Desperately seeking winter

by GENEVIEVE PAIEMENT

Right about now, while most of us should be searching for that discount flight to a southern destination, some people are actually dreaming of a more, well, wintry winter. Those who showed up for this city’s 20th annual Fête des Neiges last weekend were sorely disappointed: the site, spread across Notre-Dame and Ste-Hélène islands, is closed due to the utter lack of neiges.

Quebec City and surrounding areas have always had more of the fluffy white stuff than us—they’ve based their tourism industry around it with the Carnaval, the Ice Hotel and more snowy activities than you can shake an ice pick at. So, if you can afford a weekend getaway, here are a few winterrific tips on what to do there. [NB: at press time temperatures were above normal in Quebec City too. Check forecast or use contact numbers below to ensure availability of activities.]

A cleaner Carnaval

The roots of many carnivals around the world are in pre-Lenten debauch—a time to get down and dirty before those 40 days of strained piety. So New Orleans has Mardi Gras, Vienna has their eerie masked carnival, Rio’s got their insanely ornate samba-soaked costume contest and Quebec City’s got its Bonhomme Carnaval and about a million tons of snow. In years past, the celebration had gained a bit of a saucy reputation for being overrun by Caribou-swilling, rampaging, horn-blowing drunks. So the Carnaval committee stepped in and executed a Giuliani-style cleanup, ousting the more adult-themed events (including the beauty-based Queen of the Carnaval “election”) and reinstating a family entertainment feel. Activities include canoe and dogsled races, international ice-sculpting competitions, public snow baths, parades, giant foozball, a sugar shack and ice fishing all in downtown Quebec City from Feb. 1–17. Visit www.carnaval.qc.ca for a schedule of events or www.quebecregion.com for accommodation ideas.

Brrring on the ice capades

Inspired by the one in Jukkasjârvi, Sweden, Quebec’s very own Ice Hotel is located in the sleepy town of Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier (25 minutes from Quebec City). Open January through March, the grandiose digs are made of 11,000 tons of snow and 350 tons of ice inside which the temperature hovers between –6C and –2C. You’ll find two ice sculpture galleries, a skating rink, an ice bar (where vodka is served in thick ice glasses), a wedding chapel, a snow cinema, 21 frigid rooms and 10 frosty suites. There’s also a recreation of a Haudenosaunee Indian long house with vegetables and pelts galore. In fact, anti-fur types be warned: animal pelts line all the beds (lending the rooms a subtle wet-doggy odour) as well as the movie theatre seats and bar alcoves. And at an average $200 per person, it’s not cheap to freeze your ass off for one enchanted evening (though they swear once inside their state-of-the-art sleeping bags—where you’re encouraged to sleep naked—you’ll be quite toasty). For the less insane, guided visits are $6–12 (this way you don’t have to sleep there). Info: www.icehotel-canada.com.

Hardcore action

If actually spending the night at the Ice Hotel proves too pricey or just plain unenticing, there’s a cheaper, warmer accommodation option just across the road: Duchesnay Ecotourism Station, where a truly Québécois great outdoors experience awaits. Here you’ll find 125 km of cross-country ski trails, ice fishing, sledding, guided ecological tours, snowshoeing, climbing and more. If you go cross-country skiing and find yourself gearing up in their equipment room, do not be alarmed by the “Fart du jour” sign—“fart” is a special wax applied (in the “salle de fartage,” no less) to the bottom of one’s skis. One night (including breakfast) starts at $44.50. Info: (toll-free) 1-877-511-5885 or www.sepaq.com. And around Duchesney lay several hiking and skiing trails including Charlevoix’s extensive Sentier des caps, spanning 51 kilometres of hiking, snowshoeing and ski trails and lakes in between as well as a view of the St. Lawrence River. For the more hardcore among us, they offer winter camping ($10 per person, per night), or rustic refuges ($20 per person), which are heated wooden cabins sans toilettes, nor electricity. Info: 1-800-516-2677 or www.quebecweb.com/capscharlevoix.

Gourmet goodies

In the ultra-quaint yet affordable department, 10 minutes away in Saint-Raymond, there is La Bastide, a comfy and gorgeous B&B perched on the Ste-Anne river, with deals starting at $44.50 (or, $83 gets you two nights, two gourmet dinners, and a bottle of wine). Info: 1-877-337-3796 or www.aubergelabastide.qc.ca. Or, spring for a ski package deal (starting at $133 including a night’s stay, breakie and a Mont Ste-Anne lift ticket) at À L’Abri de la Tourmente, a slightly more posh B&B. Info: 1-888-530-3025 or www.abridelatourmente.com.
Which brings us to the downhill options around Quebec.

The hills are alive

Mont-Ste-Anne (30 minutes outside of Quebec City) offers packages galore in all possible price ranges. A half-day goes for $21.75–34.80 and a full day costs $25.20–45.20 (all depending on your age). The hill also offers 224 km of cross-country trails (rated number one in Canada, $4.80–14.80 full day, $3.90–10.90 half-day). One night at the four-star Château Mont Sainte-Anne (www.chateaumontsainteanne.com) goes for a cool $100 (that’s half of a night spent at the ice hotel and there’s a fireplace in many of the rooms!), but there are many packages including lift tickets and meals.

Finally, if the maximum amount of snow possible is what you seek, just around the bend the legendary and majestic Le Massif (www.lemassif.com) awaits you. The highest mountain east of the Rockies, a full-day lift ticket will set you back $20.90–36.50 and a half-day $17.40–30.45. With its average annual snowfall of 650 cm and breathtaking view of the river, Le Massif has become an international skiing attraction, with 80 per cent of the runs in the “difficult” to “extremely difficult” categories. Happy trails! :