I just read over on Quebec Rider a message from Rob. He got word from his wife that Bernard (Hotel Safari) passed away July 2nd. There were no details available. This will be a huge loss to snowmobiling in the area. Just reading his posts told you the passion the man had for the sport. He went above and beyond to help snowmobilers.

My condolenses to his wife and family.

Wow! God Bless and Rest in Peace Bernard !

Very sad news,just heard. I loved Bernard, known him 15 years. My first trip to Quebec I stayed at his motel.We talked on the phone every few weeks, I just spoke with him last week and he was telling me about an electric car he was going to buy. He came down to CT about seven years ago and stayed at my house and I took him and Jocelyn into NYC and went sightseeing. I will truly miss him. As Rob said, He really was an ambassador to the sport.


Rest in peace Bernard!!! I love Ya Man!!!!!!!!

Your friend Stan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0novpU6MJXQ

We will miss you, Bernard!

RIP

and a Ringy Dang Doo to you!


Snowmobiling will never be the same!!

My trips to Qubebec will never be the same w/o bernards smiling face and new stories welcoming me to his hotel along with the one free hek. I cannot stress the impact Bernard had on snowmobiling in his region. We will never find another hotel owner who bends so far backwards in order to help his fellow snowmobilers. he made your trip to quebec secure and fun. If you broke down he was there to pick you up and have u back on ur sled fixed the next day. His knowledge of the trails helped us pick the best routes and get the most out of our saddlebag trips. Customer service was number one in his book, losing him is like losing another member of our riding crew. I will never forget Bernard and how he helped cultivate my love for this amazing sport.

that is sad news

I have been a fan of Quebec snowmobiling for 20 years and 30 thousand miles, in all of those years and miles Bernard was the most welcoming, caring, man that I had ever come across. A true gentleman, he would literally do anything for his guests....THE DEFINITION OF HONESTY AND INTEGRITY!!!! Last March after a 1000 miles we pulled into Safari and took Bernard to his favorite restaurant for dinner and laughs....he was a real character as always.....little did we know we would never see him again. Snowmobiling aside he was a true friend to many above and beyond everything else that made him one of the most important figures in the snowmobile industry. TILL WE MEET AGAIN....REST IN PEACE DEAR FRIEND.

God speed Bernard. And one last " RING A DANG DO"...

I'm blown away. I don't even know what to say. He will be truly missed.

From Zenwaiter:

July 2nd:


Bernard from Motel Safari, has Passed Away


Possibly Quebec's most well known, and loved snowmobile motel host,
Bernard Cournyer, left us on July 2 2008. I have no details yet, but I will
talk to his widow Jocelyn in the morning.

Bernard will be sadly missed by thousands of snowmobilers everywhere.

Jocelyn, Bernard's wife, has asked me to relay her apreciation for all your
messages of sympathy, but added, that during this busy and sad time for
her and the family, she will need time to herself. Please hold off on phone
calls and emails for a few weeks. Thankyou.

zw

I really loved that place!

I am speechless, I am a new rider and part of the reason that I love the sport is because of people like Bernard!

It may be time for Zenwaiter to take over the duties of running Motel Safari!

He is another great ambassador of our sport!

IMO

Once again R.I.P. Bernard

I have been riding out of Bernard's for 10 years now. When my kids were young, they would stay at the Motel all day with Bernard and Jocylen. He would take them tubing at a local ski area, feed them lunch, make hot chocolate for them, whatever they wanted. Try that at your local Comfort Inn! I feel like a member of my family is gone. He would visit in the summer time, or come to the Grass Drags in Fremont. I convinced him at 8 years ago to get out on the internet, and I also told him that if he told people the truth that he would have more customers than he knew what to do with. I was right, and he was honest.

Nothing but fresh groomed trails to you Bernard and all the best to Jocelyn.

I just found out today about Bernard and I am very sad. I met Bernard three years ago and I made sure I stopped by his place once or twice a year. As all of you said, he was a great ambassador to snowmobiling when it has been getting tougher on us on trail closings, theft and other factors. I hope Motel Safari will live on and he will be missed. Keep the hecks cold up there, cheers to you!

Wow.....I never met him....never stayed at his place......I only know him from HCS and the honesty he displayed here. Our sport will miss him.

-g

My first encounter with Bernard was in 1997 at The Armory in Manchester NH. He was with "New England Bob" and Bob was busy shmoosing a custumer, so I looked at videos running on a TV at their booth.
The trails I saw were like something out of a Sledders dream so I asked out loud to no one in particular; "Wow, where the Hell is that?", A man in his late 50's behind the counter replied in what seemed like typical New Hampshire english, "Oh thats across the street from my motel". I was like, Holy shit , wheres your Motel?. He replied, "Oh, about 6 hrs from here". At this point, New England Bob, jumped between us and took over the conversation. He explained to me how it wasnt wise to ride Quebec without a guide, especially the 1st trip. My reply was that if I could ride NH without a guide, that Quebec looked easy. In the background the motel owner (Bernard) was laughing at my reactions.
That winter I visited Bernard w/o a guide and my Snowmobiling was changed forever. Bernard took us out on a short ride (80 miles) to give us a flavor of the trails, signs, etc. Within minutes of heading out we wernt keeping up. My idea of fast in NH vs Quebec was not the same. After waiting for me at the 1st junction, Bernard was off the machine waiting. He was half way thru his cigarette, visor up.
" How are the trails?" he asked. " OH, awesome, un-beleveable!! I replied.
"Where are you guys going to head today?" quized Bernard. "Uh, Quebec City." I replied. Bernard says "Well you aint gonna make it, cause you gotta move your ass!! Your not in fuk'in NH anymore!!"


10 years and 20000 miles later I still owe my total Quebec riding addiction to Bernard. There are many fine local folks Ive run into up there. Most go way beyond normal courtesy to help us out, but Bernard was different. He could relate to Americans like he was American, even though he was 100% French Quebec. Never was he a stranger, even from the moment I met him.
I could go on and on about how he helped us out.......... Making reservations, being the interpretor with a mechanic, knowing the trails to avoid, giving us rides. But most of all he became the guy you could always talk to . Anytime, anywhere, about most anything. Politics, cars, sleds, women, business ventures, anything...........

As much as I love Quebec riding, it will never be the same. From now on Im back to being the foreigner. The hapless American that begs in Pigeon English to get some help. I know thats mostly my own fault from not learning French, but thats me.

So Bernard, until we meet again, thanks for some great years!!

Thanks for sharing that story... Richard

Ditto!!!

I first met Bernard when I went on a trip with my friend Rideon1111 and his dad NHTOM in 2001. Ever since then i have looked up to him, he is a legend in our sport. Whenever i meet someone from the U.S that rides in Quebec the first thing a ask them is if they have ever stayed at Bernard's. I was always amazed at how many people had met him or knew of him, and what really was amazing is that everyone i have met that has stayed at his place has always had a story to tell about how Bernard would bend over backwards to make their stay and riding experience the best it could be. Whether it was that they had a breakdown on the side of the trial and Bernard sent his driver to pick them up, and then when he got you and your sled got back to the hotel he would call and get the snowmobile dealer to fix the broken sled the very next day. The last time i stayed at Bernard's was last March when i took my brother in law on his first snowmobile trip ever. Not only was it his first trip to Quebec but it was his first time on a sled, when we got home from the trip he said, "well it looks like Bernard got another one hooked!"
Bernard will be greatly missed but he will always live on in the hearts of many and in all of the great stories we all have to tell about our stays at his hotel. I know someday we will meet again and I'm looking forward to a ice cold heck when i get up there.

I met Bernard for the first time in early 2004. It was my first trip snowmobiling in Quebec ever, and we started at his place.

Since that time, I'd stayed at his place, or at least passed through, perhaps 15 or 20 times. Bernard was always a character, as I best could describe. Even at 10pm at night, -20F, he'd come outside and help us unload into the garage with a beer in hand.

It was only my last trip up there this past season, in March, where I finally sat down with Bernard for about 20 or 30 minutes and talked about something other than snowmobiling. He had an interesting life story to tell. Did you know he was a miner, and a truck driver (among other things)? He had an interesting life.

I for one will miss him, and I suspect the local snowmobile club will suffer. My condolences and thoughts go out to Jocelyn, I hope she is coping alright with this.

Bernard was definitely one of a kind. I wish more people had met the man before his passing. Canada lost a truly great person.

I am so sad and want to send my deepest syphathy to his family. Bernard liked to act rough and spared no words but the man had a heart of gold and would go out of his way to make certain you had a great time. The sport of snowmobiling in Quebec has lost their greatest ambassador and I say that with no disrespect to others in Quebec but Bernard was the best. You will be missed deeply old friend.

Most importantly, I want to express my condolences to Bernard's family. I know you must be having so many thoughts about the past and also what the future may bring. I hope that you are able to comfort each other and know that all of us here who loved Bernard and his Quebec are thinking of you every day.

I have been snowmobiling for many years and have had the privilege of meeting many people. Some of those people were owners of the places we have stayed. I can honestly say that no one was like Bernard. I won't name names or even places but there are some who were close but Bernard was still very much in a class by himself. Like many of you out there, I feel I am a guest when I ride in Quebec and genuinely try to show the respect and courtesy to those I meet that I would expect of someone who would travel to visit my home from afar. See, Bernard knew all of us were up there with disadvantages like not knowing the trails, the language, etc, etc. He never took advantage of it; he did things to overcome or minimize those things so we could just enjoy our stay in his Country and not have any "hassles". He was like meeting someone in a foreign country who speaks English and then takes you to his home and then spends the next week doing everything he can to make sure you see "the sights" in his Country and have a good time while doing it. Bernard would do everything he could to make your stay and your riding experience as close to perfect as he could - given the fact that some things would never be in his control (like the weather). BUT . . . if he knew that the weather was going to warm up he would ALWAYS warn all of us - even telling us: "DO NOT COME!"

Awhile ago, someone on this site took to criticizing Bernard for various things. It was like crickets afterward when no one chimed in to agree. You see, Bernard treated everyone very fairly and went out of his way to be an outstanding host. Many of you who took the time to get to know the man were rewarded with honest conversations and lasting friendships. He was a good businessman and he was FAIR. He was always honest - sometimes when others weren't with him.

Our sport has lost another true legend who surely left us too soon. Everyone who ever met him can never ride a snowmobile again without thoughts of Bernard.

You have earned your rest before your time. God bless and keep you. Au revoir

Great post

What a heartfelt sincere writing that was VT Bluyamaha54, you nailed it.

Bernard has bought more people there first beer then all of us on this site. "Bernard was his name" snowmobiling will always be his game. We are all going to miss this snowmobiling legend. He has told me several stories of going out in the middle of the night to help out somebody with sled troubles near him and most of the time it was people who did'nt even spend money at the safari. RIP.

Jocelyn (Bernards widow) will continue running Motel Safari this winter! She has posted on Quebec Rider, and will be looking for Trail Pass $$ after Halloween. Please buy your pass there and stay at the Motel as you would if Bernard were still alive.
I know me and my buddys will!!