While the 12 runs there are a bit more mellow, they offer great skiing in well-maintained glades. Porphyre, is closer to town and offers scenic views when you get dropped off above treeline. York, features 15 different long and steep runs, several of which contain sizeable natural and artificial jumps making the terrain a backcountry playground. Porphyre-there’s no shortage to choose from. With two separate zones accessed by cat-Mt.
York.Ĭhic-Chac also boasts some amazing terrain. Chic-Chac also packed big lunches for us in the cat, which we enjoyed during a break in their warming hut at the base of Mt. The food was outstanding, particularly the gourmet dinners that hit the spot after a long day of skiing. The hostel-style lodge is located in town and hosts breakfast and dinner for its guests, along with a bar for après-ski fun. While it’s the only catskiing experience on the East Coast, they set a high standard for any operation, East or West. We spent the next two days checking out the local catskiing operation run by Chic-Chac. Being surrounded with impressive-looking mountains and blessed with several metres of snowfall every season, it’s easy to tell that this place is special. A massive wind energy development has dotted the surrounding ridge lines with tall white structures, and the boom of backcountry skiing has begun to draw more tourists, business and residents to the area. The place used to be a busy mining town, but since the mine’s closure in 1999, it has found new ways to thrive. Massive three-metre-tall snow banks line the snow-covered streets and the only vehicles parked in front of the town’s only restaurant are snowmobiles. It’s the type of scenery that looks more like Norway than Québec.Īrriving in Murdochville feels like you’ve made it to a winter wonderland. The picturesque scenery along Highway 20 and Route 132 does help pass the time-the road winds through quaint seaside villages for a while, before squeezing down to a narrow strip of pavement sandwiched between the ice-filled waters of the St. Lawrence River to the left and large steep bluffs that come crashing down to the right. The heart of the Chic-Chocs lies a seven-hour drive northeast of Québec City. Word quickly spread about this mecca of skiing now, the Chic-Chocs are considered a bucket-list-worthy destination for any East Coast skier. The alpine has the same appearance as the rounded peaks and open bowls of Colorado, the sprawling spruce forests grow similar to those in British Columbia, the small Québécois towns scattered about feel comfortably European, and the snow is in a league of its own. These stories started when the East’s most adventurous skiers journeyed into the depths of the Gaspé Peninsula in search of this holy land-a place that looks and feels like anything but the East Coast. Those that have grown up skiing the East have likely heard stories of the fabled Chic-Choc Mountains of Québec.
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