The Coast

It looks like the next International Éco Endurance will be held on the Lower North Shore. here is the press release that I received from Randy Jones:

Orford, February 18, 2008. As part of its efforts to showcase its magnificent region, Tourism Lower North Shore is pleased to host the 2008 Raid International Eco EnduranceAventure Lower North Shore, which will take place from August 20 to 24. The 5th Raid International will welcome athletes from around the world on the road of the pioneers who first set foot on North American soil.

Teams of two will have to cross the region in 4 days and 3 nights on a multisport course of over 300 km, which will have them kayaking along inlets, passageways and rivers. They will also travel on foot along magnificent trekking and coastering courses, taking them to splendid waterfalls, white beaches and mountain observation points offering a fabulous view of the ocean and the coastline. The raid includes mountain biking on roads and pathways between villages and in the wilderness. Of course, there will be exciting climbing events and a few region-specific surprises to make this raid truly memorable. Finally, the warmth and welcome of the local people will surely leave the athletes and event staff with wonderful and lasting memories.

The raid is also an original way to promote the Lower North Shore region to lovers of the great outdoors and adventure tourism from all over the world. Promotion of the event will be supported by an internationally distributed television production about the region and the event.

A great way to showcase the Lower North Shore

Randy Jones, President of the Mayors’ Council of the Lower North Shore, is delighted to have the opportunity to host a raid in his region. “This will show that we can organise events during the summer and that we have more to offer than just great fishing,” said Mr. Jones. “This is a tremendous testament of the enormous potential of the Lower North Shore. This international event will pave the way for adventure tourism in our region.”

A fantastic region filled with adventure

“You can’t see it right away just looking at the maps, but everything is within reach, ” said Daniel Poirier of Endurance Adventure, the organization responsible for the event. “The mountain is very close to the sea and rivers flow near great canyons and fjords. The Lower North Shore is an ideal place to hold an international raid. The people are very welcoming and excited about the project. The local geography is a critical success factor, but the region’s inhabitants is another. This project is the result of a collaboration between several regional organizations: TBCN, CLD BCN, the Lower North Shore Mayors’ Council, Emploi Québec and MDEIE.

For more information call (819) 847 2197 or e-mail us at organisation@enduranceaventure.com.

Event website: www.enduranceaventure.com

Lower North Shore Tourism website: http://www.tourismlowernorthshore.com

An update on the hockey tournament from Nicholas.

The Dream Team has arrived and were greeted by the village of St.Augustine with open arms. Many thanks going out to Derrick Martin Vice President of USL for convincing these former NHL players to come to our small community and to play in our hockey tournament, and also to the former NHL hockey players, they made our dreams come true . Last night was a night to relax and have fun for the former NHLers, They played some exibition hockey with the local fun league players from St.Augustine,La Tabatierre and Pakua Shipi and also with the St.Augustine Devils. They also took time out to take photos with our minor hockey teams. The official tournament starts tonight at 5:00 pm. From my perspective our local teams in the A division will have a tough time competing against the Dream Team, but i’m sure they will not go down with-out a fight.I will keep you informed as the tournament progresses.

Note that all of the photos can be found on the Lower North Shore Community Web Site, or by clicking this link.

I just received the following from Nicholas Shattler

On the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th of february there will be a traditional mens hockey tournament that will be held in St.Augustine on the Lower North Shore of Quebec. A tradition that is nearly sixty years old unites teams and villages from Blanc Sablon to Chevery. People traveling by snowmobile from as far as 200 km away to a small village with a population of 850 people. St.Augustine which is located in the center of the coast normally has a large turnout for their tournaments and this year will be no exception. There will be a company team coming from Toronto Ontario this year with some noticable names on their roster. The company Underground Services Ltd. has in their line-up players like John Druce ( NHL career 12 years, Washington Capitals), Gilbert Dionne (NHL career 3 years Montreal Canadiens), Rick Natress (NHL career 13 years), Craig Muni (NHL career14 years) Jim Thompson (NHL career 10 years) Tom Fergus (NHL career 8 years) and John Graham (NYI training camp). And to top it all of the coach for this team will be Craig Patrick previous manager of the Pittsburg Penguins who has won 2 stanley cups under his management. This surely will be an exciting weekend

I have created a page on the Lower North Shore Community web site to track the progress:

http://www.thelowernorthshore.com/2008_St._Augustine_Hockey