Grand Expedition Winter 2025

This expedition will offer 14 young adults aged 19 to 29 in cancer remission the chance to experience an extraordinary winter adventure alongside a group of peers from across the country.

Our Expedition on the Côte-Nord, Quebec

Two majestic territories await us on our expedition. First, the Groulx Mountains, also known as the Uapishka Mountains, form one of the most impressive mountain ranges in the province. The Innu term Uapishka means white summits, a fitting name as they are covered in snow for an average of nine months each year. Then, there is the Manicouagan Reservoir, nicknamed the Eye of Quebec, a crater formed by a meteorite and flooded during the construction of a hydroelectric dam. This massive body of water, located west of the Groulx Mountains, covers an area of 2,000 square kilometers.

The departure will be by bus from Montreal. After a long day of travel getting to know each other, we will spend our first evening at Le Manoir Hotel in Baie-Comeau. The following morning, the guides from Attitude Nordique will pick us up to complete the last leg of the journey to the Uapishka station, an ecolodge located at the foot of the Groulx Mountains. In the afternoon, we will put on our ski-hoks and test the equipment that will be used during the expedition. The following day will be a second acclimatization day, during which we will climb Mount Harfang. With a bit of luck, the sky will be clear, and we will be able to enjoy a panoramic view of the Manicouagan Reservoir from the summit.

It is on this vast frozen body of water that our true expedition will begin the next day: four nights and five days of gliding across the ice of the “Eye of Quebec.” We will move as a group with our daypacks weighing approximately 15 lbs. Everything we need for cooking, sleeping and staying dry in the evening will be transported by the snowmobilers accompanying the expedition. Every day, we will assist in setting up and taking down the Shaputuan, which will serve as our home. A Shaputuan is a large traditional Indigenous tent heated by a wood stove, where we will live and sleep together. Our days and evenings will be filled with group discussions, games, moments of contemplation, and connections to everything around us, both nature and people.