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...

Being already mid-April, it is quite amazing that Sommet Saint-Sauveur has virtually the entire mountain still open for skiing. Even more impressive, very little to no ice all over, and no bare spots. Add to this, the main SnoPrk on versant Avila is open one last time this weekend. The ski conditions were a mix of mostly hard base but as the day progressed and the trails were skied, a light layer of shaved snow presented itself. I know alot of people prefer the soft mushy snow, famous for its bumps, but with the continuing cold weather, those days are still to come. Luckily the mountain is well groomed and the surface quality is consistent from top to bottom, something I quite prefer. My day started when I arrived for 8:30am. Quickly getting ready, I hit the slopes by riding the Atomic Express. From here I immediately headed over to versant Avila. This area has an...

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...

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...

Well the time has come. Day 1 of the new 2017-18 season for me is in the books. With an early departure from Sherbrooke at 6am this morning under cloudy skies, and -5 Celsius, destination was Sommet St. Sauveur. Travelling was great until I hit Montreal of course. A little detour made while work was being done on the Turcotte interchange. Nothing new there. Arrival at Sauveur was 8:30, parking was great as I was one of the early arrivals. I got there early so I could relax a bit and get ready to go when the lift opened for 9am. The Pente d'Ecole, and the 70 West, with the Etoile quad spinning today on Sauveur's Day 2. The temperature was about -3, cloudy, and no wind. The Etoile: The Pente d'Ecole Beginner's Area: The conditions were pretty decent for early season skiing. Coverage was nice with a good coat of artificial snow, groomed over a...

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,...