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 de...
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 p...
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 pr...
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 a...
We made it up to Mont Ste Marie just after 9am to find beautiful mind-winter conditions in April! The temperature was around -2C and there was little or no wind and the sun was out. The skiing was so good that we stayed till last chair. The runs were nicely groomed fresh snow with no ice, that gave you the confidence to really rip. Pretty much eve...
What most likely would be my season finale for the 2017-18 ski season, Owl's Head was the destination today. I left Sherbrooke at 7am with a temperature of -4 and partly cloudy skies. That didn't last long though as on the way there it quickly clouded over and started snowing along the autoroute by Mont Orford. It started snowing pretty hard at tim...
It is now the second weekend into April and thanks to recent snowfalls, the mountain couldn't have been in better shape this time of year. There is plenty of snow everywhere and the conditions are sublime. No ice, no bare patches, nothing that could ruin the experience, it was just another perfect day out on the slopes. There are 4 lifts and 13 ru...
Another perfect day for spring skiing, today at Mont Cascades. The weather was once again cool but without the strong winds from yesterday. I arrived ready to hit the slopes at 11am and already the snow had begun to soften. Nearly all trails were open with a few exceptions (Gratton and two of the cross-over trails between the East Quad and the main...
It's the first day of April and the real start of spring skiing for me. Today's destination was Ski Vorlage, located in the picturesque village of Wakefield. Easter usually signifies the conclusion of the ski season for many ski areas, and at Vorlage, today was the penultimate day. The mountain was very quiet during my morning visit as there couldn...
Today's choice of destination was Mont Orford. What a beautiful bluebird sky! I arrived at Orford at 8:15 and the temperature was just below 0 but felt warmer in the bright sun. Spring was definitely in the air today. Parking was pretty decent and the walk was not long to the chalet. Crossing the foot bridge from the parking lot to the chalet, the ...
Made it up to Camp Fortune for a few hours after a fairly long absence. The spring skiing conditions are great. Loads of coverage, fast soft snow and almost all the runs are still open on both the Valley and Skyline. Justin Trudeau was even snowboarding for a few hours in the morning! Ignore the fact the most of the snow is gone in the city, up in ...
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...
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 forg...
With an opening in the schedule this weekend, and opportunity knocking at the door, I decided to answer the door and take off for the day to Tenney Mountain. This trip had been in the making for sometime now. Had I not gone, I would have to have waited until next season. Tenney Mountain had been closed since 2010 and has recently reopened, albeit i...
Fantastic bluebird day at Mont Ste Marie, the tallest mountain in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. I always love skiing here, whether it is for the high-speed lifts, or the large vertical drop, or even the trails that have that big mountain "Tremblant" feel... Mont Ste Marie never disappoints. I was able to make it out in the afternoon when it was start...
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, C...
It had been 3 weeks since the last outing which resulted with a leg injury and being off the boards during that time. Feeling much better now, Mont Bellevue was the destination this evening to see how well the leg felt. I had pulled my calf muscle on my left leg skiing at Wildcat at the beginning of the month. Putting the boot on was fine so that w...
Well I did it. I managed to check out every ski hill in the Ottawa/Gatineau area at least once this season. Some a lot more then once (Fortune, MSM). Anyway this afternoon Vorlage was serene with maybe a dozen people on the entire resort, perfect coverage, 17 of 18 runs open and a blue bird day with the temperature just above zero. The place had t...
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...
There is absolutely nothing better to do on a Friday night after work if you are a skier, than night skiing. This visit was at Camp Fortune, perfect for the variety and number of trails and terrain available to enjoy. The proximity to the city makes it even easier and quicker to get on the slopes as soon as the clock hits quitting time. Arriving ar...
With such killer weather and conditions I had to keep skiing, so a quick jaunt to Camp Fortune was in order. Being a little sore from a powderfest yesterday I didn't roll into the parking lot at Skyline till 10am. The sun was out and the place didn't look busy at all. The trails still had a lot of perfectly groomed corduroy. I think Camp Fortune...
With a good 10cms of fresh snow on the ground and steady snow falling, we decided a trip to Calabogie Peaks was in order. I usually get up there at least once a season but every time I’ve gone it’s been firm hardpack conditions and a little icy. Today was the opposite. Soft groomers, stashes of powder, glade action and lots a nice off trail feat...
The plan was Mont Chilly. This time we drove on the Ontario side most of the way crossing some dams on the Ottawa river to link back to the 148 in the Pontiac. The trip took just over an hour and half. Mont Chilly is a micro retro resort with a single t-bar. The place is like a mini Mad River Glenn with no snow making, steep fall lines and glades. ...
Well after yelling “Give me back my winter” for three weeks we are rewarded. 10cm of fresh snow with more to come over night and into Friday. Winter is back and Camp Fotune is skiing fine! I arrived at Skyline just past 5pm. The trees were covered in new fallen snow, everything felt fresh, light snow was falling, it was a winter wonderland. Con...
This trip was in the works since last week for another destination in New Hampshire, but on the way down I found out that the mountain I was to ski today was closed and would be until midweek, to preserve the snow. We haven't been the only ones to have been hit with the warm temperatures and snowmelt. So there was a decision to be made; a) abort th...