Supervise alpine ski touring rather than ban it

In winter, the alpine ski resorts of Gaspésie are generally closed on weekdays. Skiers took the opportunity to go alpine hiking, either climbing with climbing skins and descending on the slopes. Completely illegally. What to do ? Chase them and try as best they can to kick them out of the domain? Or supervise this new activity?

Mary Tison
The Press

The community chose the second solution and launched a pilot project involving six ski resorts. Under certain conditions, it will be possible to go alpine hiking during and after operating hours.

“If you have a water leak that you can’t stop, you at least try to direct it to the right place,” comments François Bélanger, outdoor project manager at the Gaspésie–Îles regional leisure and sport unit. -de-la-Madeleine (URLS GÎM). “You have to regulate what you are not able to forbid. »

Mr. Bélanger realized the extent of the problem by conducting a survey of ski resorts in the region, small organizations often municipal, supported by volunteers. It wasn’t really possible to go alpine hiking there during operating hours because there weren’t necessarily any climbing trails.

“So people went there when it was closed,” says Mr. Bélanger. However, when the station is closed, it is the occasion to do the maintenance of the tracks, to carry out the grooming, to make repairs. There was a fairly strong concern about hitting someone. »

Pilot project

Mr. Bélanger has developed a pilot project to establish safe practice frameworks. It fell well.

“The manager of ski area regulations was in the process of revising the regulations to take the situation into account,” says Mr. Bélanger.

The Association of Quebec Ski Resorts (ASSQ), the Quebec Mountain and Climbing Federation (FQME), Avalanche Quebec and Tourisme Gaspésie have also embarked on the project.

“It is normal and logical to get involved in this project to provide the bases for ski resorts so that they adopt good practices in terms of layout and signage, and to enable practitioners themselves to adopt good practices and good techniques,” says Maxime Bolduc, ski director at the FQME.

The Federation promotes the development of mountain skiing, an activity that involves autonomous ascent (on skis or snowshoes) and descent on generally ungroomed slopes.

“There is a large windfall of skiers who are getting their start in ski resorts, on terrain where they are more used to skiing, notes Mr. Bolduc. They find their bearings, so they can concentrate on the ascent techniques. For us, this is where future mountain skiers come from. »

The pilot project is a practice framework that distinguishes between two practices. We first talk about alpine hiking, which is done during the resort’s operating hours: the climb is done on an ascent path which is obviously separate from the downhill slopes.

Then we talk about autonomous alpine hiking, which is done outside operating hours. However, the resorts specify frequentation zones and timetables: there is no question of skiing during maintenance and grooming work.

Accompany the skiers

During the month of March, participating resorts, Petit Chic-Chocs in Cap-Chat, Center plein air de la Haute-Gaspésie in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Mont Miller in Murdochville, Mont Béchervaise in Gaspé, the Pin Rouge Tourist Station in New Richmond and the Petit Chamonix in Matapédia will have equipment for rent for interested skiers and for initiation activities.

“We feel that there is a need for support in acquiring the right skills,” says François Bélanger.

It will therefore be an opportunity to do training and education to allow skiers to go even further.

“If you decide to go into independent activity, in free practice, you are responsible, recalls Mr. Bélanger. You need to inform yourself of the conditions, that you take an avalanche course, that you have all the safety and rescue equipment, that you notify someone of your exit. »

For ski resorts, this is an opportunity to reach new customers. “There are people who like to be outside, who like sliding activities, but who don’t practice downhill skiing because they don’t like the crowds around the ski lifts,” recalls Mr. Bélanger.

The other ski resorts in Quebec will also be able to benefit from the Gaspé experience. “That’s the ultimate goal of the pilot project,” says Maxime Bolduc. Let it serve as a laboratory to then create specifications to allow all stations to adapt the practice. »