Today with the day off I got out to Mont Orford for visit number 2 of the season. I arrived at the mountain at 8:15 and the parking lot P2 was filling up quickly! On a Wednesday! I still managed to get a decent spot so the walk wasn't too bad. It was a fresh -14 degrees under a cloudy sky. While I was booting up at the car, you could hear the wind blowing around the mountain. The wind wasn't bad at the base. The Hybride, The Giroux  North & East Quads, and the Alfred Desrochers Quad were in operation today.  Normally I would have taken the first run up the Hybride to warm up, but this time I did something different. I rode the new Alfred Desrochers Quad for first run. The ride is quite nice on this new lift compared to the old Double Chair. The first run was down the Tousisski. The wind was blowing a bit up near the top of the ride. The conditions were of groomed packed powder over a firm base. Coverage was really nice. From there I crossed over to the Hybride f...

It had been awhile since the last ski day so I booked a 2 hour block ticket for Mont Bellevue online late last night. I booked in for the 5pm to 7pm slot. It cost all of $12 being a resident of the city. I arrived at Bellevue just before 5 to boot up and get ready. It was a nice mild day today in Sherbrooke compared to the last few weeks of bitter cold, so I took advantage of the time. The temperature was +4 degrees. The Poma, Magic Carpet, and Quad chair were in operation. It had been awhile since I skied here last. The last time here was pre-pandemic times during the 2018-19 season. I missed out on the last couple of seasons.  The conditions were really nice this evening, being groomed packed powder over a firm but forgiving base. No ice anywhere to be found. With the mild temperature today, I thought the snow would be a little springlike, but much to my surprise it wasn't. The mountain was fully open with all 10 trails, well groomed with the e...

With the day off today, I managed to get away to Mont Gleason for the morning. I arrived at the mountain at 8:45 with the temperature of -9 degrees, and no wind. It was supposed to be a partly sunny day, however it ended up being cloudy. Oh, there was about 10 minutes of sunshine that did manage to poke through! I purchased my ticket online last night as this is the only way to reserve your place if you do not have a seasons pass. You get your confirmation via email with a QR code. Upon arrival at the mountain you are required to pick up your lift ticket at an outside ticket window by showing your confirmation QR code. You are also required to show your Vaccine Passport, and one piece of photo ID to complete the pick up. A 3 step process that is very easy to complete. I was on the lift at 9:05. 8 of 20 trails were open, no glades yet as it is still pretty thin in the woods. The conditions were great with groomed machine made snow over a...

The start of my 2021-22 season began today at Mont Orford. I arrived at the mountain at 8:15 to a cloudy sky with some lingering flurries, and the temperature was -8 degrees. The P2 parking lot was quite busy at this time as cars were arriving all at the same time to get the first runs of the day. It had snowed a bit the night before, at least an inch of new snow was on the ground. The Familiale, Magog, Jean-d'Avignon, l'Acces, along with la Mitaine (the Pente Ecole) were opened. The Giroux North Quad was open along with the double Magic Carpet for the Pente Ecole. A total of 5 trails in all. The mountain ops crew has worked really hard to get what was opened considering what we have experienced in the Townships this early season so far. Great job! The line up at the beginning of the day was non-existent. The ride up the chair was nice, not windy at all, however at the top it was blustery. The first run was on the Familiale to warm up. The conditions were really nice. The tra...

Well, my Day 2 of this extraordinary ski season is in the books. An outing to Mont Orford today was absolutely needed as it had been over a month since the last time I had gone out. I had arrived at the mountain at 8:15, and the parking lot was already starting to fill up. The temperature was a nice mild -5 degrees under a mostly cloudy sky, however. Booting up at the car is nothing new for me as I often do this at most hills I go to. The chalet on four wheels! Once booted up, masked up, and dressed it was time to head off to start the morning of skiing. 25 of 44 trails announced as open with 3 lifts spinning, the Hybride, the Giroux East, and North Quads. Surprisingly enough when I arrived at the Hybride, there was already a lineup for first turns. It looks rather large at first with everyone respecting the 2-metre social distancing rules. The wait time wasn't more than 5 minutes. I met up with my ski buddy Christian for the first two runs of the day. The first runs of the day were on...

Well my 2020-21 ski season has begun....finally! The weather recently in the Townships has not been the best, and upcoming weather reports aren't any better. So off to Mont Orford this morning for a few early season laps. I arrived at the mountain at 8:15, and it was already getting mild with a temperature of +2 degrees, and skies were partly cloudy to start. With the new Covid protocols in place, we are required to dress, and boot up at the car. Access to the chalet is limited for 15 minute breaks. Masks to be worn in the lift line, chalet, and on the lifts. Outside on the terrace there were a few spots where there are fireplaces set up with a couple of places to sit and relax. What was pretty cool was that they had was a shipping container converted into a serving area for drinks and other items you could purchase without having to enter the chalet. The terrace was set up nicely to have a break. Now onto the skiing. There were 5 trails available with The Giroux North Quad, The Hybrid...

Today while visiting my sister in Tewkesbury just north of Quebec City, I took some time to go to Stoneham to ski some laps for the morning. We had received a little freezing rain during the night, that was covered with a layer of about 5cms of snow. I arrived at the mountain early for the best parking, and to beat the March Break crowd for some early turns. The skies were cloudy, on a day that was supposed to be sunny. The temperature was a fairly mild -5 degrees. 43 trails and 6 lifts were operating. The conditions were really good with groomed packed powder over a firm base. The coverage was excellent. The first runs of the day were up the l'Eclipse Quad. There was no wind, and it was quite comfortable. The combination of the top of the Randonnee trail, Toosey-Chandler, Petit Champlain, la Gonnet, to the bottom of la Rock and Roll was the first run of the day. A great little combination to get the day started to warm up. A good mix of easy beginner and intermediate trails. Next it w...

It is the start of the March Break week in Quebec, and to kick it off a visit to Mont Gleason was in order. I had been in touch a good friend of mine earlier in the week to see if he would be able to join me, and it worked out that he was available. We usually would meet at Gleason once a season to ski however it didn't work out last year. It was great to ski with him today. It was supposed to be a partly sunny day today. When I left Sherbrooke it had cleared out, and the sun was shining. During the hour drive to Gleason it started to cloud over and by the time I got to the mountain it was snowing and the temperature was -12 degrees. Today at Gleason it was free skiing for residents of the MRC of Arthabaska so we were expecting it to be quite busy early. Lifts opened at 9 with the new Dopplemayr Quad first and then the Laurent-Lemire Quad shortly after. All trails, and glades were open. The double chair was loading by a bit after 10:00. The conditions early were really good. The trails...

With the forecast of a sunny day today, it was off to discover a new area, and that choice was Vallee du Parc in Shawinigan, just north of Trois Rivieres. I had thought about Vallee du Parc for the last week or so checking out their website for info, and their trail map. It looked like it was going to be a good choice. I left Sherbrooke at 7:00am to clouds, and drove into a beautiful blue sky once I arrived at the mountain at a little after 9:00. The parking lot was beginning to fill up, along with the 5 busses of school kids that arrived about 5 minutes after I had. The temperature was a fresh -14 degrees with no breeze at the base. 33 of 33 trails were open, and 3 lifts served the open terrain. 2 Quads and the Magic Carpet for the beginners. Even though the main parking lot was full, and with the kids, there was zero wait at either Quad. Maybe 2 minutes at most. The conditions were fantastic! Groomed packed powder over a firm base. No ice to be found anywhere. In comparison to the To...

What a difference a couple of weeks make. The week before, warm and rainy, enough to make everything in town brown again, icy and sloppy in the mountains, then a dump the weekend after of some 40+ cm of snow to cover up the mess left behind. Has Mother Nature been off her meds again? Well, being that it was a sunny day, travels took me all the way to Mont Sutton. This mountain is well known for being the place to go after a dump of snow for the best glade and powder skiing around. The weather today was much better than the last time I had been there at the end of last March. The drive was smooth, and I arrived at the mountain at 9:00 with a very fresh -20 degrees. Parking was decent, and no long hike to the chalet. There was a bit of a breeze that made it a touch colder, but being dressed for it, that didn't matter........just the constant fog up of my glasses under my ski goggles. Nothing some Kleenex couldn't fix. I was more concerned about my phone freezing up, and having to thaw it...

With the forecast for the next couple of days not being the best it could be, I decided to take advantage of a sunny day to head down to Owl's Head. I woke up to a beautiful sunrise, and I left Sherbrooke at 7:15 for the hour drive. I arrived at the mountain at a touch after 8, and got ready to roll. Got my RFID card reloaded then it was go time! The lifts opened at 8:30 with the Main Quad, Baby Quad and the Magic Carpet. I had heard news that the new Lake Quad was to open later in the morning. One of the main reasons for heading down there today. There were 16 announced trails open. The temperature was around -8 and no breeze, so it made for a comfortable morning. The first rides up the Main Quad were to ski Lilly's Leap, Centennial, and the Crossover to the Lower Standard. Shady Lady was also open, however the Blue Chair was not spinning. The conditions were of a fine machine groomed granular over a hard base. Coverage was pretty good all over. There was a little inversion happening ...

Day 2 of the season brought me to Mont Orford today. I had heard of the major construction project on the chalet, snowmaking system, and the new domed double magic carpet for the beginner's area that was installed, and has some finishing touches to go before it is up and running. I needed a sneak peek at what was done. I arrived at the mountain just after 8:30 with sunny skies and a crisp -11 degrees at the base. Once out of the car I noticed there was a bit of a breeze which made it colder than what it really was. With the rain and the warm weather this past week, and a wet weekend, I knew today was going to be a day where the snow was going to be hard and fast. Good thing I had a tune-up on the boards a couple of weeks ago! My buddy Christian contacted me to say that he would be there, and we met up to ski in the morning. The Giroux North Quad was open serving the Magnum, Familliale, Magog, and the Jean-Daviginon trails today. At the base of the mountain it was breezy, but as you rod...

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 the 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 co...

A trip out of town to view some fall colours was in order today so Mont Gleason was the destination. It was also a great reason to go take a peek at the progress of the new Quad. It was partly cloudy when we got there, I was with my son Lukas, and my long-time ski buddy Christian so it was a day out for the guys. We got there around 11:00 and there was a good crowd of people already there. At Gleason today the festivities included their ski sale in the shop, the local fire department was there with a couple of trucks for the kids to explore, bouncy castles, and chairlift rides. What I really came here for was the new Quad and the progress. Both top and bottom terminals are in place, and all towers have been installed. The crew was installing the comm cable today. The base of the new Quad does take up some of the parking areas. We decided to ride the Laurent-Lemire Quad to the summit to see what was going on up top, and for the view with the colours. Rides were one-way only with a multi...

While taking the weekend away from the Eastern Townships, visiting family in the Quebec City area, I decided to visit Mont Sainte Anne with the family and ride the gondola. It was a very humid day with the temps in the low 30's. Partly cloudy skies with a breeze. We arrived mid afternoon around 2:30, and picked up the tickets for the ride up. The parking lot was not busy at all, and the ones who were there were biking. I noticed that at the bottom of the mountain there were a few giraffe guns spraying water to cool things down for the bike riders. There was no wait at the Gondola so we got right on and went to the top. When we got to the top, there was a steady breeze which made the heat more bearable. The views from the summit are amazing! Looking off the South side, you have the St. Lawrence River, and on the North side you have miles and miles of mountains. There is a look out tower that you may climb to get a better view. You have a full 360 degree view from up there. The View Look...

Maybe this report should be posted in the Summer Experiences section since it is June 1st! When I heard that Sommet St-Sauveur confirmed their opening for this weekend, I couldn't pass up this opportunity to ski in June. I had never done that before. Last year was close, at May 27th. I left Sherbrooke at 6 and arrived at the mountain at 8:20. I just squeaked through the Turcotte construction just in time as it was down to 1 lane entering on to the Decarie Northbound. The temperature was already 10 degrees by this time with blue skies, a few clouds, and bright sunshine. I noticed that there were about 8 or 10 Atomic Express Quad chairs leftover in the lot. The 70 Ouest, and surprisingly the top of the Nordique was open today. I don't recall ever skiing the Nordique past the end of April on any of my late season trips....

To end the 2018-19 season, a trip to Sommet St-Sauveur was in order today. Leaving Sherbrooke at 6am with overcast skies, I actually drove through some snow by Mont Orford and there was a dusting on the ground. We have not had the best of weekends in the townships lately, and the 4 major areas are now closed. It was a smooth drive through the city and arrived at the mountain a touch before 8:30 to overcast skies and a temperature of +4 degrees. The dismantling of the Atomic Express is in progress as all the chairs are now off the lift line and placed in the lot behind the lift. There were racers training on the Nordique early, and the Etoile lift was spinning not yet open to the public. The lift was opening at 9, so I took my time to get ready and have a nice wind down from the...

I had based this trip on the long rage forecast about a week ago where it was supposed to be a mostly sunny day and mild, so I planned to have the day off. As the week progressed I watched the forecast deteriorate day by day to a mild day of mostly cloudy and rain. Well at least that part the forecasters got correct! I had gotten in touch with a friend of mine earlier in the week to tell him I was coming down, so this venture was not a solo one. Friday morning wake up, and true to the forecaster's word it was lightly sprinkling. Holding to my commitment to my buddy, I packed up the truck and headed off in the rain. I don't normally ski in the rain but if I didn't go, then the visit to Sutton would have been a write off, and I would have to...

I woke up early this morning to a beautiful sunny bluebird sky, so I made the decision to head out to Mont Orford. The mountain had received up to 40 centimetres of new snow Friday and into Saturday, so today was the day to go and see what they had. I arrived at the mountain a few minutes after 8 and the main parking lot was already filling up. The temperature was pretty mild at -2 degrees at the base of the mountain. It was quite windy as I was walking across the parking lot to the chalet, and was wondering what would be on wind hold. When I bought my ticket I was informed that the Alfred Desrochers double and the Rapido Triple were the only lifts open because of the wind. The access would have been up the Double and over to mid mountain to the Rapido to access...

Tenney Mountain Resort is a two and half hour drive from Sherbrooke, three and a half hours from Montreal, and two hours from Boston. Conveniently located 15 minutes from Interstate 93 near the town of Plymouth, New Hampshire it makes the mountain is very easy to get to. There are 45 trails served by 3 lifts, a double, and triple chair, with a platter lift for the beginner's and tubing area. The vertical at Tenney is 1400' with 110 acres of skiable terrain. Snowmaking covers 85% of the mountain. The chalet houses a large seating area with fireplace, and plenty of places to sit. You can even relax on two corner sofas by the fireplace during your break. There is the Backcountry Bar and Grill located in the chalet for food, drink, and live entertainment. There is no ski shop or rentals at the mountain, however in town you can get rentals from Plymouth Ski and Sports at a reasonable rate, and there is no ski school for lessons just yet. Tenney Mountain just recently re-opened after an 8-ye...

With a sunny bluebird sky in the forecast for today, the place to go was Owl's Head. This would make my second visit of the season here. I arrived at the mountain at 9:00 with a beautiful sky and a temperature of -10 degrees. The main parking lot was already half full by then which was a sign that everyone else was going to take advantage of a nice day like this. With getting ready, and recharging my RFID card, I was on the lift by 9:30. There was a bit of a line up to start, no more than a couple of minutes. The Main, Baby, and Black Quads along with the learning zone's Magic Carpet were in operation. 49/50 trails were open. The conditions were fantastic! Groomed packed powder over a firm base was what was waiting for you. The grooming team did a wonderful job in making the conditions what...

Station Touristique Baie des Sables was today's destination, and also was a re-discovery for me as the last time I had skied here was back in 2014. I left Sherbooke at 9:30 and took my time getting there and arrived at the hill at 10:45 under mostly cloudy skies and a nice temperature of -4 degrees, and snowing very lightly. Baie des Sables is located at the top of Lac Megantic, a drive of a touch more than an hour. The trails here are narrow with one wide trail with a snow park. The hill is not very large, and the only lift available is a t-bar. All trails and glades were open today. The conditions were fantastic with groomed packed powder over a firm base all with natural snow. There is no snowmaking. The first laps were down the main trail the Megantic, located at the skier's left as you ride up the...

I was long overdue for a road trip to somewhere, so a couple of weeks ago I had contacted an good ski buddy of mine to plan something out, and we had decided on visiting Tenney Mountain, NH. Today was the day. I had been mentioning to him on a few occasions that I had visited Tenney late last season, and that I was impressed with what had been done to re-open the mountain as it had been closed since 2010. A lot work had been done then just to get it up and running in a limited stage. Now it's 11 months later, and there is only one word to describe what we saw and skied today. WOW! That seemed to be the key word today. WOW! It was full on discovery mode. We left Sherbrooke at 6 am and arrived about two and a half hours later under a bright sunshine and some light clouds and a...

While sitting at my desk in the office today looking out the window, and watching all this white powder fall from the sky I knew a tough decision had to be made. Shovel the driveway when I got home or go skiing. Well you know what that decision was........and here is the report. I arrived at Bellevue at opening, 6pm, and the parking lot was already filling up quickly. Looked like a lot of other people had the same thought on their mind. To ski the 30 some centimetres of snow that fell last night and during the day today. The temperature was a comfortable -2 degrees upon arrival. Getting my lift ticket was quick and easy, as it is ladies night tonight, and It usually gets pretty busy. A long line up is the norm, but arriving early certainly helped out. Only the Quad chair and the beginner's Magic Carpet were in operation tonight....

Stoneham Mountain Resort is located 25 minutes North of Quebec City just off Autoroute 73 before you enter Parc National de la Jacques-Cartier heading towards the Saguenay. There are 42 trails and glades. 19 trails are available for night skiing. The division of difficulty is 19% Easy, 26% Intermediate, 38% Single Black Diamond, and 17% Double Black Diamond. At Stoneham, there are 3 fixed-grip quad chairs, and 1 detachable quad lift with bubbles for those cold windy days. 2 Magic Carpets serve the beginner's area. There are 3 snowparks with a variety of modules and bumps for those into stunts and jumps. The snowparks are different in their own way by the level of experience, one Easy for beginners with beginner jumps and modules. The second is an Intermediate park, and an expert park for the most experienced, all located in different areas on the mountain. There is also an Olympic style half pipe, the only one in the Province of Quebec. In the chalet, you will find the cafeteria with a...