MOST AWESOME: the staff at Chic-Chac Fully equipped operation. All skiers are provided avalanche beacons, probe and shovel (if fellow skier is lost, the probe will search his beacon, the shovel to dig him out) We started off at the challenging mountain but we struggled like hell, so JP (the guide of the York mountain and Cat Ski crew) politely told us to visit the other one. We were then taken to snowmobile drivers Jonathan and Genséric (hopefully that's his name?) who are the kindest people ever. A private ski service, really. ============What the hell is this? To ski the chic-choc ("shick shock") mountains, you can HIKE. Or you can go with Chic-Chac! Basically you create your day (1) choose the mountain, choose your runs (2) you are taken there by (2a) Cat vehicle (2b) snowmobile aka ski-doo (2c) get on the helicopter, which needs advanced booking (3) choose more runs Ski rentals available. Their package includes your night's stay, your "lift" up the mountain, and your meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). The most popular package is the Cat Ski package at $630 3-night stay, 2 ski days for a shared room. ============The Mountain Le Chic-Chac offers service on two main areas: York (difficult, steeper with lots of obstacles) and Porphyre ("easy" but I'd say BLUE, not green, runs. York was like double black) To find out which mountain you belong to, try this guide: - Have you done any powder ski before? Yes = 1, No = 0 - How are you with very fast speeds? Good/can control = 1, Struggle/feel the need to slow = 0 - How do you feel with lots of trees in your way? Fine, doable = 1. Struggle, need more space = 0 - You'll need a lot of energy on powder mountains, do you think you'll have ample energy/strength on your visit? For sure/doable = 1. Not likely = 0. - How are you with moguls, small cliffs, jumps and things like that? Comfortable/willing to try = 1. No thanks = 0. If you answered mostly 0's (and if the question makes you rethink your confidence....), try Porphyre first. And yes you can go for York to see if you can ski it, then change to Porphyre later (but this will kill a lot of your day. Keep in mind how expensive that is!) Snow conditions here are almost always amazing. Snow is so deep, my ski pole (btw only 105cm) went halfway in. I fell so many times, my ski pole and arms are not long enough to give me a push off the ground (way too far under the snow). I needed a lot of strength to get myself up (as well as pull my fat ski's out of the snow gathered from sliding). ============The Hostel (and your meals) Common/dining room with three long tables (and lots of chairs) on the first floor. Like a cottage! Upstairs are the rooms and bathrooms. Basement is where the staff sleeps. Small bathrooms, likely shared with 5 other people. Our toilet did not flush properly... Breakfast is simple.... cereal, bread, milk and juices are all provided. Lunch is a simple sub they bring up the mountain for you. Dinner is crazy though! Ribs marinated well with BBQ sauce, served with potatoes and greens. Also appetizer and dessert. If you happen to be in the dining area when the kitchen is making the staff meals, the chief will likely offer to make you something too. Chicken soup with some rice and carrot salad? A hearty breakfast with eggs, bacon, ham, and hashbrowns? So do not fear: you are well fed here! ============The Staff: Le Chic-Chac closes around mid-April and that's when all the staff returns to their homes (in Quebec somewhere). But they work full-time for the full winter here. And the kewlkewlcool part is they are WELL staffed! Really nice people, chillax, snow lovers, beer drinkers. ============Town and Nightlife: SAQ not really a walkable distance from hostel... In the evenings: have beers and drinks, and dinners, with your fellow skiers/snowboarders! 20% of them speak English. At evenings, everyone really are just watching videos from their Go-Pro's day /other action cameras. ============For your information: YOU NEED: HELMET, BACKPACK They list two numbers and two addresses. Call the reservation (presbytery) number for mostly everything. The hostel number has staff to answer calls, but they don't know much about your booking/reservation/stay/whatever. Probably use this number when you left something in the kitchen. The Office is 540 Avenue De William May, Murdochville 8AM to 6PM Check out/payment is here. Equipment rentals in the garage Get your safety gear here too. We meet here to get into Cat / snowmobile The hostel address is 609, 7e Rue, Murdochville, Québec, G0E 1W0 They're always open, so if you know you'll arrive late (like we did) call them to learn your room number. Then just come straight here and sleep. We came at 1AM! Everyone sleeps around 10:30 to 11PM. read more