiing areas in the Chic-Chocs.
Locals have been trying to open new spots for backcountry skiing for years in the Parc national de la Gaspésie. They are very happy about these new possibilities. We learned the news at the beginning of december. We were soo eager to test those new spots, but needed to wait a little bit for the snow.
You need to get a special permit for an "Expedition in the Backcountry" before to go in these new skiing spots. The number of people who can access those spots per day could be limited if needed by the park and you go there really "on your own" (there is no official trail, no official map, you need to be able to get out by yourself in case of a problem, etc.). You can have more information on the permit procedure here: http://www.sepaq.com/pq/gas/in.....55a84c5a44.
Last friday, we formed a small group of 3 to explore the mountains. We were officially the firsts clients to tests the new areas. What a wonderfull day! An easy climb, a marvelous view at the summit and lots of snow for skiing our way back down. Definately my favorite mountain in the region (and I've done a lot). Have a look at our small video:
We skied the area between the "Gîte du Mont-Albert" and the "Champs de mars" (http://goo.gl/maps/Cs3yT). Right from the start of our "trail", you had a wonderfull view on the Mont Albert. We then came in a mature forest forming a huge bowl of about 200m vertical, not that high, but perfect for skiing. On our way to the summit, the forest was quite clear and we loved to skin up between the frosted trees. On the summit, you have, in my opinion, the most beautifull 360 degrees view in the Chic-Chocs mountains. The sun was warm and we decided to relax and lunch watching the landscape (we almost forgot that we could also ski in 40cm of powder in the bowl).
It's definately a spot where I will go back often this winter.
You can get more general information regarding the skiing spots in the Chic-Chocs with this book from Mountain coop http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/.....alpine.jsp. If you want more information concerning the accomodations, catskiing services, etc. Go here: http://Hiver-Gaspesie.com. Of course, you can also post your questions here and I'll do my best to help you.