The forecast was originally +16 and full sun, but of course things shift. I worried as I drove up that the sprinkles of rain would mean they'd close early, but I was pleased to arrive in the parking lot around 2:30 to one of the busiest afternoons I've seen in about a month! I fact it is the first day in about as long that I had to wait in a line to get on the lift. As everything near the Atomic lift had melted, lift service was via Etoile. I always enjoy the lazy spring rides on the Etoile to the sound of melting water underneath. Conditions were both slush bumps and ice, take your pick, scrape or get stuck. A fresh wax would have been of help that day, for sure. While most of Sauveur was open the previous week (well, all eight remaining runs), this week featured only...

I checked my messages first thing when I woke up this morning at 11:30 to discover one from my snowboarding buddy telling me she was stuck at work but that Sauveur was open! I had a few things on my plate today but aimed to get up by 2:30. Of course the work day dragged on with one thing after another, but finally I made it out the door!! After a slow drive up the 15, I pulled into the parking lot, just before 4pm. Already a short day on the mountain, today's strategy: bomb all the runs!!! At this point, only 70 Ouest and part of the very bottom of 70 Est are open along with the top of Nordique, which is doing great with a few sketchy areas (imo it'll be done by Sunday). Unlike last week which was quite sticky and/or icy, the cool air and rain this...

Three trip reports rolled into one! Pics to follow since I have yet to download from my phone, but I didn't want this trip report to sit too long! I was delighted to learn that Sommet Sauveur planned to open last Friday, given the weather was supposed to be full sun and +16 or so. I made it up to the mountain by 2:30pm, and met up with some friends around 3 - they had arrived a bit earlier and we eventually synced up. We skied every open run accessible by the Atomic lift, so, Epervier, Tom Barbeau, Red Bird, Jay, Cote 70 Est, Cote 70 Ouest, and Nordic. The Cote 71 lift wasn't running and the highest access point to La Plagne was closed, but truly you could take the time to hike over as all of these hills were still fully covered last Friday. In fact most of Avila...

Not being an early bird type, I made it up to the hill just before 2. It turns out that at Tremblant there is a full day rate, a half day rate, and a why are you so late getting here rate of $27 that starts at 2pm. I got my warm up in by walking uphill to the Flying Mile lift as both the Cabriolet and main gondola were closed for the season. It's ok though, I really need to improve my cardio for all the spring hiking I plan to be doing! I headed immediately for the north side, and was not disappointed. I started out easy on Beauchemin and then switched over to Lowell Thomas and Duncan. I got a lot of great runs in on Saute Mouton, Jasey-Jay Anderson, Superior and Devil's River. Saute Mouton and Duncan lower section were more like slick groomers with few bumps,...

I arrived at Sommet Sauveur around 3:30pm. It was warm enough to ski with my jacket open but not warm enough to switch to my spring hoodie. I managed to get runs in on Red Bird, Jay, 70 Est, 70 Ouest and Nordique, and I was surprised at how slushy conditions were for a day where it was still cool and not sunny. They must have gotten a lot of rain! Had it been a really busy day, there would have likely been a lot of soft bumps forming. Mostly the trails were slushy slow snow/corn, with just a few patchy spots starting to form on a few trails. I was delighted to have arrived just after a few friends and we managed to do a super quick run at the end to catch the last chair and take our time down the 70 Ouest. Since the rain prevented them from...

Sunday morning we woke up at the Cap Tremblant. I'd stayed up late after a night of puzzling over a 500 piece puzzle with many similar looking pieces. I already didn't have high hopes for a good day at Tremblant given Saturday's conditions, and the exceptionally crisp air confirmed my idea that it might be a better day to ski at Sauveur. After a delicious brunch of mushroom, onion, yellow pepper and swiss cheese omelettes, we packed up and headed to Sommet Sauveur. I actually saw that Mont Blanc was open Sunday and people were skiing at it, but I didn't figure the conditions would be much different from Tremblant and besides which the freezing rain storm was already on its way. We got to Sommet Sauveur around 3:30 and I skied most of the runs around the Atomic lift, although the bottom of 70 Ouest was closed due to the...

We arrived Friday evening to the Cap Tremblant, which is a fantastic condo/timeshare resort in the (actual) village, with most units offering a fantastic view of the south side of Tremblant. After a quick trip to the adults only hot tub, we took advantage of the condo kitchen to do make BBQ chicken with homemade Guinness BBQ sauce, and to prepare pizza sauce for Saturday's dinner. The Cap Tremblant units also offer BBQs, but it was far too cold to light one up this time around. This was to be a bit more of a low key trip, since on Saturday we'd be joined by my friend and her nine year old daughter, who are beginner to intermediate level. They ski Cascades frequently so Tremblant is a much more involved experience for them. So I planned to keep things easy Saturday, and then ski Expo on Sunday. I had promised my...

The most notable thing about working from home is that you can be in your office anywhere. So it came to be that my home office for the afternoon was Sommet Sauveur (more accurately, the delightful lounge of the Manoir Saint-Sauveur). I didn't have a whole lot of time to duck out for my "coffee break", but I took advantage of this sunny, bluebird afternoon to get in some runs for the last few hours of the day. Conditions were fantastic, good cover, with just a touch of scrape underneath. By the time I got on the hill it was in the plus temps but still with a chilly breeze. I hit Red Bird, Epervier, Jay, Cote 70 Est, Cote 70 Ouest (top) and Nordique hard and fast over the last hour of the day. There was a steady flow of people heading up the lift, but never any lines. With limited...

It's the last week of night skiing at Sommet Sauveur!  Saturday night was still pretty decent powder with a bit of scrapeyness underneath. I caught the last few hours of night skiing, and it was great! Monday I also got up for the last few hours, and it was *much* slicker with the dropping temps. Met up with some friends and did a few runs! Tuesday I arrived earlier around 4pm, and skied til sunset. Still slick but a bit mushier, signs of spring definitely showing.  Finally, Wednesday (today) I got up around 4 again, to perfect spring conditions! I finally rode the length of a green trail on my board and didn't fall! After that I skiied about 7 runs until the migraine aura strobe of death started in my head, heralding the next barometric pressure shift. Not so great for me, but at least I got in some great...

Woke up Sunday morning and decided I had time to head down to Jay Peak and catch a couple of afternoon runs. This was my first trip to Jay Peak and I loved the drive through winding roads and quaint villages on both sides of the border! I picked up a ticket at the base (when you go to Jay, you can pay in CAD at par for your ticket! Alas, I had forgotten to bring cash, oh well). Although there was a wait for the tram, and it was already going to be a short day for me, I hopped in the line and waited about 10 minutes to get on the next tram. Once at the top, I hiked up to the peak to snap the view before choosing a direction. I hadn't actually looked at a Jay Peak trail map, but figured I was savvy enough to find my way...

Headed up to "Sommet" Sauveur for some evening skiing! I started the night out on my board, at which I'm a super beginner. I took my sweet time on Red Bird, falling a few times more than last time. That'll learn me to warm up on my skis first! After deciding that was enough butt bruising for one night, I switched to my skis and hit Red Bird, Jay, Cote 70 Ouest and Est, and then capped it off with a few runs down La Plagne. Good coverage but definitely icy in some spots, overall a pretty scrapey night. Currently enjoying my apres-ski with homemade pizza and some dark & stormys, and about to use our shower to create a steam room with eucalyptus. We can always pretend we're at le nordik, right? Just catching the last of the sunset!  Yes, there were bumps. Beautiful organized consistent in size and spacing...

So Killington's spring pass, the Nor'Beaster, activated on Friday March 16th, meaning you can ski on any day for the rest of the season, which continued on last year until June 1st. Also they got 30 inches of snow through the week, and the whole mountain is still open, so taking a well-earned four day weekend and heading to Killington seemed like a reasonable plan. We took our time getting there on Friday and stayed at the Highridge condos, one of the resort properties. It was about -10C or less when we got there, and we settled in, built a fire and feasted on BBQ chicken and salad, with a taste of Starborough. Part of what makes our ski trips amazing is our dedication to delicious meals, so we love the condo setup!   I'm not a functional morning person, and the mountain can be pretty glacial in the morning anyways, so the following...

I arrived at about 4:15pm, to a nearly empty parking lot, and no lift lines. The previous night had iced up a bit in the evening, I figured an afternoon of + temps would mellow things out a bit, and I wasn't disappointed! Only the Edelbahn lift was running, and Poma, West Coat and Shotgun were closed by the time I arrived. Conditions are slick early spring but still pretty thin cover following last week's incredibly disappointing rain. I skied every run that was open, for about two hours, until dusk (unfortunately having to leave early tonight). By the time I left there was a "line" at the lift....of maybe 3-4 people in front of me. I didn't think to get any photos tonight except for one, documenting my expression as I recall how steep the bottom section of Strief is. Would have loved to stay a bit longer if I didn't have...