Paul Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Five and a half months after the end of last season, the 2019-20 season began today with a trip to Mont Gleason. A buddy of mine contacted me to see if I was interested in going, and we decided that today worked with our schedules. So road trip it was. It was Gleason's opening weekend, as they had opened yesterday. We arrived at the mountain around 9:15 to cloudy skies, but looking out in the distance you could see blue skies. They did not make it our way, as it looked like we were on the edge of a weather system coming in. The temperature was a mild -3 degrees. Two trails were available the Gaudeau and the Cascades served by the Laurent-Lemire Quad chair. The coverage was really good for early season. Groomed granular over a firm base. The first runs to start the season were down the Gaudreau, a nice easy beginner trail. It made for a good warm up. Then we hit the Cascades, where this year the trail was widened at the top to accommodate the new Quad chair. With this change, the contour of the trail is quite different with a few different interesting lines that one could take now than what was there before. The Gaudreau: The Cascades with the new widened upper section: The Lower Section of the Cascades: By early afternoon the temperature had warmed up a bit and the snow had started to transition into a spring like granular which was nice and soft. The line up at the quad was non existent, however there was still a good crowd for opening weekend. The new Quad is not scheduled to officially open for another couple of weeks, but was spinning, and going through the paces. Another new feature this year are a few parking spots reserved for those with electric vehicles. We stopped for lunch at noon, and we went back out for a few more runs and called it for the day as my early season legs were letting me know it was time for the celebratory beer in the Wiski Pub. Today was a great start to the new season with that being at Gleason rather than St-Sauveur or Mont Orford. It would mark the first time the season started here. An excellent choice it was! Thank you Mont Gleason for the early start. Here are a few more scenes from the day: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordo Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Conditions look great Paul. I'm also surprised by how much natural snow is still in the woods. We had a bit of a melt down with rain last week in the Ottawa area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted November 25, 2019 Author Share Posted November 25, 2019 The snow in the woods looks good from a distance but up close it looks sketchy with stumps and rocks poking through. We had a bit of a melt as well, and lost some snow. A few more good dumps should help out. Supposed to be mild with some rain mid-week then a cool down. The snowmakers can then get back right at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 oh wow I didn't even know Gleason had opened! Looks like a great start to the season @Paul! Do you think you'll make it back there during peak season when more terrain is open? I love that they added the e-car chargers, they installed some at St-Sauveur last season as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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