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THEQUEBECCONNECTION TV SHOW,
QUEBEC,SPRING 2019It wasa daylikeanyotherin Trois-RivièrewhentwogentlemenfromMontrealwhoworkin television
metwithsixboyswhohadnothingto dobutgokayaking,rafting,andplantheirnexttriptogether.
Fastforwardroughlythreeyearslater:theproducersfinallysoldtheshowtotheinternational
FrenchchannelTV5.Theirideawassimple:Theywantedtofilmandbroadcastfirstdescents
ofriversalloverQuebec.Justlikethat,a TVteamwhoknewnothingaboutkayakingstartedto
workwithEmrick,Charles,Billy,FrankTremblay,FrankSavard,MikeRoy,andAndrewOxleyofthe
QuebecConnectioncrew,noneofwhomknewverymuchaboutTVproduction.Theoddcouple’s
firstfewmeetingsfocusedonlearningtoworkasa teamandfigureouthowtobestaddressthe
challengeahead.TofilmtenTVepisodesonriversthathadneverbeenrunbeforetheyhadto
juggleworkschedules,snowmeltforecasts,gradient,andaccess.Witheverythingorganizedand
preparedasbestaspossible,everyonewaslookingforwardto beginningthisnewadventure.The
firstchaptertookplaceinQuebec’sbiggestmountainrange:LesChicsChocsinGaspesia.With
sledsandtrucks,theyreachedtheput-inoftheCap-ChatEstRivertodiscovertheupperpart,
wherealmostallthegradientwas,stillunderthesnow.Theyputonanywayandhada lovelyday
paddlingcrystalclearwaterandclassIV rapids.Concernswerehighaboutotherdescentsin the
areasinceeverythingtheyhadplannedwouldlikelybetooloworfrozen.Theonlyplanleftto
checkoutwastheGrandSaultof theMadeleineRiver,a cascadeof waterfallswitha crazylead-in
anda 35-footexitdrop.Thoughmanypeoplehadseenthiswaterfallthroughouttheyears,noone
hadattemptedit. Arrivinganddiscoveringperfectflows,theQCcrewcelebrated,andeverybody
ranthefalls.Thenit wasbackto Quebec,withplansalreadyin motionforthenextchapterofthis
firstdescentjourney.StayTuned:Therelease date is Spring 2020 on Unis TV and TV5 or, check
QuebecConnectiononFacebook.Report:BillyThibault | Photography: Benoit Bisson, CHOK ImagesNEWS