Trip Reports - Mooney Mountain Guides - Rock Climbing, Ice Climbing, Mountaineering and Backcountry Skiing

Art Mooney UIAGM-AMGA Certified Mountain Guide

Spring Skiing in Gaspe Canada March 2009

Spring break 2009 arrived on March 21. On the 22nd I hopped in a van loaded with gear and 5 Middlebury College students. We drove for ten hours to the Chic Choc Mountains in the Gaspe Region of Canada. The Chic Chocs snow report stated transitional ski conditions were to be found, in other words expect a hard crusty surface. We were not sure what to expect but when we arrived it was snowing and the snow banks that lined the road were higher than the van. Looked as though these conditions would be just fine for our spring skiing trip. On the first two days we skied excellent conditions with a few inches of new snow covering the old surface. Soft and quiet powder turns on the gladed runs on Champ-de-Mars and Mt Blanche brought smiles all around. Mid week we skinned up to the steeper chutes on Mt Hog's Backs and Mt Albert. Nothing was transitional about the skiing here either. The runs were smooth and covered with a few new inches. The small amount of new snow made a big difference - the result was very good skiing during the week. This was my second trip to the Gaspe and I am planning to go back next spring. There is a large variety of ski tours ranging from moderate glades to advanced chutes. The snowpack is deep into April with March being a prime time to go. Thanks to Dave, Jacqui, Kyle, Sam and Nat for coming together to make this trip happen. I had a great time meeting and skiing with each of you.