Roots and Skis on the MATAWINIE TRAIL

From Patagonia's snowy slopes to Russia's polar regions, photographer, director and producer Annie-Claude Roberge has had her share of extreme moments over the past 20 years. Sixty countries later, the adventure-fuelled woman took advantage of the pandemic to go with the flow and stay where her passion for the outdoors was born: the woods of the Lanaudière region.

On the Matawinie Trail, a section of the National Trail in Quebec (SNQ), Annie-Claude's touring skis glided over the snow for 100 kilometres over five days last winter. Elevation changes of 400 to 600 metres and 180-degree views marked her journey, which she shared with her ultramarathoner friend Hélène Dumais. “Such a wild, remote place near Montreal is rare,” says the filmmaker.

Although the section in the foothills stretching over some 30 kilometres was hard, she wasn't at all in the mindset of taking on a massive challenge, conquering a summit or beating a record. The goal was simply to peacefully reconnect with the wilds where she had grown up.