Winter via ferrata experience from Cap Jaseux to the Saguenay Fjord

Here I am today for the third activity we had the chance to do during these 15 days of vacation this February in Quebec, and more specifically in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. Mélanie already told you about her electric snowmobile experience, which she got to do in the village of La Baie, where she truly had a blast for two hours. I really invite you to go check out the article, hoping it will make you want to go, because it’s truly amazing.

I also told you, in a previous article, about our snowshoeing experience in Monts-Valin National Park. Once again, it was something extraordinary and, in my opinion, a must-do if you come to the Quebec region in winter. Absolutely incredible. But today, I’m here to tell you about another activity, maybe much less well-known—at least, I had never done it, whether in summer or winter: via ferrata. And in this case, I got to try the winter via ferrata at Cap Jaseux on the Saguenay Fjord.

I had never had the chance to do via ferrata, whether in France or, even less so, in recent years on the islands, in Tahiti or Guadeloupe. So I really wanted to discover it, and it was with great pleasure that I got to give it a try. This article is once again produced in partnership with Manawa, the activities website we truly recommend if you want to book your activities before you leave. They’re actually the ones who recommended this experience to me, presented as a must-do in the region. And honestly, without spoiling the end of the article, those two hours were absolutely amazing. It’s great in every way.

So there you go—I hope this article and this little experience story will make you want to try it yourself, because it really is an exceptional activity.

Compared to where we were staying for those 15 days, I had about a solid hour’s drive to reach the via ferrata site. Mélanie decides to stay home with the kids, because it also does them good to take a half-day to relax in peace and warmth, and we weren’t really sure there would truly be a place on site where they could wait. So it worked out very well like that, and it also allowed the kids to rest and do a bit of homework while I went to do the activity.

As for me, I head out around 8:30 a.m., still surrounded by beautiful scenery. I arrive 30 minutes before the activity starts at the Cap Jaseux site. I park in the lot and go to the main reception. They even tell me I’m lucky because today, for now, I’m the only one—so it’ll be a private route with the guide, and that’s honestly the best for a first time.

Then they give me the instructions: I have to get back in the car, go through the gate, and drive down to the site along a path to the Murdock Pavilion, a black cabin where the guide will be waiting for me. It’s honestly not cold this morning: I think it’s barely -7/-8°C (19–18°F). It’s pretty nice out, it’s pleasant, and I tell myself it’s going to go really well.

So I head down to the Pavilion and park in the second lot below. I meet Victor on site, my guide for these two hours. He confirms that there’s no one else: we’ll be heading out just the two of us. Honestly, it’s great. What’s pretty funny is that he reminds me of my childhood buddy Anthony, who I was in college with. It’s really a carbon copy, with more beard. I would have liked to take a photo for a laugh, but honestly, it was a striking resemblance.

Victor then explains how it will go and asks me a few questions to find out whether I’ve ever done via ferrata—which is absolutely not the case, so I know literally nothing about it. First, he shows me how the harness and the different carabiners work, especially the one used as the lifeline, meaning the one you always keep clipped in during the via ferrata, and the second carabiner, which is more for resting. You can clip it onto the different holds along the route to relax your arms and be able to sit in the harness when you’re, for example, facing a wall.

In the end, there’s nothing very complicated. He shows me on a small training wall: I do a short section over a few yards where I move the lifeline and the carabiner. What’s pretty funny is that I’ve never done via ferrata, but we’ve done treetop adventure courses several times in Guadeloupe with the kids, and it’s basically the same principle. The main carabiner, used as the lifeline, is clipped to a cable and passes through kinds of metal systems that you have to get past in a certain way. The only thing—“in quotes”—that’s a bit tricky is figuring out which direction and in what order you need to pass the carabiner. But otherwise, in the end, it’s a bit like a treetop course for adults—except that, obviously, via ferrata, at least the one I did, is not at all suitable for kids, since it’s prohibited for anyone under 14.

Especially because of the height, in some places you’re more than 20 or 30 m (65–100 ft) above the drop. That can be scary, especially for people who are prone to vertigo. And it also requires climbing on rock. So afterward, you clearly understand that a child, even like Louis (10 years old), wouldn’t have been able to do this via ferrata.

Anyway, in any case, I spend five minutes with Victor practicing these carabiner maneuvers. We also put on a helmet, provided with the activity, which will ultimately prove pretty useful: several times, I’m going to bump the helmet against the rock above me, especially when we’re a bit on an overhang. Clearly, it’s essential.

For the rest, I just go with my stuff for the day. On that note, I’ll make a quick aside: we rented our winter clothing in partnership with Emily from TUC & Bicycle Experience. Like last year during our stay in Canada, it’s really great, because it lets you either pick up the clothes directly from them or have them dropped off at the hotel. She comes with several sizes, and it saves us from buying gear, considering we’re coming from Guadeloupe and we’re not equipped at all for temperatures down to -20°C (-4°F). It’s really appreciated, and if you want to learn more about this experience, I invite you to read my dedicated article. Anyway, that’s not today’s topic. Here, I’m going to tell you about discovering this via ferrata, which really was an awesome moment to experience.

Once we’re ready, we head out on foot with Victor from the Pavilion toward “the beach.” I’m using quotes because, of course, at this time of year, the fjord here is completely frozen. Victor will actually explain quite a few interesting things about that, which I’ll tell you about afterward. Two minutes of walking brings us to the edge of the fjord. The sky is overcast this early in the morning, but the atmosphere is still amazing in my opinion. It’s also something I had already noticed when I was walking around the fjords in Norway a few years ago. Sometimes, a cloudy atmosphere creates an even stronger vibe, I think.

We walk for a few minutes along the frozen shoreline of the fjord; it honestly feels pretty mild. We very quickly arrive at the start of the via ferrata. Victor quickly explains the principle again, but everything is fine. I clip my carabiner, which serves as the lifeline, at the start of the route and we set off together. Victor is always in front of me, which allows him to keep an easy eye on me and point out the areas or difficulties we’ll have as we go along. The beginning really isn’t difficult at all—it’s a warm-up, you could say. We walk for about 10 minutes along the edge of the frozen fjord; it’s almost like hiking at first, except we’re clipped to the cable along the wall. The scenery over the frozen fjord is really beautiful to me, and you can already see the fishermen’s huts on the fjord. I’ll talk about that in more detail later.

Then we reach the first obstacle, which is a kind of small suspension bridge that we’ll have to cross using two cables—one to put our feet on, the other to hold onto. Nothing too crazy, even if it moves quite a bit and there’s a drop below us. It’s an obstacle you have to get past to reach another part of the wall. Little by little, we start gaining height; we must already be a good ten meters (30+ ft) up. The sky is still very overcast, but being here on the edge of the fjord, alone with a guide, is really awesome. I truly feel like I’m in a privileged moment, sincerely. Victor is very interesting too and tells me a bit about his life here. He lives not far away, in a neighboring village, in a simple cabin, as he likes to say. A peaceful, simple life, close to what matters most, according to him.

As we gain height, we can see the ice piles on the rocky edges of the fjord better and better. We had already seen some when we arrived here, as if the ice were wedged along the edges—which is exactly the case. Victor explains that at this spot on the fjord, there’s an 8 m (26 ft) tidal range, and with the tides, the ice gets kind of stuck and crushed along the edges, which creates these very distinctive shapes—like piles of ice that look like little mounds. There are even ice balls that form along the edge; it’s really photogenic, and it’ll be even more so once the nice weather shows up an hour later.

Victor also explains quite a few things about the fishing huts we see scattered around the bay in that area. We had also seen a ton the day before in the village of La Baie—there was like a real village of fishing huts with people driving pickup trucks on the ice. Victor explains that in winter, with the fjord freezing over often starting in early December, people can come set up their hut to fish and enjoy this activity called “ice fishing.” I actually talk about our ice fishing experience in our article. It was Victor who convinced me to go try this very local activity, which is really nice for spending family time out on the ice. It turns out locals can come for the day if they want, or simply pay a winter pass for the period when the fjord is frozen. He also explains that there’s a channel kept open with an icebreaker boat to allow access for boats that supply the small local ports.

But back to the via ferrata. We link up several slightly more technical sections as we move along the route. You have to climb the wall vertically several times—nothing too complicated, but it still sometimes requires significant effort. And above all, you have to keep moving your carabiner along the entire route, which is ultimately sometimes pretty annoying, but you clearly understand it’s also a safety issue. We’re now about 30 m (100 ft) above the frozen fjord, so you have to be careful not to drop your phone when I take a few photos along the way. Even though it’s not really cold, it’s not easy to take photos all the time, obviously, because I have to keep moving this lifeline. Every 5–10 m (15–30 ft) at most, you have to pass it through the famous metal system to continue. There are also quite a few places with metal aids anchored into the rock, which makes it easier to place your feet and hands…

The hardest part of the route comes after about 30–40 minutes, where you have to traverse along a vertical wall, sometimes almost on an overhang, and in that case, it’s not that easy. You have to hold onto the metal parts on the rock, and I’m going to use the carabiner for the first time to clip in and rest my arms. It also lets you sit comfortably in the harness and chat with Victor and enjoy the scenery! But in the end, it goes pretty well, without too much difficulty.

We continue on the final section that climbs the wall even higher, but the passages are fairly easy. The experience is truly incredible, and it’s not that easy to convey all of this in writing. But the vibe is top-notch, the effort warms you up, and Victor and I chat calmly the whole way. After about 1 hour 15 minutes, we reach the final part and a famous lookout with a superb view over the frozen fjord and all the fishing huts. The sky starts to clear and I see blue sky appear—it’s going to be magnificent. We spend 15 minutes putting the world to rights on this lookout. Here, Victor gives me the choice: we can take a 10-minute trail through the forest that brings us back to the start, or we can go back down via another section that will let us redo part of the via ferrata we did at the beginning. Obviously, I choose the via ferrata option, haha.

The way back via that section is really nice too, especially since the blue sky is showing up more and more and the views over the fjord opening up are splendid. Honestly, I’m enjoying the moment like never before. It’s truly amazing to be perched more than 50 m (165 ft) above the fjord, in this end-of-the-world atmosphere. We get back to the starting point in about 30 minutes. Arriving back at the starting beach feels totally different. The fjord is completely clear, the views with that blue sky above the fishing huts are beautiful, and it’s truly a pleasure to be there. I take another moment to snap photos of those very distinctive ice shapes along the shoreline!

We head back to the pavilion at an easy pace, thrilled with my 2 hours spent here!

Honestly, it’s truly an experience you should do without any doubt. I had never tried it in summer, and I don’t really know the vibe, but in winter, in a fjord with the two atmospheres we had, it’s truly magical. The fact that it was just the two of us for those 2 hours clearly played a role in the experience too. Normally, you can be up to 6 or 7 people. In any case, if you enjoyed my little experience story and you’re looking for a great, somewhat sporty activity to do in winter (or summer) in the area, I recommend it 100%.

As usual, here’s some practical info to know.

Of course, everything will depend on where you’re staying in the area and where you’re coming from. We were not far from the city of Alma, out in the countryside as I like to say, and a 1-hour drive away. In any case, here is the exact location on Google Maps to get there. Of course, to be fully independent during your stay in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, I recommend renting a car. As always, we used the DiscoverCars rental comparison site, which compares a large number of rental companies, and we found a great price. So don’t hesitate to compare and take a look!

For this trip, we traveled for the first time with HomeExchange. If you don’t know it yet, it’s a concept that lets you swap your home with other travelers in exchange for points. That allowed us, for example, to stay in the home of a Quebec family in the area thanks to the points we had. If you’d like to learn more and sign up on the platform, you can use our referral link, which allows you (and us too) to get 250 bonus points, which could, depending on the location, get you 2 nights. It’s always something!

Otherwise, if you’re looking for a few nice places to sleep nearby, we selected a few interesting addresses for you to check out:

• Gite du Lac Docteur : This bed and breakfast located on the shore of a lake in Saint-Honoré offers comfortable family rooms with a balcony, direct access to the water (canoe, pedal boat, kayak), and a calm, peaceful setting not far from Monts-Valin. You’ll appreciate the very warm welcome from the hosts and the generous homemade breakfast,
• Exode en Nature : Here is a unique vacation home in the middle of nature in Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, made up of an eco-friendly cabin for 4 people with a private spa, sauna, and river view, in a very quiet forest environment near the Saguenay Fjord,
• Ferme Jardin Potager : This charming bed and breakfast set in a 1900 ancestral farm in Sainte-Rose-du-Nord offers several rooms and apartments with a splendid view of the fjord, in an authentic, historic atmosphere in the heart of the village. You’ll love the owner’s warm welcome, the homemade breakfast, and the peaceful setting between nature and heritage.

Feel free to also look at the map below to find accommodations based on the area where you want to sleep.

I still wanted to mention it, because yes, I came to do the winter via ferrata for 2 hours, but Cap Jaseux Adventure Park offers a ton of activities depending on the season. Without going into detail on everything that’s offered, you can absolutely do the via ferrata in summer, a treetop adventure course (summer and winter), ice fishing (which we did in the experience I mentioned above), but also kayaking on the lake (in summer obviously, haha) and many other experiences. You’ll also find many hiking trails around the site, and you can also find other interesting experiences like massages on the beach, an outdoor puzzle trail, or even an introduction to tracking and identifying birds. Honestly, it’s a full-service center that offers lots of activities, and if you’re looking for an interesting spot, I clearly think it would be worth spending a few full days there!

In any case, I hope you enjoyed this short experience story about the via ferrata on the Saguenay Fjord, and if you’re passing through here in winter, I really invite you to try this great activity!

If you’re looking for another must-do during your stay in the Saguenay region, feel free to come read our experience story of a dog sledding ride in La Baie (right next to Saguenay)—you’re going to love it!

See you soon,

Written by Sylvain PONS

I had the opportunity to explore the beauty of this country I love on several different occasions and in different places (Canadian Rockies, the Island of Newfoundland for 1 month, Yukon and Québec)!

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