2014-2015
14 topics in this forum
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It might only have 466 vertical feet, but with 4 mountain sides and 5 chairlifts, Ski Montcalm is hardly your typical 466-foot ski hill. Today, for the first time, I visited Ski Montcalm, situated in Rawdon, Quebec. Why hadn't I visited before? I don't know. Coming all the way from the West Island in Montreal, it was only an hour and 15 minutes away, or just 20 minutes longer than a trip to the Saint Sauveur region. For people living in the east end of the city or in Laval, it is much closer, making Ski Montcalm an appealing destination for little day trips or those with young children. So, what's up with the 4 mountain sides and 5 chairlifts deal? Nope, it's not a t…
Last reply by Jake, -
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Lots of natural snow, amazing slopes and a consistent fall-line, this is Mont Chilly, located 1 hour and 30 minutes from downtown Ottawa/Gatineau, in the Pontiac region of Quebec. I had never before visited this mountain, but I came away thoroughly impressed, and eager to return. I set out, knowing I was going to experience something new, but had no idea it would become one of my best ski days in a very long time. I haven't been out right after a good snow storm for a long while, so skiing in prestine natural snow on a new mountain was a great change of pace. The natural snow, the powder, the glades, the pitches of the trails, everything spoke to me. It i…
Last reply by Shane, -
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Where can you find grooming lines at 3:00 PM on a sunny day with a temperature of -8°? Mont Rigaud, of course! What a great afternoon of skiing today! I arrived home early today, and given the nice weather and recent snow, I decided to ski for a few hours at Mont Rigaud. I packed up my equipment, and 45 minutes later, I was snapping on my skis at the base of the chairlift. Therein lies the beauty of Mont Rigaud. For people who live in the West Island and the Vaudreuil region, the ski hill is close enough to enable very short, spontaneous outings. The weather and snow today were both great. The sky was perfectly blue, and a comfortable temperature of -8 ° made it p…
Last reply by Jake, -
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It may not have been the warmest day of the year, neither the sunniest, but when there is fresh snow on the ground, the rest doesn't matter. A visit to Mount Pakenham was in order. This family friendly mountain is widely known as one of the premiere institutions of learning how to ski and snowboard in the province of Ontario. "It All Starts Here" is Mount Pakenham's motto, and it quickly becomes clear why. The mountain has 10 trails, for all skill levels, including some glades, and a terrain park. The mountain is layed out and setup, in such a way to ensure everything is available to have a proper progression while you learn, from a first time beginner to an advanced …
Last reply by Shane, -
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Ski Vorlage is a mountain I grew up on, that truly built my passion and love for skiing. With 17 trails, spread across an expansive mountain, there is plenty to love. Ski Vorlage is widely known as a family ski resort. Everything is built for families, from the gentle beginner trails, to the spacious lodge that overlooks all the trails, to the snow school. This mountain gets the formula right for families and children and takes pride in it. I have never visited where I didn't see kids happy and enjoying their time on snow. All the staff are enthusiastic as are the snow school instructors. For those visiting without children, the mountain is mainly free of the …
Last reply by Shane, -
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Another weekend upon us, another ski day arrived. Finally a reprieve from the cold frigid weather, it was time to load up the equipment into the good old four-wheel drive and head up to the ski mountain. Conditions were amazing all over the mountain. With almost all trails open, the skiable terrain at Camp Fortune is big and vast. On this visit, I took the opportunity to do some exploring. Despite being the place at which I first learned ski at age 5 with my parents, I still had not yet experienced the glades that appear on the trail map. There are three official glades for you to choose from. One at the top of Skyline (following the start of Sparks), another betwee…
Last reply by Shane, -
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Peak Experience! Jay Peak, Vermont, U.S.A. In my 3 years of snowboarding, I finally hit my highest peak. And I really mean both in elevation and in extreme boarding. Standing at 3820 feet, Jay Peak is something to look at! We got to the resort on Wednesday and took advantage of the waterpark. It’s big enough to spend an hour or 2 there, or half a day if you have kids. But this is not why we went there; it was just included in a groupon special we got. Thursday was the day we were all waiting for… Getting up at 7:30 so we did not missed a thing, and to be ready and on the slopes at opening. First bunch in the Tram ride, the result? What an excitement to se…
Last reply by Shane, -
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When I woke up this morning, the thermometer read a chilly -26. Brrr! A few hours later, though, the temperature had risen to -18, and the perfectly blue sky inspired me to go skiing. Not wanting to travel very far, I headed to Montreal's only urban ski hill, Ski Saint-Bruno. Situated less than 30 minutes from the center of town, Ski Saint-Bruno does things big, despite having a vertical drop of only 400 feet. 2 mountain sides, 4 chairlifts, 2 magic carpets, 2 snow parks, 100% lit for night-skiing, and 100% snowmaking: you name it, Ski Saint-Bruno has it. Services off the hill are also exemplary, and include a fully-equipped boutique carrying a vast inventory of equipmen…
Last reply by Jake, -
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The weather held lots of promise, with more comfortable temperatures and snow forecasted throughout the day. I set my sights on discovering a new mountain, one that had been calling to me for a very long time. After reading about Jake’s many visits to Mont Blanc, I knew it was finally time to discover it myself. Having passed it many times on Highway 15, and having explored part of the mountain on foot in the off-season, I had an idea of what to expect. But the reality was even more. This is quite the ski resort. Not only is there world-class skiing, Mont Blanc has on site lodging, with hotel rooms and studios, an indoor adventure gym for young kids that also serves as…
Last reply by Shane, -
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It’s our first time at MSS, and what an incredible experience it was! Taking advantage of a great deal, Mondays after 15:00 for 20$ each, you can’t go wrong! Leaving our home at 12:40, it only took us an hour and a half to get to Mont Saint-Sauveur. Just enough time to buy our tickets and get ready for an awesome evening of snowboarding. In fact, we were at the electronic gates of the Atomic Express at 14:58 waiting impatiently to get on. MSS was almost empty. Maybe it was the cold, or maybe it was the previous day's rain that kept people off the slopes. Despite that, the ski conditions where very good. The base was firm and for the opened trails, the crews manage…
Last reply by Shane, -
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Vallée Bleue: It's not much of a valley, and there certainly was no blue today, but there were many other things that made my day great. Eager to beat the upcoming inclement weather, I headed to this small family-run ski hill located in the center of picturesque Val David, in the Laurentians. At a modest 365 vertical feet, it may be small, but this hill, nestled in the middle of a coniferous forest, has a cachet like none other in the region. From the road only a few hundred feet away, only one lift and a few runs are visible, but hiding beyond the parking lot is a surprisingly vast ski center, with 3 lifts and 19 distinct runs. Not much to see from the road. …
Last reply by Jake, -
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Despite the less-than-stellar climatic conditions that the Laurentian region has experienced so far this winter, I had a good day of skiing at Mont Blanc. The weather was very pleasant: -14 with perfectly blue skies and little wind in the morning, warming up to -6 and clouding over in the afternoon. Trail selection is still quite limited, but snowmaking is progressing well and will hopefully lead to more open terrain after the unsettling weather that will occur in the next few days. The runs that were open, however, offered respectable conditions that remained pleasant for most of the day. There were 11 runs available, which translated into 6 distinct possibilities …
Last reply by Jake, -
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What an incredible day. My first visit of the season to Mont Ste Marie and it sure did not disappoint, with ski conditions you would expect in January and February. The time was 7am, actually it was more like 6:30am. I woke up with the feeling of being eager and ready to go skiing. After having a nutritious breakfast, and quickly packing my ski gear, I was out the door. Looking forward to the drive up, and once again experiencing the new Highway A-5 extension, which feels like you are driving in the Laurentians, I carefully was taking note of the time spent getting to the mountain. Exiting the highway after 25 minutes of driving in Wakefield, and then continuing on the…
Last reply by Shane, -
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Today was a great day to ski at Mont Saint Sauveur. For the first time, it honestly felt like winter and not like fall, in terms of the weather, snow, and amount of terrain open. I skied from about 9:15 until 1:00, basically non-stop, and managed to do around 25 runs, which is not bad for early December. After seeing freezing rain in town this morning, I was a bit worried, but these worries proved to be unfounded. By the time I arrived, there was no such precipitation, and some very light flurries. It remained completely overcast for the whole time, but the temperature was more than comfortable, ranging from -3 upon my arrival to -1 when I left. It was great to ski and…
Last reply by Jake,