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Roots and Skis on the Matawinie Trail

  • January 6, 2022
  • Mountain Life Media
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For French-language text, click here or scroll down. Words :: Sophie Lachance // photos :: Annie-Claude Roberge.

From Patagonia’s snowy slopes to Russia’s polar regions, photographer, director and producer Annie-Claude Roberge has had her share of extreme moments over the past 20 years. Sixty countries later, the adventure-fuelled woman took advantage of the pandemic to go with the flow and stay where her passion for the outdoors was born: the woods of the Lanaudière region. 

« En pleine nature, je me sens libre de suivre mon instinct, libre d’être qui je suis, sans concession. » / “In the wilderness, I feel free to follow my instincts, free to be who I am without compromising.” Photo: ANNIE-CLAUDE ROBERGE

On the Matawinie Trail, a section of the National Trail in Quebec (SNQ), Annie-Claude’s touring skis glided over the snow for 100 kilometres over five days last winter. Elevation changes of 400 to 600 metres and 180-degree views marked her journey, which she shared with her ultramarathoner friend Hélène Dumais. “Such a wild, remote place near Montreal is rare,” says the filmmaker.

Although the section in the foothills stretching over some 30 kilometres was hard, she wasn’t at all in the mindset of taking on a massive challenge, conquering a summit or beating a record. The goal was simply to peacefully reconnect with the wilds where she had grown up. 

“The outdoors isn’t just about big challenges. It’s also about being in harmony with nature and respecting it.” 

The way she thinks about nature evolved after the return to her roots. In the rocks’ contours, the snow-covered treetops and the shaggy mosses spreading all over tree trunks, the small suddenly became bigger. It’s one thing to experience the often imposing, boundless wilderness found elsewhere. Experiencing nature in a familiar area is another. 

“Yes, I get out into the great outdoors when I travel. Except that here, it taught me to live slowly, day by day, in harmony with the elements that forged me. That made me the person I am today.”

In little things experienced during that humble expedition on the Matawinie Trail, the woman from Lanaudière found her treasure. With her teammate, everything was a pretext to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. “I had just as much fun, if not more than in Alaska because I was with someone who made fetching water from a creek exciting,” she says. 

Because she still enjoys exploring her backyard, Annie-Claude will once again pack her backpack by spring to pursue a movie project in northern Quebec. Yes, she’ll be travelling, but she’ll be travelling better from now on. “I don’t want to go just anywhere and emit carbon by flying anymore. I want to do what is meaningful for me.”  

Vie en montagne Winter/Spring ’22 Issue Out Now

Des racines et des skis sur le sentier de la Matawinie

Des flancs enneigés de la Patagonie au froid polaire de la Russie, la photographe, réalisatrice et productrice Annie-Claude Roberge en a vécu des moments « extrêmes » ces vingt dernières années. Soixante pays plus tard, celle qui carbure à l’aventure a profité de la pandémie pour suivre le vent et s’arrêter là où sa passion pour le plein air est née : dans la forêt lanaudoise. 

C’est sur un tronçon du Sentier national au Québec (SNQ) – le sentier de la Matawinie – que les skis de randonnée d’Annie-Claude ont frôlé la neige sur une centaine de kilomètres, cinq jours durant, l’hiver dernier. Des dénivelés de 400 à 600 mètres et des points de vue sur 180 degrés ont ponctué le périple, partagé avec son amie l’ultramarathonienne Hélène Dumais. « Un lieu aussi sauvage et reculé près de Montréal, c’est rare », confie la cinéaste.

Bien que la section des contreforts, s’étalant sur une trentaine de kilomètres, lui ait donné du fil à retordre, loin d’elle était l’idée de relever un défi titanesque, de conquérir un quelconque sommet ou de battre un record. L’objectif était plutôt de reconnecter avec la nature qui l’avait vue grandir, tranquillement, simplement. 

« Le plein air, ce n’est pas juste de gros défis. C’est aussi être en cohésion avec la nature et la respecter. » 

Une nature dont la conception a évolué dans l’esprit d’Annie-Claude, à la suite de ce retour aux sources. Relief des rochers, cimes des arbres enneigés, mousses prolifiques s’étalant de tout leur long sur les troncs : l’infiniment petit a soudainement pris de l’ampleur. Vivre la nature de l’ailleurs, souvent « imposante et démesurée », est une chose. Vivre celle d’un territoire familier en est une autre. 

« Faire du plein air, partir en expédition, en rando, ce n’est pas juste une question de lieu : ce sont les gens avec qui tu es, et la bulle que tu crées avec ces personnes-là, qui importent ! »

« Oui, je côtoie la grande nature quand je voyage. Sauf qu’ici, elle m’a réappris à vivre lentement, au jour le jour, en harmonie avec les éléments qui m’ont forgée. Qui m’ont permis d’être l’être humain que je suis aujourd’hui. »

C’est donc dans les petites choses de cette humble expédition sur le sentier de la Matawinie que la Lanaudoise a trouvé son trésor. Avec sa coéquipière, toutes les raisons étaient bonnes pour rendre le banal extraordinaire. « J’ai eu autant de fun, sinon plus, qu’en Alaska, parce j’étais avec quelqu’un avec qui aller chercher de l’eau dans un ruisseau devenait excitant », résume-t-elle. 

Comme elle se plaît toujours à explorer sa cour arrière, Annie-Claude préparera de nouveau son sac à dos d’ici le printemps afin de réaliser un projet de film dans le nord du Québec, qu’elle chérit tant. Voyager, oui, mais mieux, dorénavant. « Je ne veux plus aller n’importe où et prendre l’avion pour émettre du carbone. Je veux faire ce qui a du sens pour moi. »  

Vie en montagne Winter/Spring ’22 Issue Out Now

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  • Lanaudière region
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Last day of the season @whistlerblackcomb! How was your season on the mountain? #whistlerblackcomb #mountainlifer
We hope this long weekend took you somewhere this beautiful 😍 #mountainlifer
Weekend motivation with @skifelix + @yankaczynski #mountainlifer
FRIDAY FLICK! @jasonhardrath has spent his entire life in motion: whether that was on sports teams as a young boy, as a triathlete through his early adulthood, or in the mountains, through today.
#ThrowbackThursday 👉Rhythmic raindrops pounded on the truck’s canopy. Wet snow avalanches growled down the slopes, and the river echoed its roar—evidence the Nass Valley’s spirit was very alive. According to the Nisga’a people, K’alii-Aksim-Lisims (the Nass River, one of BC’s richest river systems) is as much a part of them as their own flesh and blood, flowing through their land and lives.
Join us to hear from the Squamish Search & Rescue on trip planning, outdoor safety, outing ideas, and tips for backcountry travel while enjoying local beer and good company at @hellyhansenwhistler tomorrow eve! #Linkinbio to register!
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