Ice Canoe Racing in Quebec City - It's one of the toughest sports in the world!
Quebec City - Ice canoeing started as a grueling, dangerous, necessary means of transportation to cross the frozen Saint Lawrence River during the winter. The legend is that the racing began as a competition between families for the contract to deliver the mail. Now there’s an association (the Association de Canot a Glace de Quebec - ACCGQ) and several regular annual races, including at Quebec City's Carnaval de Quebec, the biggest Winter Carnival in the World. More than 40 teams compete, struggling with the powerful current, great chunks of ice and numbing water. The two well-known teams to watch challenging each other are are Volvo team and the Chateau Frontenac team. Other Carnival activities for the 17-day winter festival often include night parades, ice fishing, concerts, snow sculptures, slide runs, horse-drawn sleigh or dogsled rides, skating, and even a giant foot ball game.
Where: The race is the main event of carnival. The teams race across the St. Lawrence River from Quebec City (Basin Louise) to Levis, and back. it's easy to watch the race from shore.The St. Lawerence is the only place in the world where this sport is practiced.
In the News: The Quebec City Carvival will be held January 29 to February 14th, 2010.
Lucy Izon
Canada Cool is produced by award-winning Canadian travel writer & speaker Lucy Izon. Her travel stories & reports have appeared in numerous leading North American publications including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul. Bio page
Canada’s Coolest:
Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email Lucy@CanadaCool.com. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!
The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives
Here are some of my favorites...
The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.
The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.
The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.
And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...
More from Canada’s Coolest
'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:
- Golf Course Features
- Haunted Hotels
- Hotel Special Services
Send your suggestions to lucy@CanadaCool.com
Recent 'Canada's Coolest' topics:
