December 17-18, 2016

Photo : Mont Sutton facebook page

With one week to go before the Christmas holiday break, the weather has become cold and in some places frigid rather quickly. Ski resorts everywhere are busy working their snowmaking magic, cranking out piles of snow with each passing hour. As this is arguably the most important time period for a ski resorts revenue, they do all they can to maximize open terrain, and gain your visit. What this means is skiable terrain is now in the period of rapid expansion, and we will see many mountains approaching 100% opened terrain over the coming days and week.

Adding to this is a snowstorm about to touchdown, most notably in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, as well as Southern Ontario, which will see approximately 15cm of snow depending on location by Sunday. Montreal will see slightly lower amounts of accumulation. Speaking of Southern Ontario, Blue Mountain and Mount St Louis Moonstone are both nearly 50% open.

In the Laurentians and Montreal regions, Sommet Saint-Sauveur has many of their main trails open, and all their satellite mountains are operating as well (Their new website www.sommets.com has just launched and is worth checking out). Mont Tremblant has 41/96 trails open, and has announced that Versant Soleil will open on Saturday. Ski Saint-Bruno, is 100% open. Bromont is operating several trails on the Versant du Village with Mont Soleil joining this weekend. Mont Sutton will be operating the II and II West chairlifts and 15 trails are open for your skiing delight. Owl's Head is opening their season on Saturday with the Summit, Black and Baby Quads running, and many of their signature trails.

Moving to the Quebec City region, Mont-Sainte-Anne is nearing 100% open with a half dozen trails remaining. Le Massif de Charlevoix has 39/52 trails open and received over 60cm of snow in the past week. 

Our friends South of the border are also experiencing a great start to the season. Jay Peak has phenomenal conditions across the entire mountain and will be opening the Flyer, giving access to the Tramside on Saturday. The Tram itself is undergoing some repairs and should open later on in the week. Killington is now sporting 91 trails and 400+ skiable acres of terrain

There can be no doubt, in contrast to last winter, we will have a White Christmas. With cold to freezing temperatures being experienced this weekend, be sure to dress appropriately and use the layered technique to retain body heat and control your temperature. This way you will be protected and enjoy your outing on the slopes to the fullest.

We would love to hear about your experiences on the slopes this weekend, throughout the holidays and during the season. Share your adventure, photos and stories with us on the forums by clicking here. 

Have a great weekend and happy skiing!