Sustainable Backcountry Skiing in Gaspésie

Passionate people are behind every winter activity offered in Gaspésie. In the Behind the Scenes in Gaspésie web series, Christine Bérubé-Martin met with some of the people who help make winters in this region so special. During one of her visits, she spoke with Bruno Belliveau, president of Coop Accès Chic-Chocs.

Bruno Belliveau’s career path

A forest engineer by training, Bruno Belliveau is also a powder snow enthusiast. At Coop Accès Chic-Chocs, he works on developing backcountry skiing areas that are safe, sustainable and fun to ski. In fact, he’s one of the faces behind some of the region’s most beautiful and popular ski areas.

Aside from private projects, Bruno is committed to developing community-based, freely accessible sites such as the backcountry ski area on the Saint-Pierre Mountain in La Rédemption. One of his greatest satisfactions is seeing young people choose to go on a “ski bum” trip in Gaspésie rather than heading to Western Canada and the Rocky Mountains. It’s proof that Gaspésie is the best ski destination in Eastern Canada!

Coop expertise

Founded in 2009, Coop Accès Chic-Chocs is a non-profit organization created by a group of local businesses. Since its inception, the coop has acquired solid expertise in the development of backcountry ski areas. Rather than using a single model for all of them, the team studies the terrain at each site before determining the most appropriate course of action. This method allows them to offer the best skiing experience while protecting the forest over the long term.

The Saint-Pierre Mountain was one of the first places to benefit from the coop’s expertise. Located in La Rédemption in the La Mitis sector, this site offers several glade runs at varying levels of difficulty. It’s a ideal place for anyone who wants to try backcountry skiing under semi-isolated conditions.

By promoting the skiing potential of the Saint-Pierre Mountain, Bruno Belliveau and Coop Accès Chic-Chocs hope to diversify what this small community of 480 people has to offer. They also hope to encourage visiting skiers to shop locally in La Rédemption and the surrounding area, so that outdoor tourism becomes one of the region’s economic drivers.

To learn more about Bruno Belliveau and Coop Accès Chic-Chocs, watch the episode Developing and Caring for the Summits. For more discoveries and to better understand what drives the people who make this region thrive, watch all the episodes of Behind the Scenes in Gaspésie, a web series presenting inspiring portraits of local people available on our YouTube channel.