When the weather starts getting colder and colder, most skiers start counting the days till their favorite mountain opens. Some start counting right from the last day of the previous season (spoiler... that's me). The wait is over, the countdown is at 0, today was my first day out on the slopes for the new season. While it may only be my first day out, it is the third day of the season at Camp Fortune and conditions are amazing. Like past years mother nature having up till now only provided cold weather and a fairly valueless snowstorm, the snowmaking experts at the mountain took up the challenge and now have Pineault open to the joy of skiers and snowboarders. The snow surface is firm with some loose snow on top (like icing on a cake). I couldn't have asked for more, as the snow allowed me to open things up with some...

This visit was to Lac La Peche, known as the largest lake in all of Gatineau Park. If you find Lac Philippe or Meech large, this lake is almost double the size. Upon arriving, the sandy beach is expansive and stretches across a large portion of the water. There is a fee that must be paid along the access road, however at this time of the year, and due to the beach being officially closed, access is free. For those arriving without their own kayak or canoe, rentals are available, in the same way as they are at Lac Philippe. The late summer's sun creates a vast landscape, just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. The entry point into the water is located approximately in the middle of the lake, so you are perfectly positioned to start exploring in either direction. I am not sure why but the sand along on the beach was brighter and softer than most of the other beaches in the region we have visited. Perhaps it is due to the slightly more remote location that it has remained relatively un...

A beautiful clear Saturday afternoon called for a visit to Gatineau Park to do some hiking. The park is famous for its endless trails and the multitude of choices of where to go and how to get there. This trip was to visit the Carbide Willson Ruins. Located to the North of Meech lake, the ruins can be found after the 3km hike. The trail is not very challenging to get to the ruins, however, there is a long hill halfway there. Surprisingly, the trail is quite popular and well-travelled. Definitely, one of the more popular locations to visit. Starting from the P11 parking lot by Meech lake, the trail heads up the hill to the North. The forest canopy providing plenty of cover and shade as you make the trip. Eventually, you reach a long downhill section, which culminates with a bridge over the lake. Looking South from here you can see Meech lake and the cottages that flank the shoreline. Continuing along the path, you will eventually reach a directional signpost. Oddly enough, to get to the...

Another beautiful day that warranted some kayaking. This time, the destination was Meech Lake in Gatineau Park. Camp Fortune was along the route leading to the lake, making me reflect on this summer and start looking forward to the winter coming up in a few months time. Located about 5 minutes drive past Camp Fortune's Skyline sector, Meech Lake offers a quiet beach setting, as well as several hiking pathways to enjoy and discover, including the Carbide Willson Ruins (perhaps next weekend's hiking adventure...) The beach is accessible from the paid parking lot ($11) by a short gravel path. This lake does not offer any rentals so you need to bring your own when visiting. The path to access the water is made up of a few small hills but is easily traversed if you have a set of wheels to roll your kayak. Once you reach the water, you are treated to one of the most picturesque settings of the region. Flanked all along one side of the lake are houses and cottages bordering the water. Despite...

Kayaking is such an enjoyable sport. Thanks to the abundance of lakes and rivers in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, there is no shortage of places to visit and discover. Kayaking is also an easy sport to get into and is less difficult than it may appear to be. What does help is lakes that are free of powered boats. One such place is Lac Philippe in Gatineau Park. Located about 35 minutes from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau, Lac Philippe is a large lake, featuring two beaches, pedal boat, kayak and canoe rentals, and campgrounds. If you are coming with your own kayaks or wish to rent, the best place to park is by following the signs for the boat launch, shortly after passing the first beach. From here, you are able to park quite close to the water and the launching point is not busy or crowded. Immediately you can see the vastness of the lake, which seems to extend indefinitely. On this visit, we decided to head to the left, in the direction of Breton Beach. Passing a well-built beaver lodge....

A great day in nature on Gatineau Park's Pioneer Trail. This hiking path is easily accessible from the Gatineau Park parkway entrance off of Boulevard des Allumetières near Hull. A large parking lot and information centre and map await your arrival. The Pioneer trail is not the longest trail and doesn't present much challenge as it has a relatively flat profile, but it is a great place to enjoy nature without having to go very far from the city. With a length of approximately 1.5km, the trail in the form of a loop takes about 30-40 minutes to walk. All along the path are interpretation panels, allowing you to learn about settlers in the Outaouais region and the Park's forest diversity. The love tree, carved with care by plenty of couples who have walked this path together. The whistling wind and the brushing of the leaves, you really feel at peace and with nature in Gatineau Park. The ever expansive forests that seemingly never end bring out anyone's sense of curiosity and exploration.

I got into skiing early, night skiing at Camp Fortune during elementary school. During high school, I had a season pass which caused a few skipped afternoons. I kept up skiing in high school with some straight all camber 210cm rockets when many buddies switched to snowboards during the early days of the sport. After high school though I basically stopped downhill skiing. I was based in Toronto for a while then Yellowknife up in the North West Territories where snow machining was the thing to do. Finally, when I moved back to Ottawa I decided to get back into alpine. I love downhill skiing... why had I stopped! Well, I bought some used Fischer Wateas 78's 181cms and got back on the hill. You don't forget how to ski. Anyway, I'm now hooked. Look I'm not some expert free rider or ex-racer but I like to go fast and I'll ski in any condition. I've switched up my skis a couple times now slowly moving to wider skis with more rocker. I've also tried Telemark skiing. I love skiing, I love being...

Waterville Valley Resort continues to offer opportunities for summer fun in the White Mountains with the addition of three new summer activities, including a partnership with GolfBoard to bring ResortBoard Adventure Tours to Waterville Valley, the first experience of its kind in New England. "It is exciting to not only be adding new activities that we have never had in Waterville Valley, but to also be creating a new type of experience in the Northeast," says Tim Smith, President and General Manager of Waterville Valley Resort. "You can't really experience the White Mountains without getting outside, getting off the beaten path, and seeking out a bit of adventure. Partnering with ResortBoards is allowing us to take some of what we love about snowsports and apply it to the summer months." ResortBoards are highly versatile personal transportation vehicles and can be used on pavement, gravel, loose dirt, mud, and even packed powder. The rugged design includes heavy-duty front and back spr...

I started skiing around 1980 with my elementary school program that would bring us up to the now defunct Glen Mountain near Knowlton in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. I wasn't warm to the idea of skiing at first but thanks to my grade 4 teacher, I am glad that she convinced me to go. The Glen ended up being my second home on weekends and days off from school for the winters to follow. I worked at Owl's Head for 12 years as a liftie in the winter months, and in the hotel during the summers and kept my connection to skiing. When I left Owl's Head in 2001 for a career change, I left skiing behind as well until 2012 when I rediscovered a new found passion for the sport. I enjoy discovering new ski areas, and I am a bit of a ski lift "nerd" at the same time. There is nothing more stress relieving to me than riding a chairlift and putting my two feet on skis at a ski hill for the day. My other interests are photography, music, hiking, and ski history. 

I owe my first skiing experience to my husband who introduced me to this great sport at Mont Saint-Sauveur a few years ago. Previous to this ski weekend, I noticed my husband's contagious passion for downhill skiing through his long-time practice of it, as well as his mesmerizing descriptions, videos and pictures of several breathtaking Canadian mountain landscapes that he has had the fortune to experience mainly through his skiing; I had to give it a try. Exposure to these mountainous environments in Canada has also brought back fond memories of my upbringing in Latin America where I grew up surrounded by the majestic Andean mountains. As a result, I fell in love with the sport and the beautiful scenery of the awe-inspiring Canadian mountains.I am looking forward to enjoying many more ski weekends over the course of the years to come. 

At the age of 5, my parents helped me navigate the bumps for the first time on Pineault at Camp Fortune in the Gatineau Hills. My passion for skiing really took off once we arrived at Ski Vorlage, the birthplace of my mother's skiing legacy. Snowy days, to long nights under the stars, it was here that I got the itch for skiing and the excitement that came along with it. After several seasons, eventually skiing every resort in the area, I became obsessed with the sport. Over the years, with family and friends, I began to explore more ski mountains, farther from home, discovering many unique, exciting and breathtaking resorts. What makes me excited? Is it the amazing views from the mountain tops, the high speed thrill of carving up the slopes, or a technical curiosity of the ski lifts... one thing is for sure, it's definitely the best way to enjoy the best season of the year, and one amazing life long passion. 

Camp Fortune is the closest ski mountain to the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau, at only a 15-minute drive away. The mountain features a wide variety of trails, spread over 3 distinct mountainsides. Each side offers something different, from the family atmosphere to more challenging steep and higher speed trails, to long intermediate cruisers, Camp Fortune has it all, with 27 trails, 13 of which are open for night skiing, served by 8 lifts, consisting of 4 quad chairlifts and 1 triple. The mountain also features 2 base chalets, offering options for where you want to start and end your day. Located in Gatineau Park, Camp Fortune offers great ski conditions all season long thanks to snowmaking coverage on almost all trails. The Mountain and the Ski Trails The Valley is the main side of Camp Fortune, and is home to the large main chalet and all the services of the mountain. As its name implies, this area is formed inside a Valley with skiing on three of its sides. Starting with the Pin...

Join our Team   Are you passionate about mountain recreational activities and love adventure? Do you enjoy taking pictures or short videos of your time outdoors? Do you want to have a place to share your stories? If your answer is yes, then we want to hear from you. We want to share more experiences and adventures in the slopes, whether it is skiing, snowboarding, hiking, snowshoeing, and more. Please send us an email at and tell us a bit about yourself and why you would like to join our team. We look forward to all working together and helping promote the great mountain sports we all practice.Please email us at media@slopeedge.ca

The Luskville Falls are located about 30 minutes from downtown Gatineau. With easy access by car, simply take Boulevard des Allumetières, until it turns into route 148 and follow that. After about 15-20 minutes, the road will switch into a divided highway, and the exit will be one of the first gravel roads to the right shortly after. Follow the road and turn left and you will arrive at the falls trail. The area is peaceful yet quite busy with visitors, as the trail is fairly popular to hike. A bit of forewarning, the trail is fairly steep, but nothing too challenging. Good footwear is recommended as most of the path is on rocks of various sizes and shapes.Beginning the trail from the parking lot, you head slightly downwards, then begin your ascent. The full hike up is approximately 300+ vertical metres. As you hike, the path follows a rocky path, almost in the form of stairs. Not long after the beginning, you see the base of the majestic falls up close. The flow of the water ...

Here we are, at the end of the ski season in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. With the snow nearly all melted from the city and the heavy rain received over the past week, you could easily think that the skiing is over. This is definitely not the case. In fact, I can't remember the last time I skied at Easter at Camp Fortune where they had this much snow, and the skiing conditions were this great. Even more surprising, the Valley is still open, with Pineault and Allen's Alley, in addition to the trails on Skyline.  I started skiing shortly after opening at 9am. The first trail I tried was Heggveit, the classic double diamond of Camp Fortune. Wow, what a ride. The snow was already softening out and the slope was impeccable. Just a true joy to experience. Thanks to the spring conditions and the more forgiving snow, the imposing wall of...

Mont SUTTON is already in Easter break celebrations mode. Many have already started their holiday on this Thursday April 13th: a perfect excuse to enjoy one of Easter's top destinations this year! Skiers and snowboarders can now enjoy the slopes at spring rates: $45 + t. for adults and $25 + t. for every other category (students, seniors…). What's more, children under 5 years old ski for free at all times at Mont SUTTON! These springs rates will allow everyone to enjoy the sunshine forecasted in the next few days along with spring skiing on a still good cover of snow and many activities. BBQ at the bottom of the hill, Live Music Friday with Madmoiselle, contestant on La Voix, Easter arts and crafts, decorated Easter egg hunt on Saturday, free maple taffy on snow on Sunday… and an Easter surprise at the bottom of the hill all weekend! ​Source : ​Mont SUTTON

Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SNOW), a leading North American mountain resort and adventure company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by a newly-formed entity controlled by affiliates of the Aspen Skiing Company, L.L.C. ("Aspen") and KSL Capital Partners, LLC ("KSL"). Under the terms of the merger agreement, Intrawest stockholders will receive $23.75 in cash for each share of Intrawest common stock, representing a total valuation of approximately $1.5 billion including debt obligations to be assumed or refinanced net of cash at closing. The transaction was unanimously approved by the board of directors of Intrawest. Following the execution of the merger agreement, stockholders representing a majority of the voting shares of Intrawest delivered a written consent approving and adopting the merger agreement. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of calendar year 2017 and is subject to certain closing co...

Open this weekend! We will be open this weekend with 3 chairlifts and 12 runs from 9 am to 4 pm. Come out and ski or ride this weekend! Our goal for this season is to be skiing over Easter weekend but with this wonky weather it's too early to say for sure so enjoy it while you can. Webcam Conditions Hours and late season ticket prices Fortune Cup Pro Race Join us on Sunday for the Fortune Cup Pro Race.First Prize is $1000 cash!This Race is an open event for U16 up to masters racers, FIS Racers, or anyone who thinks they can be the King of the Mountain. Enter today by emailing fbernier@campfortune.com The spectator area is always a great place to spend the afternoon cheering on the competitors and spending time with ski friends. Event Info Surf Side Says The final snowboard jam of the year is this Sunday. Join us for "Surf Side Says", a laid back jam session brought to you by local skate/board/surf shop Surf Side. Admission is a non-perishable food item or a small donation for those in ...

Beautiful days of spring skiing are here! Lots of snow, family activities, Live Music Friday, BBQ at Chairlift II… everything will be there for a successful Easter weekend at Mont SUTTON! To celebrate Easter on the slopes, everyone is invited to let their creativity flow while doing free arts and crafts on Friday April 14th and Monday April 17th. The weekend will also start with a certainly stunning performance from Madmoiselle at Bar Le Tucker for one of the last Live Music Fridays of the season. On Saturday April 15th, young and old will be invited to identify the 5 decorated Easter eggs hidden on the slopes. A draw will take place among all the participants, and three lucky winners will go back home with a sweet treat. On Sunday April 16th, free maple taffy on snow will be given to all, letting them fulfill their craving for sweets between two runs! Under the sunshine, skiers and snowboarders are intived to enjoy not only the great snow cover, but also a BBQ at the foot of the hill ...

Blue Mountain Resort has announced Sunday, April 9, 2017 as the Resort's closing day of its 75th ski season. Blue will have 3 trails open for skiing and snowboarding along with a walk up freestyle park open this weekend, weather and conditions permitting. Blue opened for the winter season on December 11, 2016 and as of April 9, Blue Mountain will have had 116 days on snow. Thanks to 307cm of cumulative snowfall this winter, the milestone season included great ski conditions along with anniversary celebrations and events. Of note was the Celebrate 75 winter festival in January which included a fundraiser that raised $22,000 for the Blue Mountain Special Olympic team, and the Audi FIS World Cup Ski Cross which showcased Ontario skiing on the world stage. "It is always bittersweet at the end of a ski season," says, Dan Skelton, President and COO at Blue Mountain. "It has been a very memorable winter at Blue but we are ready to switch gears and ramp up for the coming summer season." A sele...

Vermont's Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard destination in Eastern North America, has partnered with Killington, Vermont-based Ottauquechee Realty Advisors, LLC to revitalize the resort's Bear Mountain base area and South Ridge through a two year development plan. Total project costs for the Bear Mountain Revitalization Plan are estimated at $60-70 million with a resulting retail value of $110 million once construction is complete. Phase 1 of the Bear Mountain Revitalization Plan, called "Base Camp at Bear Mountain" is expected to begin in summer 2018 with the construction of 6-7 multi-family buildings estimated to cost $45 million, plus a major remodeling of Bear Mountain Base Lodge (keeping the original footprint), the installation of a fixed grip quad chair lift on Killington's South Ridge, and on-mountain improvements for skier flow including bridge and tunnel work. On-mountain improvements are expected to cost approximately $8 million total. "This Bear Mountain Revi...

With natural snowfall from Winter Storm Stella and Theseus, paired with snowmaking operations in March, Mount Snow is pleased to announce it will extend its operating season through April 16, 2017. Having received 115 percent of its average annual snowfall total so far this season, the mountain expects to offer skiing and riding on all four mountain faces, including more than 100 features over at Carinthia Parks for as long as the weather cooperates. "Our snowmaking push in March and three feet of late season snowfall has made for some of the best late-season skiing in recent memory," said Kelly Pawlak, general manager at Mount Snow. "We are excited to offer families the ability to celebrate Easter on the slopes and take part in our Easter Egg Hunt, including a golden egg good for a 2017/18 Peak Pass." Spring is always a special time at the mountain, full of corn skiing, forgiving bump runs, and soft landings in Carinthia. It's a time to join with friends and family and celebrate the s...

April is famous for its spring skiing, and for me, there is no better place to go than Sommet Saint-Sauveur. They really know how to put on a great show, from the legendary ambiance on the outdoor terrace, to the entertainment and friendly competitions of all sorts, to offering the longest ski season in the province and being last to close. This year they are aiming to stay open until May 14th, that gives another month and a half of skiing to go. Arriving at the mountain slightly before 8:30am, the parking was already approximately 1/3 full. There was a competition to take place on 70 Ouest so it was understandable. That said, there was still much fewer people present on the trails than I was expecting. Lift lines were a minute or less all day, including the Atomic Express.  Snow conditions in the early morning were firm and well groomed,...

The Epic Pass will offer unlimited, unrestricted access to Stowe, plus the best of North America, subject to the closing of the acquisitionEpic Local Pass will offer the best value at $639, which includes 10 days at Stowe, subject to the closing of the acquisitionPurchasing the Epic Pass now through Sunday, April 9, guarantees the lowest price combined with the most benefits Vail Resorts announced today that the Epic Pass plans to offer unlimited, unrestricted access to Stowe Mountain Resort for the 2017-2018 winter season, subject to the closing of the acquisition. Purchasing the 2017-2018 Epic Pass now through Sunday, April 9 ensures that skiers and snowboarders will lock in the lowest price, combined with the most benefits, such as six discounted lift tickets ("Buddy Tickets") for family and friends. Stowe will be the newest resort among 45 of the world's most iconic mountain destinations to be offered with the Epic Pass (subject to the closing of the acquisition) – which includes t...

Spring is officially here! Its arrival promises beautiful spring skiing days and sunny après-skis on Bar Le Tucker's terrace. Mont SUTTON is shifting into spring with several activities planned over the next few weeks that will allow skiers and snowboarders to take full advantage of the sunny spring days. On Saturday, March 25th, Yooners, a kind of ski bob/sled hybrid, will be back! Spaces are limited and will have to be reserved the morning of the activity, which is free to all season pass holders or anyone with a valid ski ticket for that day. The ever-popular Snow on the Beach will make its return on Saturday, April 1st! The event is celebrating its tenth edition this year and is sure to be remembered with its beach party après-ski that will have skiers dancing under the palm trees. From April 14th to 17th, Mont SUTTON will be celebrating Easter on the slopes. For the occasion, arts and crafts, an Easter egg hunt, and sugar on snow (free on Sunday) are sure to entertain families all...