Search the Community

Off with the kids again to Mont Bellevue. Seems like this is getting to be a weekly outing now. I don't mind as skiing here is quite affordable. It's also a great activity to get them out of the house for some exercise, and fresh air. We arrived at the hill just after 8:30 just before everyone arrived, to get a decent spot to get ready in the chalet, and to get a spot to place our bags. It was a fresh -18 degrees to start the day but it quickly warmed up. The Quad and the Magic Carpet were in operation. The Poma is down for the season unfortunately. The conditions were fast as we had some freezing rain Friday during the day with a light dusting of snow on top. The trails were of groomed granular snow over a firm base. They did a great job of grooming this morning after what we've had these last couple of days. We skipped the warm up on the Magic Carpet, and went straight to the Quad. Abby and Lukas were eager to get the day rolling along. As the trails are numbered, and not named, we started the day on Trail 1, and then on to Trail 3 which is under the lift, then veering to the left on to the bottom of Trail 4. I didn't see any ice patches anywhere during the 2 hour block I reserved for us. Under The Quad (Trail 3) & The Lower Part of Trail 4: I let Abby & Lukas go do a couple of runs by themselves, and after each of their runs alone we met at the bottom of the Quad. There was absolutely no line up at the Quad. You could practically ski down, and ski on to the lift. I went off to the snow park to check what they had set up. I hadn't been on this side of the hill yet at all this season. I was also checking out if the kids would be able to ski this section. As they are beginners, there were a few pitches that they would not like to do just yet, and wait until later in the season with a little more practice. The Snow Park Section: After a few more runs our time was up. We had a great time even though it was short. By the time we were done it had started to cloud over but it had warmed up nicely. Grooming was really well done considering what we had these past few days. It had been mild this week, and some freezing rain yesterday. Booking on line is a breeze, and you can print your lift tickets at the kiosk inside or go to the ticket windows outside, and away you go. Another enjoyable day at Bellevue! Here Are Some Other Scenes From the Morning: An Old Trail Map of Bellevue Hanging Up Inside:

Mont Bellevue - some scenes from last night February 2, 2023. Great little community hill in the heart of Sherbrooke, QC

Back at Bellevue with the kids! They had been wanting to go again, and asking multiple times this past week so off we went. I had booked another 2-hour block online last night along with rentals for my son. We had gone last night to a shop in Sherbrooke that I get my skis done, and they were having a moving sale so we went to check it out. We walked with a new pair of skis, and boots for my daughter. She was pretty happy, and couldn't wait to try out her new stuff. We arrived at the hill for 8:30 to mainly cloudy skies with the sun trying to poke through. It was fairly mild, just at about -5 degrees. What a difference a couple of weeks make! We did get some snow throughout the week and a bit but not the dump we desperately need. 5 of the 10 trails were open along with the Quad & Magic Carpet. The conditions were great with a groomed packed powder on a firm base. Not a patch of ice anywhere. The warm up was on the Magic Carpet for the kids for a couple of runs. Once this was completed, we headed over the Quad. It was my son's first time on the lift, and seemed quite nervous at first about being so high up, but that wore off quickly. We headed down Trail 1, a nice easy trail that comes out by the front chalet. Lukas, by the fourth run wanted to take a break so he headed for the fire pit, and Abby & I went back to the Quad for a couple of more runs. Trail 1 Looking Up and Down: We went under the Quad chair for Abby's first time on this trail, and back over to the chalet. Looking around by the fire pit we didn't see Lukas anywhere until we saw him coming down trail 1 in front of the chalet. He had done a couple of runs by himself up the Magic Carpet. The line up at the Quad was not more than 2-3 minutes at most. Trail 3 Under the Quad & Heading Back to the Chalet: The Lineup at The Quad: We did one more trip up the Magic Carpet to end off the morning. We were done by 11:00 and the parking lot was full. People were parking on the street that enter the lot at both ends. Everyone had a great morning of skiing, and we'll most likely be back a few times before the end of the season! A Few More Scenes From the Day:

Today's visit was to Mont Bellevue, our local ski hill in the heart of the city of Sherbrooke. The weather has been absolutely horrible as of late with very little snow, and what snow that has fallen, has since melted with warm temperatures and rain. We are in desperate need of a good old fashioned dump of snow. 4 of the 10 trails at Bellevue were opened with the Magic Carpet, and the Quad. The Poma has been closed for the season, and won't be operating. I haven't heard the reason why for the closure. Today was a family day for skiing as my daughter, and son were asking to go. So Bellevue was it. It is a great hill for beginners to "cut their skis" on as most of the terrain here is easy. We arrived at 8:45 to get the kids set up for their rental skis, and boots. It was cloudy and just below freezing. The trails were groomed during the night however with the temperatures dropping, there was a light crust. This crust was no trouble with the amount of skiers today as it was turning to a loose granular snow. It was laps up the Magic Carpet with the kids to start. I purchased a 2 Hour block to start us off with as this was the kids first time skiing this year. It was my son's second time on skis. He skied last season for an outing with his school at Orford. My daughter was on her fourth time on skis, so they are true beginners. We took our time not to rush, or to crash! After about three runs my son decided to hang out by the fire pit, and rest. My daughter, after her runs decided that she was ready for the Quad, and head to the top. We made only 1 run up as we were nearing our time limit on our ticket. Trail 1 from the top was of loose granular over a firm base. The was no wait at the Quad. There were a fair amount of children today taking lessons or like us skiing with their parents. We where done by 11:00 o'clock as it was time up for our 2 hour block. We had a great time, and a great introduction to skiing for Abby and Lukas. Bellevue is a great place for them to learn how to ski. We are very fortunate to have this hill not to far away from our place. Looking forward for another trip with them later on this season. Here Are Some Other Scenes of the Day:

It had been awhile since the last ski day so I booked a 2 hour block ticket for Mont Bellevue online late last night. I booked in for the 5pm to 7pm slot. It cost all of $12 being a resident of the city. I arrived at Bellevue just before 5 to boot up and get ready. It was a nice mild day today in Sherbrooke compared to the last few weeks of bitter cold, so I took advantage of the time. The temperature was +4 degrees. The Poma, Magic Carpet, and Quad chair were in operation. It had been awhile since I skied here last. The last time here was pre-pandemic times during the 2018-19 season. I missed out on the last couple of seasons. The conditions were really nice this evening, being groomed packed powder over a firm but forgiving base. No ice anywhere to be found. With the mild temperature today, I thought the snow would be a little springlike, but much to my surprise it wasn't. The mountain was fully open with all 10 trails, well groomed with the exception of one trail, the bottom section under the Quad chair. It was not groomed, however it was well covered with snow. No thin spots to look out for. The line up at the start of the evening was non-existent. Pretty much ski down, and ski onto the chair. I made a few laps on the Poma which runs a touch faster than the Quad. If you are into making a lot of runs, using the Poma will help quite a bit. There was no wait at the Poma either. By a little after 6 it started to get busy. There were quite a few teens, and families rolling in, and the wait time for the Quad was now up to 5 minutes. The line was moving well as the traffic was being efficiently directed by the line attendant. My time was done at 7, and the parking lot was pretty full upon leaving. I feel very fortunate to live 10 minutes away from Bellevue, and convenient to have close by for those days or evenings where you can go get some quick runs in after work. Again it was a great time! Bellevue may be a small hill in the heart of Sherbrooke, but there aren't many places you can say you've done 12 runs for $12 bucks. A Buck a run! Here are some other scenes from the evening: