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Traceurs de bonheur / Grooming Happiness

  • March 18, 2021
  • Ned Morgan
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mots :: Benoît Simard.

Une tempête se prépare, fébrilité et joie pour les uns, affolement et appréhension pour les autres. On fait partie des enthousiastes, mais on redoute la tâche à venir. Et oui, il nous faut préparer le terrain avant le lever du jour.

Le groupe s’active. Qui est disponible ce soir? Quel secteur sera entretenu en priorité? On attend le mot d’ordre de nos chefs d’équipe locaux. Le type de neige, la température, l’humidité sont autant de facteurs qui influenceront les décisions à prendre.

 

Grooming-Happiness-fat-bike-Chantecler-photo-by-ALAIN DENIS
Jennifer Smith troque ses skis pour des roues au Chantecler. / Jennifer Smith trades her skis for wheels at Chantecler. Photo: ALAIN DENIS

 

Pour offrir la meilleure expérience aux amateurs de vélo sur neige, il faut savoir à quel moment sortir la machinerie. Trop froide, la neige ne colle pas et est impossible à compacter. Lorsque l’air est chaud et humide, le risque de créer de la glace augmente. Il faut décider si le travail commence tard, ou si on repasse tôt le matin. Toute une équipe de bénévoles travaille à pied d’œuvre, elle sort tasser la neige, la taper pour créer des sentiers sinueux au fond dur.

Il est bon de savoir qu’il faut quelques heures après un traçage pour offrir des conditions optimales et s’assurer que les sentiers sont suffisamment durcis. Les aventuriers qui se risquent trop tôt après un traçage peuvent parfois abîmer les pistes jusqu’à la prochaine chute de neige. L’entretien des sentiers exige un effort considérable, et doit être recommencé après chaque chute de neige.

 

Travailler dans l’ombre est parfois ingrat, mais la récompense se mesure en sourires.

 

Dans une neige profonde, il faut parfois 30 minutes pour franchir 300 mètres. Imaginez quand le réseau couvre 20 kilomètres. Une motoneige qui brise au fond du bois à 23h15 ou la dameuse (Snowdog) qui ne démarre pas à moins vingt degrés dans la tempête : c’est l’aspect le moins séduisant de la préparation de notre terrain de jeu. À d’autres endroits moins bien équipés, le plaisir des uns repose essentiellement sur le labeur et la sueur de quelques férus de vélo sur neige convertis momentanément en raquetteurs qui traînent, à l’ancienne, un pneu en guise de gratte.

Chaque région dispose d’un groupe de dévoués, chaque terrain présente des caractéristiques qui lui sont propres et lui procurent des atouts uniques et particuliers. Virages serrés ou pistes larges, montées cassantes ou circulation fluide, tous les sentiers sont différents. Le fait qu’ils évoluent au fil des tempêtes ajoute au côté ludique et merveilleux du vélo sur neige.

 

Grooming-Happiness-fat-bike-Lac-Delage-photo-by-Dylan-Page
À toute allure dans les sentiers E47 Écho, Lac Delage, QC. / Full speed at E47 Écho sentiers, Lac Delage, QC. Photo: DYLAN PAGE

 

Les regards heureux, les cris de joie et l’enthousiasme d’un groupe d’amateurs que l’on croise dans les sentiers quelques jours après une tempête procurent une satisfaction et une fierté difficilement exprimable. Travailler dans l’ombre est parfois ingrat, mais la récompense se mesure en sourires.

Alors la prochaine fois que vous croiserez, tôt le matin sur les pistes, quelqu’un dégageant une odeur d’essence et aux traits tirés, remerciez-le au hasard : c’est peut-être un traceur de bonheur qui termine son quart de travail.

 

Quelles frontières / What Limit? Winter-Spring ’21 Vie en Montagne Out Now

 


 

A snowstorm is brewing. Some are restless and excited. Others worried and concerned. We are among the enthusiasts, but dread the task awaiting. Because yes, we need to groom the trails before daybreak.

Let’s get to work. Who is available tonight? Which area will be groomed first? We are waiting for direction from our local team leaders. The type of snow, outside temperature and humidity are all factors considered in the grooming operations.

To offer fat bike enthusiasts the best possible experience, you need to know when to get the equipment arsenal working. Too cold, the snow won’t stick and compacting it is impossible. When the air is humid, the risk of ice forming increases. You need to decide if the grooming starts late, or if you will return early in the morning. A team of volunteers work relentlessly, moving and packing down the snow to create winding paths on the hard bottom.

 

60016a95b67a 1 1

 

It is also important to know that a few hours are needed after grooming to provide optimal conditions and ensure that the trails have sufficiently hardened. Those who venture out too soon after grooming can damage the trails until the next snowfall.

 

Grooming-Happiness-photo-by-tim-foster-usplash
Photo by Tim Foster on Unsplash

 

 

Trail maintenance requires considerable effort, and grooming has to be done after each snowfall. In deep snow, it can take 30 minutes to travel 300 metres. Imagine when the trail network covers 20 kilometres. A snowmobile breaking down in the woods at 11:15 pm or the Snowdog won’t start in the storm at twenty below: this is the least attractive part of getting our playground ready. In some locations with limited grooming equipment, the enjoyment of many rests entirely on the hard work of a few sweaty fat bike enthusiasts who temporarily become snowshoers dragging a tire as a snow scraper, the old-fashioned way.

 

Working behind the scenes may seem unrewarding, but the reward is measured in smiles.

 

Each region has a dedicated group of volunteers, each location has its distinctive features which contribute to the uniqueness of the site. Tight turns or wide trails, steep climbs or smooth flow, no two trails are alike. The fact that they evolve with the storms adds to the fun and provides an awesome feeling when riding.

The happy looks, cries of joy and passion of a group of enthusiasts encountered on the trails a few days after a storm provide unparalleled satisfaction and pride that is hard to express. Working behind the scenes may seem unrewarding, but the reward is measured in smiles.

So, the next time you see someone on the trails early in the morning with a tired look and smelling of gasoline, randomly thank them: it could be someone who has just finished his shift Grooming Happiness.

 

Quelles frontières / What Limit? Winter-Spring ’21 Vie en Montagne Out Now

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  • fat biking
  • Quebec
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There are some first times that we will always remember. Like the time I skied off-piste through the alpine highlands of le parc national de la Gaspésie.
@shimizuimg getting those January goods ❄️ #mountainlifer
With four decades of ice canoeing under his belt, Jean Anderson has dominated a sport that's unique to Quebec and that he helped shape.
Featuring three gravel and three MTB events, the series explores the intense competition and love of the sport among 60 of the world’s premier cyclists.
Winter commute with #mountainlifer @michelle_pittam ❄️🚵‍♀️🌲
@lhymnedestrembles.ca is no mirage. Set in the lush Laurentian forest, yet easily accessible (less than an hour and a half from Montreal), this luxurious ski-in ski-out residential resort by @groupebrivia is nestled at the foot of the Versant Soleil side of Mont Tremblant. The Tremblant region is a perennial destination for outdoor enthusiasts from around the world, and within the province, attracting 3.5 million visitors annually.
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