Guide to Quebéc’s Winter: Carnival de Quebéc & the Ice Hotel
by Susan McKee

I woke up because my nose was cold. My breath had left a frosty ring on the edge of my sleeping bag and my hat — where was my wool cap? — had fallen off.

Giant ice pillars guide guests into Quebec's frigid Ice Hotel.

I wiggled my tepid toes. Inside my fleece pajamas, most of me was toasty warm — but my feet were closest to the wall of snow.

I carefully released the sleeping bag’s drawstrings — the one encircling my face first, and then the one around my neck and shoulders. The blast of cold air as I emerged reminded me that I had to find my clothes — of course I'd stuffed them in the sleeping bag with me so they'd be warm. I've never dressed so quickly.

There weren't any windows in the sleeping rooms, so I couldn't tell the time. It might have been midnight, but when I found my watch it said 7:30 a.m. As I put my feet into cold boots, I was definitely looking forward to a hot breakfast.

It was a cold and snowy February, and I’d spent the night in the Ice Hotel in rural Québec. Zipped into in high tech nylon and fleece (the mummy-style bag was rated to -30 degrees), I certainly was more comfortable than the French fur traders who lived in the area back in the 17th century, although I'm sure we all were grateful to have a pile of deerskins cushioning us from the frigid ground.

The Ice Hotel, located about a half hour's drive from Québec City, offers accommodations unlike any others in North America (there is another Ice Hotel near the Arctic Circle in Sweden). The ambient temperature hovers around 27 degrees.

Some 15,000 tons of snow and 500 tons of ice are molded, frozen and carved into a whimsical castle decorated with ice sculpture, frozen tropical flowers and artwork behind windows of clear ice. The chapel is the scene for more than two dozen wedding in an average season.

Beds at the Ice Hotel are made completely of ice and topped with fur to help keep guests as warm as possible.

This year, there are 36 rooms, the smallest with one bed, and the largest a two-level suite with the only non-heat-producing fireplace I've ever run across (it provides only the visual warmth of a fire – all the heat goes straight up through the roof so as not to melt the ceiling).

I must confess that one doesn't actually sleep on ice or snow. The bed frames, indeed made of ice, support a plywood platform. On top of that is a foam mattress covered with deerskins. The sleeping bags go on top of the fur.

The rest of the furniture, from nightstands in the rooms to benches in the bars, also was made of ice. We were warned not to put rings or watches on the nightstands because the residual body heat remaining in the metal would cause them to adhere before morning. The bartenders had scrapers always at the ready to retrieve any coins tossed on the ice as tips.

And, yes, it's true. The drinks in both of the bars at the Ice Hotel are served in “glasses” made of ice (it's best to use a straw).

The Ice Hotel, open for its eighth season this year, is located at Station Touristique Duchesnay, which offers a variety of winter sports – and traditional lodging as well (I discovered that three people who’d started the night on the ice ended up inside hotel rooms before dawn arrived).

While I was at the station, I treated myself to a dogsled ride. I was headed to Québec City for Winter Carnival and would see La Grand Virée – the dogsled races through the winding streets of the old walled city.

The Québécois are a hardy sort. Faced with yet another endless winter more than fifty years ago, they invented a celebration to drag people out of hibernation. This year's Carnaval de Québec continued through February 17, attracting at least a million visitors from around the world.

A competitor and his dogs race along Rue Saint-Louis in Québec City during annual event at Winter Carnival. (Photo by Susan McKee)

The opening ceremonies, held outdoors (of course) with the spectators standing on an ice skating rink, always are a spectacular event, with fireworks, speeches by politicians and live music to set everyone's toes tapping. This year’s theme is the 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec.

My favorite  stop is the ice palace – the official “home” of the carnival mascot, Bonhomme Carnaval. This quintessential snowman, with his Cheshire cat grin, red stocking cap and striped sash, reigns over the event, along with his “faithful dog Cristal” and a crazy retinue called Knuks.

The palace, which has a different design each year, is constructed of snow and ice between the walls of the Old City and the Parliament building. 

To get inside this — or any carnival site — you need an effigy. This is an admission pass unique to Carnaval de Québec. Different in detail each year, it's a key fob-sized plastic figure of Bonhomme Carnaval that you hang on your coat or jacket during the event. (To be caught without an effigy is to risk being thrown in the "dungeon" at Bonhomme's palace!)

Across Grand Allée is the entrance to the main events of the annual celebration, which stretch across the historic Plains of Abraham. Once inside the gates, there is much more to see and do. Some activities, including rides in horse-drawn sleighs and snowmobiles, cost extra. Others, such as the chance to “climb” a glacier made of hard-packed snow, tubing and snow sliding, or angling to catch a trout in an ice-covered pond, are included.

Special events during carnival include the Grand Virée — the annual dogsled race through the winding streets of Old Town, a Soapbox Derby, a Canoe Race across the frozen St. Lawrence and a Night Parade. Closing weekend includes a second Night Parade and the annual farewell as Bonhomme disappears until the next carnival season in 2009.

Visitor Tips:
There's lots to do in winter at Station Touristique Duchesnay in Ste-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, Québec, including ice fishing, sledding, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. I went on my dogsled ride with Aventure Inukshuk.

You’ll find more about Carnaval de Québec on English-language welcome page. The Bonhomme Pass gives access to 300 activities and shows at three major sites. The effigy costs $10, and vendors are everywhere. Buy it at your hotel, or at the first site you visit, and wear it for the rest of your trip.

The Québec City and Area Tourism and Convention Bureau can help you with lodging, activities and more.

Remember that it can be really, really cold in Québec during the winter. Mounds of snow everywhere are a given, and walking on frozen slush is a sometimes harrowing ordeal. Dress like they do in the frozen north with heavy socks inside waterproof boots with thick tread, hats plus scarves, mittens over Thinsulate-lined leather gloves, fur coats or down jackets plus ski pants, and thermal underwear.