As a Vermonter, Quebec sometimes seems like a bizarre alter ego to the north. We are not sure exactly what goes on up there in the frozen north, but what we do know is that their beer is unbelievably good and they know cheese curd better than anyone else. For these two reasons alone I like to travel in this remote portion of Canada, but I am especially drawn to the Gaspe Peninsula where the mountains rise from the shore of the Saint Lawrence sea way like giant breaching whales. This range, known as the Chic Chocs, is an incongruity in the flat agricultural expanse that makes up the majority of Quebec. They are not spiny peaks, but more rounded like some of their pacific counterparts, the Monashee and Selkirk mountain ranges. Despite this softer geometry, the Chic Chocs provide some serious descents for the interested skier. All the skiing is backcountry, but most approaches are just a few hours and can be accessed directly from the road that cuts through Park National de la Gaspesie. We had set out to ski a new region in the park that just opened to backcountry skiing this year. What we found atop these coastal mountains was a series of open ridge lines, spacious forests, and around 4+ ft. of new fresh snow to shred at will.

In the distance, Mt. Albert reigned over the park, always in our view. We were blessed with an unprecedented number of bluebird days and squeezed every once of ski potential out of each one. Once we were too tired for another lap, we headed back to our Chalet at the Gite du Mont-Albert. We also toured the local town of St. Anne des Monts where we took in the local sites and tried a few regional dishes.