Sommet Saint-Sauveur - April 2, 2017

Shane Séguin

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, but quickly changed after 10am to become soft and fast. As I have always observed from past years, the conditions on the Versant Avila were different from the main mountain of Sommet Saint-Sauveur. Both sections of the mountain have a different orientation with the sun, of about 45 degrees. This leaves Versant Avila with what I found to be firmer conditions longer into the day than the rest of the mountain.

Virtually all trails were open, with the main notable exceptions of some of the gladed trails.

Two highlights for me on this visit were Devaleuse and Cote 68. Both are intermediate trails and often offer great skiing. With nice constant pitches from top to bottom, they were both pure joy to run down.

Cote 68.

In the morning I also did Épervier, a more expert trail, offering a great drop in the mid-section, to really make you get technical with your skiing. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture, I wanted to come back to snap one but I just got soo distracted skiing the other trails.

During my 4 hour visit, I'm sure I did over 20 runs, and with no lines, it was great to just keep going lap after lap.

I hadn't skied at Sommet Saint-Sauveur in a couple years so I was interested in keeping an eye out for any changes and improvements that have been made. The top section of 70 Ouest has been widened, which greatly eases the circulation of skiers on the trail. Very welcome as 70 Ouest is always the first to open and last to close on the mountain each year, and the top was historically a bit of a bottleneck during those times. Cote 68 was also reported to have been widened, but I can't confirm exactly where, perhaps the mid-section. There are also some new connections between some adjacent trails, mainly in the Atomic Express sector of the mountain, making it easy to switch from Red Bird to Jay or Épervier, for example. Also new is the Etoile trail, running under the top part of the chairlift of the same name. It is a short moguls trail, that did previously exist when the new lift was installed, but is now officially recognized on the trail map.

The Avenue des Champions, dedicated in honor of the athletes hailing from Sommet Saint-Sauveur over the many years, who have achieved greatness on the world stage. Narrow and windy with lots of zig zags, be sure to keep an eye out for the stars mounted in the trees, signed by each athlete recognized.

Already announced for next season, the main chalet will be expanded to offer more space for the cafeteria eating area, and more space for the rentals. Cote 67 and Pronto trails on Versant Avila will also be widened, and improvements to the snowmaking system to offer more trails more quickly at the start of the season are also planned.

Overall, an amazing visit at one of my favorite ski mountains. With still a month and a half to go, and plenty of upcoming events planned, Sommet Saint-Sauveur is the place to be this spring. Get off your couches, the season is not over yet!

Here's some more pictures of the day.