Falaise St Jacques Birder's Blog

       A glorious sunny Saturday morning was spent skiing east on the Falaise St Jacques / Bande Verte.   We were on a quest.   There was a rumor that our favorite sculptor, Junko, had erected another work on the hillside of the MUHC hospital complex       Un magnifique samedi matin ensoleillé a été consacré pour faire du ski vers l’est sur la Falaise St Jacques / Bande Verte.   Nous étions en quête.   Il y avait une rumeur selon laquelle notre sculpteur préféré, Junko, avait érigé une autre œuvre près du complexe hospitalier du CUSM.        We went out by the Bande Verte which was unbroken.        Nous sommes passés par la Bande Verte qui n’a pas été tracé.      The skiing was splendid.   We skied under the Decarie expressway on snowdrifts and traversed the broad hillside below the MUHC.         Le ski était splendide.   Nous avons skié au desous l’autoroute Décarie et traversé la colline en bas du CUSM.      And then behold there, in the distance, against the sky, on a crest of hill

 A.T. went early to the Falaise to fill up the Bird Feeders and to check out the squirrel competition before the rest of the Skiers arrived. Soon after Daisy & Tibby came right at the appointed hour followed shortly thereafter by Alfred Wesley Sherritt. A.T. wanted to get a few more bird pics so the rest of the group continued skiing, A.T. said he would follow shortly. Not sure if the rest of the group had gone West or East, he headed West to fill the remaining feeders. Taking the Ski Chute to the Bande Verte, he came across a familiar face. Together they skied to the Eastern Access Road. Not finding the rest of the group, they headed home via the Valley of the Birds.

 Feb 20, 2022 Ski Trek "Things are only impossible until they're not." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard, USS Enterprise, Star Trek    To me, that was our finding from our ski trek on the Falaise St-Jacques and the Bande Verte. We skied, dodged branches and side-stepped up and down steep pitches on the falaise and then we broke trail on the multi-use path of the Turcot Bande Verte. We skied a 7 km circuit to prove it could be done. All that while A.T. Lane filled bird feeders along the way!!  Snow Buntings Observing our Progress   And there were firsts. A.T. Lane and I had hoped to string together 15 km in order to complete the requirements for a stage in the virtual Canadian Ski Marathon. Sadly, we only compiled about half that distance but we now know it can be done. Birdie's friend, novice skier Fenn Mayes, showed grit as he navigated the falaise trail, on par with the more experienced skills of H.S. Tibbs and Alfred Wesley Sheritt. Were we the first? I think not, but we h

     Some skiers of Sauvons la Falaise! gathered on a beautiful Saturday morning to ski at the Falaise St Jacques, or more exactly its West Valley.  It is situated in between the Falaise St Jacques and the Bande Verte.  It runs from the Central Road to the slope behind the large U Haul building on St Jacques.   We returned by the same route and  went a short distance along the East Valley.   We returned by the  Falaise East path after climbing the East Chute. West Valley winter ski trail of deep snow over ice  The ski run down the Bande Verte western ramp The Saturday skiers photographed by Malcolm

   I had seen the roped paths on the very steep slopes under Terry Fox Park but never tried them before.  Thinking they would be a good way of accessing the Eastern Trail, I gave them test run today.  At the same time I could Geo-locate a number of items along the way.  Terry Fox Park itself has a well used walking path along the edge overlooking the Falaise. At the Eastern end is a "Hole in the Fence" style entrance along with a bird feeder maintained by Falaise Elves.   The hillside in this area is so steep it is only possible for me to move downhill by holding on to the rope and sliding down on the snow.  I doubt if I would be able to climb up the trail even with the rope.  The rope is rather thin and not continuous over the full length.  Good, wear resistant gloves are definitely required as well.  A thicker continuous rope would make the journey a little easier.     At the bottom of the rope trail I noticed that the Elves had also installed a cable with a pulley system.