2015-2016
16 topics in this forum
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After a week of serious snowfall, 51cm in Ottawa, you can be sure that ski conditions were going to be among the best you will ever find. So this Friday night, I set out after work to meet up with René and Sam to ski the snowy slopes of Mont Cascades. All the trails of the mountain were open, minus Hogan and Gratton (which are not lit for night skiing). The weather was not as cold as it has been the past few weeks making it easy to enjoy the snow without freezing. However, ice pellets were falling on and off throughout the evening. This in no way reduced the enjoyment of the evening, for the conditions were worth every moment. No ice but soft snow everywhere. …
Last reply by Shane, -
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Sunday was my second outing to this season to Calabogie and I was surprised how much impact last weeks rains had on the hill. Ice may have formed on Calabogie lake but the snow coverage was significantly less on the mountain than my last visit Jan. 23rd. This was evident as I took the Solar Quad up the hill and looked at sections of Barrett Chute and Face of Tiger. Much of the accumulated snow on Barrett Chute had disappeared and there were exposed sections at the top of Face of Tiger. Morning conditions on runs such as High Falls, Shantyman, Causeway and Finnegans were good with groomed granular conditions. By mid-afternoon many of these runs were icy with the occasi…
Last reply by Shane, -
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As with any sport involving kids, parents have to drive their children to competitions. With skiing, its a great opportunity to get out and ski some of the local hills that don’t always make the list. This weekend I returned for the first time in many years to Ski Vorlage. After the rains last week I was surprised at how good the conditions were on the hill. While the snow pack is thin everywhere in the region, runs that were open were adequately covered and the warm conditions on Saturday made for enjoyable skiing on granular groomed snow. Not all of the hill was open. Headwall, La Chute and the lower part of Chien Chaud among others weren’t open, but runs l…
Last reply by Adrian, -
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I decided to start my week the best way I know by taking a day off and go ski. I went to my Ski Edelweiss since that's where I have my season pass. Got there 30 min after the opening at 9 and was on the chairlift not to long after. The day was overcast with the trail being Machine groomed powder on a firm base from what their site said. I was lucky enough to be one of the first to make tracks in the snow. Even though I was part of the first one on the hill there was still some icy patch in a few of the runs which I was kind of disappointed to see since the hill just opened, I would have expected them to at least try to work the trail a bit more to remove it as much as pos…
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After my positive experience at Ski Saint-Bruno a few days ago, I was eager to ski today at one of my favourite mountains, Mont Garceau. I had planned to ski here for a few weeks, so the day was on regardless of the weather or last week's rain. Normally, I ski at Mont Garceau later in the season for a few reasons, and I was bit worried being there in mid-January would affect my day today. Fortunately, despite these shortcomings, I still enjoyed the day. My visit today also had another purpose: ski demos. I'm looking to replace my slalom skis which are about 5 years old, and Mont Garceau has an amazing boutique with tons of demos that you can try free of charge,…
Last reply by Jake, -
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I had larger plans for skiing this week, but the heavy rain over much of Quebec this past weekend brought an end to this idea. I still wanted to ski, though, so I went to the ski hill that's "trop près pour s'en passer": Ski Saint-Bruno. Indeed close by, this ski hill is a great option if you live in Montreal and want to ski somewhere close and convenient. Making the day even better, the sky was blue and the sun was out in full force. Out of my 19 outings to date this season, today was only the third or fourth day with sun, so it was greatly appreciated. Trail 6. Another benefit of the clear skies, along with Ski Saint-Bruno's location among fields, are th…
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New Year's Day on the Slopes of Mont-Cascades. What's better than starting the year off on the slopes? Nothing really! Having the day off, and our favorite place open on January 1st was a no brainer for us. We left home and got on location at Mont-Cascades right on opening hour. Got our season pass in 5 minutes and off we went! Only the main trail was open, and was getting crowded more and more as the morning progressed. At last, at noon sharp, the new quad chairlift opened. The reason that we still got our season pass at Mont-Cascades was finally available for us to try. Located right in front of the main lodge, this new quad lift tak…
Last reply by Robert, -
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Skiing at Mont Cascades has improved dramatically over the last few days thanks to the first major storm, and cooler temperatures which have allowed the snow guns to run around the clock. Cascades seems to be taking advantage of the cooler weather with snow guns running throughout the day today on Promenade and a number of other runs. Skiing is still limited mainly to Promenade, although they have been able to widen it up in places. I skied most of the day and found the conditions and snow to be in good shape throughout the day despite the heavy traffic from the racing club, Nancy green program and general public. The lower half of Alliance should be open very soon, …
Last reply by Shane, -
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Yesterday, I could have played a round of golf, or gone for a bike ride. It was 16 degrees outside, the hottest Christmas Eve ever on record. I spent part of my day walking around Tremblant resort, in shoes and a shirt, all of my jackets abandoned at home. I admit, it felt comfortable and liberating, and with the sun shining and everyone out on the terraces, it felt more like April than December. When it's dark outside at 4:30 though, reality hits and you remember that it's Christmas time, and we're in the midst of one of the most difficult holiday seasons for skiing, ever. This morning I woke up hoping for some sort of miracle, but alas, it was not meant to be. Sti…
Last reply by Shane, -
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I'm finally on Christmas vacation, and alas, my regular ski hill is closed for the week. I understand not skiing later this week when it's +12 or raining, but today, no way! Today, it finally felt like winter for the first time this season, so I was eager to hit the slopes. I summoned the Internet, looking for the hill with the most skiing besides Mont Tremblant, and one that was likely to have good conditions. After making my choice, and a 40 minute drive, I entered the very empty parking lot of Mont Olympia. According to their website, they offered 6 trails today, which by my calculations turned out to be 3 different top-to-bottom descents. This was markedly better than…
Last reply by Jake, -
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Exactly two weeks after my first visit this season to Camp Fortune, I found myself back on its slopes. Having loaded my gear into the car the night before, there was no excuse not to arrive early. The mountain opened at 9am, but I left home at 8am, being sure to be among the first to enjoy the snow. As I only live 12 minutes away, you can imagine I arrived quite early. Luckily the chairlifts were already spinning by the time I was all set to go and was treated to an earlier start than anticipated. This weekend, the mountain had two trails open, Pineault (beginner) and Paradis (intermediate), offering skiing on two sides of the resort. Paradis is the longe…
Last reply by Buba Joe, -
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Two weeks ago upon my trip to Ski Saint-Bruno, the verdict was that conditions were good, but winter was slow in coming and a lack of cold temperatures was preventing snowmaking from continuing. Today, while skiing at Mont Blanc, the consensus among everyone present was the same. Since snowmaking has ground to a complete halt due to the above seasonal temperatures, this holiday ski season is gearing up to be the worst in the past decade. In the Montreal region, temperatures haven't dropped below 0 at all over the past 2 weeks, so the skiing available has remained the same for the past little while, making it seem more like November than mid-December. Last year…
Last reply by Jake, -
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Photos by Charles Trudeau For the complete report go to the estski blog : http://www.estski.ca/2015/12/01/vespa-ski/
Last reply by Shane, -
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This fall has been kind to neither skiers, snowboarders, nor hill operators alike. Apart from a very early surprise from Mont Saint Sauveur way back in October, a lack of cold nights, persistent rain and warm temperatures have kept snow guns at rest a lot longer than we all would have wished. Nevertheless, winter must finally come, and it is now, at the end of November, that ski hills across Quebec are slowly opening their lifts for the season. Finally! To take advantage of this, I took a trip to Ski Saint-Bruno, which opened for the season yesterday. For their opening day, the price was only 1.00$ (or whatever you would like to pay), with all income going to a local char…
Last reply by EstSki, -
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Here we are, the beginning of the ski season in the National Capital Region. While it is no longer the first day for Camp Fortune (that was Thursday), you can definitely feel the excitement and anticipation of getting your own ski season started. The Pineault quad chairlift and trail were open with a good base and coverage. Yes it did rain on Friday, but no it did not have any effect on the snow or the mountain. Ski conditions were right up with what you'd expect mid-season, which is nothing short of great and certainly a fantastic way to start the winter. Score : Camp Fortune 1 - Mother Nature 0. Heading inside the spacious lodge, and with the opening only…
Last reply by Buba Joe, -
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Two Mondays, two special days. Last Monday was Thanksgiving Day, and in Montreal, we were treated to a beautiful 26 degrees and plenty of sunshine. Today, federal election day (I hope everyone managed to vote!). Oh yeah, Mont Saint Sauveur opened as well. That's right, after 2 short nights of temperatures a hair below freezing, the 2015-2016 ski season has started in Eastern Canada. Mont Saint Sauveur has worked their magic once again, defying the odds and offering top-to-bottom, full-coverage skiing on October 19. When I saw the cold temperatures, I knew Mont Saint Sauveur would be opening within a day or two. After a few years of schedule conflicts or not enough notice …
Last reply by Jake,
