It’s a perfect winter day. It’s cold, but the sky is a beautiful azure blue and the sun shines on a little freshly fallen snow. It’s an ideal day for a little via ferrata and ziplines in the Laurentians. More precisely, at the Tyroparc in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts.
We are not the only ones to have this idea: eight happy friends from Toronto, who came to ski in Tremblant, decided to add this adventure to their little expedition to Quebec.
Our two guides, Marie-Julie Laurin and Tony Fawdray, welcome us warmly and provide us with the necessary equipment: a helmet, a complete harness, straps, carabiners and small crampons.
They also weigh on us: there are conditions regarding weight, height and age that must be respected.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
One of the guides, Tony Fawdray, equips a participant.
We head towards the start of the via ferrata by taking a small path that climbs gently through the forest, which warms us up nicely. Marie-Julie Laurin gives us some instructions and shows us how to attach ourselves to the cable. We use a special carabiner that can slide through the pads that connect each section of cable. This means that once we are attached, we cannot become detached by accident. And with big winter mittens, it’s easier to handle than regular carabiners.
We can therefore leave without fear by climbing a first wooden ladder. We begin to move along the side of the cliff by placing our foot on bars or steel plates and taking a wooden beam above the void.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
It starts slowly.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
You pass the carabiner through the entire system without having to detach it.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
One of the many bridges on the via ferrata
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
A wooden beam partly covered in snow. Fortunately, crampons limit the risk of slipping.
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In winter, a via ferrata presents particular challenges. There is a little snow on the beam, on the plates. Are we going to slip? To fall ? This is when we bless our little crampons, which give us the confidence to progress.
The young man following me is still very nervous. His way of coping with stress is to laugh. Since the start of the via ferrata, he has been laughing non-stop. Which, obviously, makes all his friends laugh.
We have to cross bridges made up of only two cables: a first to place our feet one in front of the other, a second, at shoulder height, to hold us. There is nervous laughter behind me.
Marie-Julie Laurin attaches herself to the cable with an additional carabiner and slides gently under the deck, head down (hence the usefulness of the complete harness). Intrepid participants decide to imitate him, to take photos that will certainly get people talking over there in Toronto.
I’ve been hearing a weird knock-knock-knock sound for a while. A woodpecker? It is rather Tony Fawdray, in front, who breaks the ice which has accumulated on certain steel bars. Curtains of ice also adorn certain parts of the cliff. With the sun, it’s magnificent.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Some movements are more delicate than others.
From the via ferrata, we have a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts.
It’s not the highest via ferrata there is, but it is still 60 meters above the ground, the equivalent of a 20-story building. The experience is dizzying: when you go from one part of the cliff to another, you are truly above the void.
The movements are not difficult, but require a little daring. Which, obviously, makes the young man behind me laugh.
We do not do the “expert” section of the via ferrata: in winter, the natural holds are not really accessible, so this part is reserved for summer visitors. In any case, we have plenty to do with the other sections.
All that remains is to climb steel rungs to reach the top of the hill and complete the via ferrata. The participants are in a very good mood. Especially those who had to step out of their comfort zone and are really proud of themselves.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Guide Marie-Julie Laurin prepares a participant for one of the two zip lines.
And now, the zip line!
We are now walking on a snow-covered path to get to the starting point of a first zip line. Tony Fawdray follows us… to collect any crampons that might come loose in the deep snow.
This zip line is 115 meters high and travels 900 meters to another hill. You have to close your coat tightly because at this speed, the wind is biting.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
It’s a departure for the first zip line.
The departure of a zip line always makes you shudder a little, but the pleasure quickly takes over, flying through the trees.
A final 650 meter zipline brings us back to our starting point. Time flew by. We should come back to visit the brand new Tyroparc mountain ski area, on Mount Catherine. You always have to leave something for next time.
Consult the winter activities page at Tyroparc