Have you always wanted to try fat biking in the winter? Well this is the perfect place to do it! We gave it a shot this winter and we weren’t disappointed. It was both healthy and entertaining.

There are a bunch of different places that have fat bike trails in the winter. For our first attempt we decided to try the trails at “Le Norvégien” located in a beautiful wooded area of Jonquière. The center has multiple trails of varying difficulties.

Fat bike rental

You can rent a fat bike and a helmet on site. We chose to come here because it’s where the rentals are most advantageous. The prices are more affordable and rentals are for half days so you can take better of the day here than at the Monts-Valins National park which only rents by the hour. Don’t forget to book your rental in advance because there’s a limited number of bikes. There are two sizes depending on height, small or large.

Beginner trail : Rock n’ Roll (green trail)

The beginner trail is a 6km loop that starts right next to the rental center. It’s a forest trail with a lot of uphill slopes and hairpin turns. Do note that these are mountain bike trails in the summer so they’re quite narrow, and in some places you have to move to the side to let people coming in the opposite direction pass.

Our experience

The trail can be quite demanding as a first outing. We were 4 adults and all of us fell sideways into the snow at least once. The snow softens the fall so it was mostly just funny to watch. Once we got the hang of the turns and the speed the outing was very pleasant. We do recommend however that you be in fairly good shape to do the trail. After 6km we were more than satisfied with our exercise.

If you’re looking for a less physically demanding outing we would recommend trying a different site with easier beginner trails. If you’re ready for a challenge, the trails at “Le Norvégien” are definitely worth it. Our microadventure was a wonderful adventure and made us want to try it again.

Happy trails!