A first in the East of Canada. The Freezing Conditions of Quebec

Enthusiasts of freezing conditions and great voids, French guides Erwan Lelann and Sam Beaugey ended up in Quebec in their bid to attempt a first: to open an ice fall comprising an overhang of over 150 metres followed by its descent via Base Jump!

Text and photos : Guillaume Vallot

“Dji Foxy, dji!”, François the musher spurs on his dogs. In their wake, the sleds glide along the length of the Saint Marguerite river. With the opening of the sluice gates of the ‘HydroQuébec’ dam upstream, this tributary at the Northern edge of the Saint Lawrence river, a veritable liquid backbone of the country, has difficulty freezing over. At Sept-Iles, the closest town, the Innu Indians don’t appreciate this violation of nature. All around, frosted trees create a ghostly presence. Far away, some tectonic plates of ice jostle together, reflecting a pale light on the dark waters of the river. After several hours, the team can finally make out the so longed for Holy Grail; fantastic falls measuring 150 metres, gripped by ice. Glacier climbers have already travelled the length and breadth of the planet, but none of them had ever seen anything like this. “Is this ‘thing’ even climbable?” asks Mathieu Péloquin, a friend from Quebec. The falls are made up of a massive granite roof where the run off drops away vertically. With the ice cut clean in half by the transverse crack, it falls back down onto the lower slabs of rock in hundreds of golden brown splashes, which seem to levitate above the smooth rock.

First day, a bull in a china shop.
At the foot of the structure, the roped party finds an alcove formed between the snow and the ice. This ideal vestibule already provides some indication of the name of the route: “The Apartment”. Climbers will need two days to complete a tour of the property, from the living room to the roof via the mezzanine. Two days to climb up there, five seconds to complete its descent...
With the drawing of lots, Erwan is designated to have a go at the first pitch and the glacier climber makes his way through the crystal clear maze. “Fantastic, it’s fantastic!!” his yell reaches us an hour and a half later, sixty metres further up, at the only stance for a safe belay station. Indeed, there is no more rope and it’s time the bull completed its run across the china shop without breakage… On the second pitch, the ice thins to virtually nothing. It's necessary to work ones way up a succession of narrow cracks. Will the ice tools be sufficient or will you have to resort to the complicated techniques of artificial climbing? Sam thrashes it out with the wall. Combining a few minute friends and having to resort to drilling four bolts, he manages to swing up onto a salvationist terrace at dusk.

Practical information

Period: For particularly well frozen rivers, the best month is February. The temperature can be very low: -20°C on average but it can drop to -52°C. The radio announces the temperature, which takes the chill factor into account. It is generally a dry cold, which makes it quite bearable.

Report guide: "Guide des cascades de glace et voies mixtes du Québec” (Guide to the icefalls and the mixed routes of Quebec) published by La Randonnée, by Stéphane Lapierre and Bernard Gagnon. Information and distribution in Europe: Erwan Le Lann (elelann@wanadoo.fr)

Film: Québec Givré (Frozen Quebec), or adventures in the ice on DVD. Film documentary lasting 26 mins. On sale from Studio WinWin (0033476255903), www.tvmountain.com .

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