MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2021

35 Arriving at the airport in Gaspé, Quebec, our driver tells us we got here just in time. “Tomorrow will be hot,” he says. “Minus 6.” As in -6 C is a hot day. Yikes. The hour-long drive from Gaspé to Murdochville lands us in the small and quiet town just around midnight. The only place that’s open is the ski chalet at Mont Miller, so we head there. There are about 12 people in the bar, many of them still wearing ski and snowboard boots. The bar itself isn’t much; it’s the upstairs part of the chalet and features foldable plastic tables, folding chairs and a fireplace. But that isn’t stopping anyone from having fun. We order a couple pints and play some foosball on their wonky table. The bartender goes outside and sets off some Roman candles. Welcome to the Chic Chocs. • • • Talk to nearly any eastern skier and the Chic Chocs will be on their bucket list. The reason no one actually goes? The epic drive to get there. Murdochville is 15 hours from the GTA in perfect conditions. And you can guarantee driving conditions will suck during ski season. We were lucky enough to fly to Gaspé. Add to that the fact that the ski scene here is a bit of a mystery. Even in this digital age, a quick look through the old interweb is more confusing than enlightening. A muddle of websites don’t answer the basic questions: Are there any ski hills? Is it all touring? Is there anywhere to eat? That’s exactly what we intend to find out. • • • In the morning we walk into the lower section of the Mont Miller Lodge, where it’s reminiscent of a northern logging camp: Grey benches and tables made of two-by-fours serve as the furniture. The 12-20 people eating here are all buzzing with that about-to-go-skiing energy. They all seem to know each other. We go to the kitchen window, hand in our meal ticket and are greeted with friendly smiles and plates of delicious home-cooked breakfast. The portions are ginormous. The lift is open today on Mont Miller, the one resort in the region. Glorious beer run back to the lodge at Mont Miller.