After a long break – and we mean long – the Montreal Ice Canoe Challenge is back 20 years later! Taking place at the Old Port of Montreal on Saturday, February 23, this electrifying event promises excitement for thrill seekers, fans of extreme sports and anyone else that just loves to witness a spectacular match unfold on the St. Lawrence River. The Ice Canoe Challenge is fifth in a series of six races as part of the Circuit Quebecois de canot à glace, where approximately 50 teams compete for victory in three different categories: Elite Men, Elite Women and Sport (participation).
More than 300 boaters will be challenged to defy ice, water, cold and tides to win the ultimate trophy and the Ice Canoe Challenge portion is one of the most exciting parts of it. Starting from the Montreal Yacht Club at the Clock Tower Quay, the race will consist of a loop between the Clock Tower Basin, Île Sainte-Hélène and Alexandra’s basins. One fantastic advantage of the Montreal event is that it is very close to shore, allowing spectators to cheer on their favourite contenders and watch everything up close as the Sainte-Marie current casts its challenging force on these brave athletes going head-to-head with father winter!
If you get too frosty and need a little warming up, there will be hot drinks provided at La Buvette by APOLLO that will be open especially for this event. Coffee, hot chocolate, and tasty snacks from Monsieur Félix & Mr. Norton will also be on premise to satisfy everyone’s hunger; after all, the cold makes us more glutinous than usual. If you wanted to plan more than just watching the race and participate in an activity yourself, you can always combine that with trying some ice fishing later on in one of the 30 heated shelters at the Old Port Ice Fishing Village, which we wrote about previously. Or why not stop by the Montreal Ice Skating Rink for some twirls and spills? The day is yours to organize in your own special way!
Here is a quick and easy schedule for the day so you can plan your visit accordingly:
12pm: Rescue demonstration.
12:45pm: Consecutive departures of the Men’s Elite Class, Women’s Elite Class, and Sport Class. Visitors can watch the race from the Clock Tower Quay, where there will also be music, entertainment, and a historical interpretation about ice canoes with ethnologist Richard Lavoie
4pm: Awards ceremony at the Montreal Yacht Club
For more information, click here.