- February 7-8-9, 2025
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Every year, a Skiers Guide is published just before the event with all of the information a skier needs. Some of the information, such as the final maps and the bus shuttle schedule, is only available a few weeks in advance. However, the information listed below is general in nature and does not change much from year to year. If you want to see the full Skiers Guide from 2024, click the link below, but be aware that the maps and schedules will be different in 2025.
Skier Tracking
Each skier will be provided with an electronic chip along with their bib in the skier’s kit. This will provide effortless and accurate checking in and out of skiers at each checkpoint and reduce waiting times. Wear the chip anywhere you want or fasten it to a backpack. Be careful to stay in the track near the start and finish lines at each checkpoint so your chip will be detected. Make sure to return it at your final checkpoint !!! It is not disposable and a $75.00 fee will be charged to a skier if the chip is not returned. If you plan to ski both days, keep it on Saturday night and return it at your final checkpoint on Sunday. If you forget to return at your final checkpoint or if you keep it on Saturday, then decide not to ski on Sunday, you can return it to the Papineauville Dorm (before Sunday 6:00pm) or the Château Montebello (before Sunday noon). If you accidentally bring your chip home with you, kindly inform the office as soon as possible to receive additional return instructions.
Chips are designed to tell event officials how many and which skiers are in each section at any time and who completed each section to qualify for awards. They do not provide the location of a skier. They are not intended to make this a timed event or race. No results will be published that give a skier’s speed or rank.
During the event (but not afterwards), friends and family can go to zone4.ca, enter a skier’s name or bib number, and see when the skier started and finished each section. They will not be able to see the skier’s location on the trail. As in past years, the CSM will publish on its web site the number of sections each skier completed on CSM weekend. This may take up to a week in order to give the organization time to assess the collected data and publish it properly.
Dormitory Information
At the time of registration, you should have selected your accommodation choice for the CSM weekend. If you opted for CSM dormitory accommodations, then please read this section carefully.
The dormitory for most registered skiers is at École Polyvalente Louis-Joseph-Papineau, (378 rue Papineau, Papineauville QC J0V 1R0).
Participants staying here will be sleeping on the floor; you will need to bring your own bedding (sleeping bag, air mattress, pillows, etc.) in addition to any personal care products you require. Showers are also available on site.
The dormitory at Polyvalente Louis-Joseph-Papineau in Papineauville is open from 5pm on Friday to 9am on Sunday. When you arrive at the dorm, please follow the signs to the host table to register for the weekend. You will receive a bracelet that grants you access to the site and collect your Skier Kit if you selected this location for kit pick up in the registration process.
There are a variety of services available at the dorm in Papineauville. These include waxing services, as well as massage and foot reflexology (both available for an additional fee), an indoor pool, and souvenir sales, first aid, lost and found, and an information counter.
Baggage service is also available at the dormitories. Any bag left at the designated baggage drop-off point at a checkpoint will be brought to the Polyvalente on Saturday or to the finish line on Sunday. Baggage may also be dropped off a designated location at the dormitory on Sunday for pick up at the finish line. If requested, baggage can also be sent to the Fairmont Château Montebello on Saturday – please see dormitory staff for assistance.
Your dormitory fee includes breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday, and dinner on Saturday. Breakfast is served between 3:00am and 7:00am on Saturday, 4:00am and 7:00am on Sunday, and dinner is served between 5:00 pm and 8:00pm on Saturday.
On Sunday, all skiers must check out of the dorm by 9:00am. You may leave your bags at the baggage drop off location in the school or return your bags to your car.
Starting your CSM
If you are staying in a dorm, please ensure that you are packed and ready to go, giving yourself enough time to eat breakfast, and to get to the bus stop in front of the school for your shuttle to your starting point. If you are travelling to the event on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, please ensure that you arrive at the location where you opted to pick your skier’s kit with plenty of time to collect your kit and make your way to your shuttle (if necessary). Missing your shuttle will result in you missing your start time. Bus service from the dormitory to your starting location is included in your CSM registration fee. Buses depart from the dorm in Papineauville, École St-Michel in Montebello and the Chateau Montebello and travel to each starting point, on Saturday and on Sunday. Departure times for buses leaving from the dorm to the starting points are very specific, so skiers must be aware of the departure time for their bus to avoid disappointment. (Shuttle buses will take skiers from the finish line on Saturday and Sunday back to the Château Montebello and the dorm in Papineauville, where skiers can return to their parked vehicles.)Checkpoints
Checkpoints (CP) are located along the trail – at the start and finish of each section. A skier’s progress is tracked by chip at each checkpoint, and is also verified by volunteers marking skiers’ bibs as they enter and leave a checkpoint. Checkpoints serve as access points where skiers can begin their day, or continue on to the next section after taking in food and drink. Checkpoints also provide a variety of services to skiers including food, soup, cold and hot drinks, outdoor toilets, waxing and limited equipment repair, first aid and emergency shelter, event information. A warming bus will also remain on site to provide skiers with heated shelter, and to extricate any skiers who have missed the cut-off at the end of the day. If a skier is unable to continue and is forced to stop at a checkpoint, they may be extracted by CSM vehicle to Montebello if a vehicle is available. In the meantime, they will be required to wait in the warming bus. There is NO parking at any of the checkpoints – vehicular access to Kenauk Nature is tightly controlled, and NO drop-offs/pick-ups will be permitted. There is parking at Golf Heritage and in the town of Montebello near the finish. All checkpoint opening and closing times are strictly enforced in order to ensure skier and volunteer safety. The final checkpoint of the day has two different checkpoint closing times. The later checkpoint closing time applies only to Coureurs Des Bois (CdB), Half-Marathoners, and 5-Section tourers who have skied ALL previous sections that day. All other skiers must comply with the earlier closing times. No skier may start on the trail before or after the specified times. Any skier not complying with cut-off times will be disqualified. Baggage service is also available at checkpoints. Any bags left with checkpoint staff will be transported to the dorm at Papineauville on Saturday, or to the dorm in Papineauville or the finish in Montebello on Sunday. (Baggage can also be sent to the Fairmont Château Montebello on Saturday – please see checkpoint staff for assistance.)Thank a Volunteer!
The Canadian Ski Marathon wouldn’t exist without volunteer help. From the dorms to the checkpoints to the finish, our team of committed volunteers do their best to make your experience world-class. During your day, please take a few seconds to thank a volunteer (or several!) to show them your appreciation for all their hard work!
Safety on the Trail
REMINDER: Before starting, it is essential that you fill out all the information required at the bottom of your bib in permanent ink. This information may be required by safety personnel in the event of an emergency.
In case of emergency, call 911 if the injury is life-threatening. For other injuries, call 1-877-601-2176 to contact the CSM safety team.
Members of the Safety Team can be identified by the ski patrol black cross. The team will be on site at checkpoints, and also skiing (or on snowmobile) along the trail throughout the weekend.
CSM trails are often in the wilderness. Not all of the trail is track-set, let alone double tracked. Dangerous hills/descents are marked and may require skiers to remove their skis and walk down. Please walk down any steep hills if you have any doubt in your skill level.
Safety tips:
If you encounter an injured skier on the trail – use of the Good Samaritan Card:
So that no one is left behind on the trail:
Basic Trail Information
The trail of the CSM consists of 10 sections of varying lengths, spread across 2 days. Each day is approximately 80 KM. Please give yourself enough time to complete your day safely; skiers intending to ski the entirety of the trail must ensure they make all cut-off times at all checkpoints along the way.
TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR DAY:
SLOW TOURERS (5-7 KM/h) will need 2.5 – 3 hours to ski most sections and up to 5 hours to ski the longest ones. AVERAGE TOURERS (8 – 9 KM/h) will need 2 – 2.5 hours to ski most sections and up to 3 hours to ski the longest ones. FAST TOURERS (10 – 12 KM/h) will need less than 2 – 2.5 hours to ski most sections.
General Rules on the Trail
ATTENTION!: Please check the CSM website closer to the event weekend for the most up-to-date map information. Even then, please note that these trail maps are based on information received at the time of the trail being initially groomed, and may be slightly different by the date of the marathon.
Finishing Your Day and Getting Home
Skiers end their day on both Saturday and Sunday at the designated finish line. If you are finished for the weekend, please deposit your timing chip in one of the buckets at the finish or give it to a volunteer.
When you make it to the finish line, congratulations! On Saturday and Sunday, please take advantage of the services available at the finish line: food and drink, flush toilets, first aid services and a heated space to relax before boarding your shuttle bus to the dormitory, where you can pick up your medal, have a shower, enjoy dinner, pick up your baggage, retrieve your car, and catch the intercity bus back to Gatineau or Montreal. You can also pick up any baggage or lost and found items from Saturday or Sunday morning here. For misplaced items on Sunday afternoon or later, please contact the CSM office after the weekend.
The dinner will take place on Sunday night after the finish line closes, if you purchased tickets when you registered. Don’t forget to bring money for items on sale at the dinner!
If you paid for express charter bus service when you registered, the buses will depart from Papineauville. As always, please remember to return your timing chip before boarding your bus!
After the Event
The data from your chip (showing the time in and out of each checkpoint) from this year’s CSM will be posted for a limited amount of time after the event, and can be accessed at zone4.ca. This information is for skiers’ personal use only; the CSM is not a timed event or a race. Results (only showing the number of sections completed) will be posted on the CSM website approximately one week after the event.
Lost and found items not claimed during the weekend will be sent to the CSM office in Montebello, please contact the office to arrange a time to pick up your items.
Timing chips that were not returned during the event should be sent to the office as soon as possible in order to avoid incurring the replacement charge.
A skier’s survey will be sent to all registered participants shortly after the event. This is your chance to provide the CSM with any sort of feedback about this year’s event, along with suggestions on how to improve future events. Your responses are greatly appreciated and help to make the CSM even better.
And as always, if you want to help the marathon by volunteering your time and skills, then please consider being an ambassador for the event. For more information on CSM ambassadors please visit:
