(Mechanical) Bird’s-Eye Views, Dream-like Landscapes
You know that dream everyone seems to have? It inspired Da Vinci and the Wright brothers. To soar above everything… To take one step, then a leap, and feel light, light as a feather… There are many of us who dream of seeing the breathtaking world and the outdoors from high above, with a bird’s-eye view. Even better over a dreamlike landscape! Vibrant, colourful, and poetic, the Massif de Petite-Rivière-Saint-François mountain becomes the theatre in which this grand show plays out. No need to doze off, nor for a flying machine: It’s the chair that takes flight. Discover Le Vol de l’Oiseau mécanique [Flight of the Mechanical Bird], this summer!
Spread your wings
When the idea’s so good, we can’t believe we’re the first to have thought of it! That’s what happened to the designers of this new experience where somehow, for the first time in the world, people have connected the words “light show” to the words “chair lift,” at a sliding centre. These days, multisensory shows in nature where projections and light effects delight and amaze us are rather commonplace but, wouldn’t you know, it seems that all these “lumina-whatevers” take place on footpaths. Put together by Yves Aucoin, Olivier Kemeid, Stéphane Mongeau, and Martin Labrecque, each of which can be counted among Quebec’s major creators who, under the Atelier [Studio] Occhio moniker, called on Daniel Gauthier (ex-Cirque du Soleil guru turned ‘big man on the mountain’), this business undertaking is just a bit different: it leaves terra firma, to take wing in the sky! In this case, chairlifts become the wings of a great, gliding bird: we are its eyes and all that it feels, our senses awakened before a mountain that lights up and pulsates with scenes that leave us wondering if this is a waking dream!
But even when the idea’s a good one, there’s work to be done before takeoff: The challenge of working on a mountain, one, moreover, that has a considerable vertical drop, where exposure to the weather brought its share of additional challenges. And yet, here we are, the bird having indeed unfurled its wings, in June 2023!
The little one has left the nest and now flies on its own, carving out a place, night after night, in the hearts of spectators who choose to take the big leap and soar over the Massif, when night falls. It’s worth noting that this endeavour fills a niche in the area that had, up until this year, been unfilled, or almost: there were few, if any, large-scale, regularly scheduled night-time events taking place. Bottom line: No grand experience! Especially important, since this venture is neighbour to Club Med Charlevoix, itself an almost inexhaustible source of visitors!
The experience
Whether floating in the sky or diving towards the river, there’s room for families on this bird’s-eye-view trip who, by turns, can sit safely in the chair, or walk short trails in the forest. Visitors can start either at the high chalet, accessible via Route 138, or the low chalet, reached by way of the village; where we start doesn’t matter, as the entire circuit is a loop, and they’re well equipped to welcome us. Departure times are staggered to prevent excessive crowding, and four empty chairs separate any occupied chairs, so there’s plenty of opportunity to fully experience “our moment,” although (naturally) all departures take place in the dark.
Night bird
As night falls on the Petite-Rivière-Saint-François mountain, we start the journey (for our purposes, the summit is our starting point). We begin by taking a floating lantern from a pond before walking through darkness to the chair that becomes our (metaphorical) bird, swooping towards the St. Lawrence in a dramatic descent accompanied by music from Quebec composer Philippe Brault throughout the journey. Quieter than the ascent, the descent gives us time for scenery, stillness, and fireflies! Seen with our own eyes, and noted on the website, the mystery hangs in the air. Can so many of them really be seen at night, or are they an illusion? Also on the downward glide, we encounter two walls of water upon which are painted whales and nautical images, using light… Once arrived at the bottom, a nature trail also offers visitors a few scenes sketched with light, a tunnel, a soundscape leading us to dreams, guiding us through this spectacular, imaginary world. An imitation campfire surrounded by benches provides a moment of peace before we hop on the chairlift for an awesome climb, during which daring visions unfold, one after the other: lush undergrowth, giant glowing beanstalks so high they seem to touch the sky, lava running down the mountain, and multifaceted, light-reflecting mirror balls! The finale is something to see but, more than that, to be experienced.
Book your tickets for a family evening that will excite the little ones for the fact that they get to go to bed late (their heads full of fun dreams), or for a romantic evening for two which, together with dinner at the Camp Boule buvette de montagne restaurant, will put a sparkle in your eyes!
