Raid Ukatak
Into the Crater
Rob / 19.01.2003
The region of Charlevoix, where the race starts and finishes, is a World Biosphere Reserve with a unique terrain and wildlife, but the most amazing natural feature of the area is one of the biggest meteor craters in the world. In fact teams will be racing through it but the scale is such they probably won’t realise they are in it.Charlevoix is 6000 square kilometres of the Canadian Shield (the oldest landform on earth) and sits on the Northern side of the St. Laurence river. The Laurentian mountains come down to the shore and the terrain is the most southerly ‘taiga’ anywhere, home to wolves and Caribou which are normally only found much further north, past the Arctic circle. The plant life is incredibly varied, from mixed forest to true Tundra and glaciation has carved steep sided valleys like the Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Riviere, which teams have crossed in past races. Some of the highest rock faces in Canada East of the Rockies are in region.
In the midst of all this is ‘Le Cratere Meteoritique de Charlevoix’, through which teams will travel in the early stages of the race. 360 million years ago Quebec was peppered with meteorites which left their mark, there are 122 crater sites in Quebec alone and the Charlevoix crater is the 7th biggest in the world. It’s 46km in diameter – a huge circular dent in the mountains south of the start line at La Malbaie.
The small town of La Malbaie where the race begins was the first resort town in Canada (set up by 2 Scots in 1760) but the season is incredibly short (only 6-8 weeks of summer weather) and in the long winter the town relies on groups of snow-mobile riders and it’s latest attraction – a casino at the impressive Manoir Richelieu. The finish of the race is nearby at the Parc Mont Grand-Fonds, a ski resort with one great natural advantage – 650cms of snow a year, the highest snowfall in Quebec. Most visitors come for the downhill skiing but the park has a huge hinterland of cross country ski trails and it’s along these the teams will drive their dog sled teams to finish – after exploring one of the world’s least known but most fascinating winter wilderness areas.See All Event Posts
