Our ambassadors seek to instill in you the desire to explore lakes, rivers and oceans and to reconnect with nature on water so that you can live your own adventures.They build on the strength of a community that shares a love for the great outdoors and that collectively contributes to making our rivers accessible so that we can, in turn, understand the emergency and feel the urge to protect them. At abitibi&co, the boat embodies exploration, whether it is peaceful or intrepid.
Click here if you would like to become an ambassador.
#TheBraves
Gabriel Rivest
Canoe ambassador | Biologist, Teacher and Photographer
Whitehorse, Yukon
What is your vision of the outdoors? To me, that encompasses the familiar paths just behind my house in Whitehorse as much as the more remote places. I like to enjoy the outdoors without being surrounded by people and, above all, without having to keep my dog on a leash. For the bigger adventures, I always try to think outside the box - although in the Yukon it's not too hard!
Your favorite place to hang out? There is nothing like the edge of a beautiful pit filled with trout.
A cause that is close to your heart? Subsistence fishing and hunting. Although the resources appear to be abundant in the north, they are actually much more limited than in some places in the south. It is therefore important to take care of it. The example I often give is the lake trout: a very common fish in the Yukon, but whose populations are declining due to overfishing.
Your dream trip? The Horton River is at the top of my list right now. But there are too many for me to choose from. A friend just put the Leaf River in my head, and just like that, I have a new dream!!
Instagram @gabe_rivest
Guillaume Rivest
Canoe ambassador | Owner and guide of Exode, Builder of Adventures, Journalist specializing in the outdoors and the environment content.
Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec
What is your vision of the outdoors? For me, adventure is an opportunity to face yourself. It's a moment that is as sporty as it is introspective. In an expedition, we completely take away from our daily life and reconnect with ourselves. It’s also a great way to really get to know each other.
Your favorite place to hang out? Any place where you can't hear an engine. In general, the whitewater sections on rapids that feature a surf wave do the job very well.
A cause that is close to your heart? The preservation of biodiversity and natural spaces.
Your dream trip? Cross the Northwest Passage in a kayak (and / or a fairly impressive number of rivers that titillates me).
Instagram @rivestguillaume
Pascale Anctil
Ambassadrice canot | Photographe, créatrice de contenu & Aventurière passionnée
Stoneham, Québec
Un mot pour décrire ta vision du plein air? Liberté ! J'aime explorer de nouveaux endroits, me laisser porter par l'aventure et découvrir la beauté de la nature.
Ton endroit préféré pour décrocher? Sans aucun doute sur l'eau. Rien ne vaut une sortie en fin de journée, lorsque le vent se calme et que je peux ressentir une sensation de paix et de tranquillité. Et si en plus, je peux contempler un magnifique coucher de soleil, c'est le paradis !
Une cause qui te tient à coeur? L'environnement. Je suis engagée à prendre soin de notre planète et à adopter un mode de vie sain, écologique et responsable. Je suis une fervente adepte du principe "Leave no trace".
Ton trip de rêve? Faire de ma vie quotidienne un véritable rêve. J'essaie de profiter de chaque instant, chaque aventure, et vivre de mes passions au maximum.
Ta meilleure histoire plein-air? Ma première expérience canot camping. Nous étions au Poisson Blanc, en direction vers une île à 14 km de notre point de départ. En plein milieu du parcours, nous avons affronter un vent de face de 30 km/h. Cette aventure est gravée dans ma mémoire, car c'est à ce moment précis que j'ai développé ma passion pour le canot.
Un truc que tous aventurier devrais savoir (ou avoir) ? Un couteau suisse. Cet outil polyvalent est indispensable dans toutes situations plein air. Préparer un repas, réparer du matériel ou simplement pour être prêt à affronter les imprévus.
Instagram @pascaleanctil
North Shore Fly fishing
Canoe ambassadors | Fly fishing collective specializing in the creation of outdoor content, fishing and adventure - Maxime Bélanger, Dylan Larrivée, Félix Laurin, Olivier Bacon, Philippe Deroy.
Côte-Nord, Québec
A word that describes your vision of the outdoors, or your attitude towards adventure?Fullness
Is it a cause close to your heart? The protection of Atlantic salmon and its rivers.
Your best outdoor or expedition story? When we first went fishing the Godbout River. We arrived at the ZEC around 7:30 p.m., in the pouring rain, and we were going fishing the next morning. We rode side-by-side in the dark and walked up the path along the river to our campsite. There we pitched our tents under the spruce trees that looked the thickest. After setting up our rods and planning for the next day. We got up just before dawn to head to the pit that had been suggested to us for the first drop. The day on the Godbout was not easy, the conditions were not the best. After our last drop, at the Etienne pit, we went to dismantle our camp to head towards the ZEC of the Trinité river, where we were going to sleep to be the first on the river the next day. At dawn, at the 9-mile pit, Félix had some action at the end of his rod, but without success. We fished all day moving from pit to pit and around 4 p.m. Jean-François broke the ice on the shore, catching his first big salmon.
Your dream trip? Go on an expedition on a river in the Far North where you can have the chance to catch arctic char as well as Atlantic salmon.
Your favourite place to pick it up? On the edge of a river, both feet in the water, with the gang.
Something every good adventurer should know (or have)? Every time you go on an adventure, you should have the means to start a fire and know how to do it using the means at hand.
>@nrt_shrflyfishing
Louis Audet
Ambassadeur canot | Enseignant en science et robotique à l‘école Pointe-Levy
Québec, Québec
Un mot pour décrire ta vision du plein air? Partage! L’organisation de mes aventures et leur déroulement se passent toujours avec des gens de mon entourage que j’apprécie. C’est un moment de ressourcement en compagnie de mon cercle rapproché.
J’ai la chance de partager ma vie avec une femme qui adore l’aventure. Nous devenons nomades le plus souvent possible pour des weekends ou des sorties estivales qui ne sont jamais assez longues.
Ton “trip” de rêve?
Il y en a trop!
La Pêche à la mouche en Patagonie… (très mauvais pour son empreinte carbone…)
La route du Nord entre Baie-Comeau et Terre-Neuve…
La Baie James…
Retourner au Nunavik pour voir le cratère des Pingualuit…
Retourner camper sur une île du lac Mistassini…
Mais, de façon plus réaliste, mon “trip” de rêve est assurément le prochain sur ma liste. Et comme ma liste est pleine pour les deux prochains étés, ça implique que mon “trip” de rêve change souvent et j’adore ça.
Ton endroit préféré pour décrocher?
Le plus proche possible de mon canot.
Les paysages qui défilent, l’écran du sonar qui me dévoile des fosses et des plateaux d’alimentation, mes leurres qui s’offrent à moi comme autant de choix judicieux…
Devrais-je sortir la moucheuse à soie flottante? La soie calante? Les poissons nageurs?
Un truc que tout bon aventurier devrait avoir ? Si je pense à la sécurité, un outil de communication avec le reste du monde civilisé peut sauver une situation qui a mal tourné, surtout quand on est loin sur le terrain. On est chanceux car, depuis plusieurs années, les satellites ont ouvert la voie aux communications partout sur le globe. Pourquoi s’en passer?
Yann Martin-Bluteau
Ambassadeur canot / Entrepreneur et Aventurier
Saguenay, Québec
Un mot qui décrit ta vision du plein air, ou ton attitude face à l’aventure? Respect
Ta meilleure histoire de plein air ou d’expédition? Ma famille viens de l’ile d’Anticosti alors je dirais mon voyage à cet endroit paradisiaque. De sillonner ses magnifiques lacs et rivières, sur les traces de mes ancêtres, était vraiment spécial pour moi. J’ai pu voir de mes yeux les endroits où se sont déroulées les nombreuses histoires qui m’ont été racontées depuis ma jeunesse. La rivière Jupiter, L’Anse-aux-fraises, l’auberge McDonald, etc.
Ton trip de rêve? 30 jours en mode survie avec mon canot au Nunavik.
Ton endroit préféré pour décrocher? Les Monts-Valin
Un truc que tout bon aventurier devrait avoir? De la curiosité
Sabrina Barnes
Ambassador |
Montréal, Québec
For Sabrina, her fishing journey began at the age of 13, when she joined a fly fishing group at the Point de Mire youth center in Verdun. His dream? It was to fish Atlantic salmon with his grandfather. Since that time, fly fishing has become his greatest passion. She is now certified as a throwing instructor by the prestigious International Federation of Fly Fishers (IFFF) and prostaff for the companies Sage, RIO and Redington. Over the past two summers, she has caught a variety of fish, both freshwater and saltwater, and has worked at the Iron Bow Fly Shop located in Calgary, Alta. permit to specialize in trout fishing. Now a columnist, you can follow her through her articles in Sentier Chasse et Pêche as well as in Fly fishing Destinations. It is with great enthusiasm that she is now embarking on a career in fly fishing where she wishes to share the pleasures of this magnificent sport with as many people as possible.
Follow her on her Facebook page as well as on sabrinabarnes.com.
Alexandre Nadeau
Canoe ambassador | Adventure guide
Québec, Québec
Your best outdoor story? The Passage of Travelers (old Voyager's channel on the French River).
Your favorite place to hang out? Somewhere in nature where I can unhook and realize how small we are in this nature that surrounds us.
A cause that is close to your heart? Everything that affects our planet earth.
Your dream trip? I have a lot of interest in the Yukon and Northwest Territories canoeing, but otherwise a beautiful wild river embedded with trout.
Instagram @mary_alex_rediscover
Hélène Phillion
Kayak ambassador | Director of strategic support at BESIDE and partner
Magog, Québec
Your favorite place to hang out? When I was in Saguenay, my thing was to go to sleep on the banks of the river in Grandes-Bergeronnes, to go kayaking in the evening and very early in the morning, just before starting the day again at the office. Since I have been in Magog, I have taken a daily getaway to the peak of Ruisseau Des-Chênes in Orford, before breakfast, in summer as in winter. The view is magnificent.
Your vision of the outdoors? Mountains, rivers and seas have always been my playgrounds, I feel at home, at home bigger than me. I need the great outdoors, its people, nature and the song of animals to keep my balance. Whales and their migratory routes are my favorites, and I've had fun following them for over 30 years.
A cause that is close to your heart? Children's health with the Charles-Bruneau Foundation and the health of the planet with the David Suzuki Foundation
Your dream trip? Swimming with humpback whales at Silver Bank, Dominican Republic.
Sylvain Baribeau
Kayak ambassador |
Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec
Sylvain Baribeau accidentally discovered kayaking at the age of 36. It was his love for water that gave him the prick from his first experience. Far from being a great athlete, he was won over by the ease of movement, the peace and quiet, the absence of engine noise and the smell of petroleum. After exploring the lakes and rivers of Abitibi, he felt he had to evolve and started to want to train. He soon noticed that there was a shortage of coaches in the area, so he took training, which he constantly refreshes and develops. Safety is its primary motivation. Too many people, he said, drown because they ignore the basics of safe boating and how quickly hypothermia can assault them. He also enjoys the technical side of kayaking, and teaches his students to have good posture and good movements, which he believes are essential to avoid injury as well as premature fatigue. For Sylvain, kayaking is fun, and he invites everyone to join him on the water.
