Mont Tremblant - January 28, 2024
After a restful night's sleep in our ski-in / ski-out condo, we were ready to hit the slopes for our second and final day of our little ski trip to further explore all Mont Tremblant had to offer. The hill had received a slight (3cm) dusting of fresh snow, and temperatures were forecasted to be hovering around 2C, making for some wonderful soft snow conditions! Additionally, 102/102 runs were listed as open, up from 100/102 the previous day, as Vertige and Zig-Zag, the Versant Sud's steepest runs, had finally opened.
We boarded the Soleil chairlift after skiing down from the Porte de Soleil, and were surpsied to see a slight inversion, an extremely rare site for Tremblant! We then made our way to the unique glade of Les Bouleaux, known for passing under the Soleil lift and requiring a short, 3-minute hike from the junction of the Ryan Haut and Bas runs to reach the starting point. The hike, in combination with the run's long length, varied terrain, and isolation from the rest of the resort gave it a unique, 'backcountry' feel.
We then headed to the South side, as we wanted to ski CBC and Taiga, a double black glade people consider to be the best at the resort. We ended up skiing 5 long runs on Taiga throughout the day, as it held the best snow conditions, decent cover, varying terrain, and best views of the trip. The run started steep, with coniferous trees heaped with snow, then ended in a forest of deciduous trees (non-pine), that was so coated with snow it was a white paradise that looked like the ski terrain in Japan! There were also some rocks and logs that made for great jumping spots!
After a quick break for lunch, we returned to the Versant Edge to ski Sensation Haute, the run on the right of the chairlift, as it was one of the remaining glades that we had not been in yet. Its upper section, rated a double black, was extremely tight and steep, though the lower section had some little cliff drops, in addition to small jumps in between widely-spaced trees, making for a safer environment to carry some speed through!
We then headed to Tunnel, an advanced glade located just above the start of the Lowel Thomas Chairlift, which also held some soft snow and beautiful trees!
Following one final run down Taiga, our favourite glade that weekend, we headed back to the South side as the time was nearing closing, and decided to check out the steep runs off the summit, Vertige and Zig-Zag, as they had just opened that morning. For once, the sky had somewhat cleared, allowing for beautifl views of Lac Tremblant, the Village, and the surrounding Laurentian Mountains, though it was evident that both runs had extremely thin cover! We ended up choosing Zig-Zag, as it was slightly less steep than its neighbour Vertige, and after picking our way down a steep headwall riddles with branches and rocks, we enjoyed some patches of relatively soft snow for the run out.
After skiing all the way back down to the car, we were super sore from all the skiing we had done the past two days, though we definitely left with an appreciation for how amazing Tremblant's glade skiing can be with good (above zero and soft snow) conditions! This was our first time visiting Tremblant in their peak (fully open) season, and we were all in awe of the frosty landscape that felt like a winter wonderland, in addition to the amazing skiing that this resort has to offer. Until next time!
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