Aglow in Quebec

Northern city finds fun in a frosty celebration of ice and snow.

By Susan McKee

Indianapolis Star

January 20, 2002

QUEBEC -- Snow! Ice! Biting Arctic winds! Blustery Canadian cold fronts! They're bad enough when we're snug inside our Hoosier homes, but who in their right mind would head north for a vacation this time of year?

Well, close to a million people savor the season during Quebec City's Winter Carnival each year. I've been among them for a half-dozen years of the half-century the carnival has been an annual event. Why? It's fun!

Here in central Indiana, we're squeamish about winter weather. If an inch of snow is forecast, the local television channels interrupt regular programming to tell us all about it. Winter storm warnings produce nonstop coverage of Doppler radar sweeps from the moment the first flake is sighted.

But, in the Frozen North, those first flakes arrive in September and pile up relentlessly until May. (OK, I'm exaggerating, but only by a couple of weeks.) There's nothing to do but make the most of it. Throw in a religious reason, and let the party begin!

It's traditional in predominantly Catholic countries for towns to stage elaborate revels before the austerity of Lent begins. If you're in a celebratory mood, forget the balmy breezes of New Orleans during Mardi Gras, the seductive sway of Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro or the carousing of Karneval in Cologne.

Head for Canada, where they really know how to throw a winter party for the whole family.

From the beginning of North America's colonial era, the inhabitants of New France carried on the rowdy European custom of getting together just before Lent to eat, drink and be merry. (Actually, the Quebec carnival dates this year are Feb. 1-17, though Ash Wednesday is Feb. 13.)

Quebec City's first civic winter carnival was in 1894. There were sporadic celebrations after that, but it wasn't until 1955 that a volunteer group formed to make the event an annual celebration in this most European of all Canadian towns. Now it draws close to a million visitors from throughout North America and around the world, generating more than $36 million a year in economic impact, and involving more than 1,200 volunteers.

At the Quebec carnival, almost all of the fun stuff takes place outdoors. Snow and ice take center stage at events ranging from a canoe race across the almost-frozen St. Lawrence River to traditional voyageur meals cooked over a campfire.

I don't want to minimize the effect of the wintry weather on carnival-goers. It's cold during Carnaval de Quebec, sometimes really, really cold. One year, it was 20 degrees below zero when I landed at the airport, and it never got much warmer. Mounds of snow are a given, and walking on frozen slush is a sometimes harrowing ordeal. (This is not a trip for the handicapped, the elderly or toddlers in strollers.)

People dress to accommodate the bitter weather. They've got on boots and hats and scarves and mittens over gloves and fur coats and thermal underwear. Don't arrive thinking you can get by with what would do on an Indiana winter's day.

Some of the kids are so well bundled up that they almost resemble the official mascot of Carnaval de Quebec, Bonhomme Carnaval. Bonhomme, of course, is supposed to represent the quintessential snowman, but he's no American Frosty with top hat and carrot nose.

With his Cheshire cat grin, red stocking cap and striped sash, Bonhomme looks more like a cross between the Michelin mascot and that Staypuft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters. Add his "faithful dog Cristal" and the attendant Knuks, and it's clear that Bonhomme is unique.

Knuks? Well, they're jovial villagers from a distant settlement in the Arctic regions. They come to Quebec City during the carnival each year to serve as Bonhomme's knights. Seems that once upon a time he saved them from their enemies, the Grrrouches.

When I arrive at Carnaval de Quebec, my first stop is Bonhomme's Palace. Each year, a fantasy castle is constructed of snow and ice (complete with stairs, balconies, turrets and other fripperies) usually on the grounds between the Old City Walls and the Parliament building. This isn't a dollhouse-size palace, but something rambling and at least two stories tall -- big enough for dozens of tourists to visit at a time. At night, the site is a sound-and-light show, but during the day, it has an eerie, icy-blue aura. A combination work of art, architectural marvel and tourist attraction, Bonhomme's Palace is always a show-stopper.

Across the street is the entrance to the main events of the carnival, which stretch across the historic Plains of Abraham. To pass through the gates, you need an effigy. This is an admission ticket (about $3 U.S.) unique to Carnaval de Quebec. The effigy is a little plastic figure of Bonhomme Carnaval, different in detail for each year (my collection adorns my Christmas tree in December).

Once inside the grounds, there is a lot more to see and do. Some activities, including rides in horse-drawn sleighs and snowmobiles, cost extra. Others, like the chance to "climb" a glacier made of hard-packed snow, play miniature golf on an all-snow terrain or angle for a trout in an ice-covered pond, are included. There's a Native American encampment, a contingent of voyageur re-enactors and a demonstration of maple syrup production.

Snow-sculpting art

One of my favorite events is the snow-sculpting contest -- the massive entries line the walkways just inside the gates. Artists from throughout Canada and two dozen countries around the world start with exactly the same raw material (an immense, artificially created block of snow). Using everything from chain saws to chisels, they create ephemeral sculptures that sparkle under the winter sun.

But those aren't the only cold sculptures in town during carnival. Many of the merchants inside the walls of the Old City sponsor ice carvings displayed outside their doors.

Speaking of ice, a visit to the Carnaval de Quebec wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Ice Hotel. Not to be outdone by the fantasy of Bonhomme's Palace, a crafty Canadian entrepreneur has used snow and ice to fashion a winter experience unique in North America -- an ice hotel. (There is a larger one in Sweden.)

While last year's ice hotel had just four sleeping rooms, this year's edition can accommodate 76 guests in 31 rooms and suites. If you want to see it without spending the night, regular tours cost only a small fee.

When I visited the hotel in Quebec last year, I was surprised at how warm it felt inside. This year's version uses 11,000 tons of snow and 350 tons of ice. Although everything, including the bed frames and all of the "furniture" in the rooms, is constructed of ice, one sleeps in a snuggly sleeping bag atop reindeer skins piled on a wooden platform in a room lit by flickering candles. It's almost cozy.

In a variation on the typical resort's indoor-outdoor swimming pool, the Ice Hotel has an indoor-outdoor skating rink. But that 's not all. There's a grand lobby with an 18-foot-tall ceiling boasting a fiber-optic chandelier, a wedding chapel, a movie theater, two art galleries and a bar where vodka is served really cold -- in "glasses" made of ice. If you need to warm up, there's a spa in the inner court.

Meanwhile, back at Carnaval de Quebec, there are more than 200 activities from which to choose. Spectator sports include a dogsled race Feb. 2 and a soap-box derby Feb. 9. The Calgary Flapjack Breakfast also is Feb. 9. There are two night-time parades (Feb. 9 and 16), a "fancy dress" ball Feb. 2, and the more casual Bonhomme's Ball Feb. 15.

Visitors can go tobogganing, spend the night in a teepee or don swimsuits for an outdoor "snow bath" Feb. 16. Nearby, there's skiing (both downhill and cross-country), snowshoeing and ice skating.

I haven't even mentioned shopping or gallery hopping or visiting one of Quebec City's many museums. And, the entire walled city of Vieux Quebec has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.