Tremblant, QC 11/29/03

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We drove to Tremblant Friday night in driving rain the whole way. In the higher elevations around Ste-Agathe and Ste-Adele-des-Monts it clearly had snowed, but was rain as we passed through. By the time descended to where we turned off of 117, the ground was bare again. <BR> <BR>During check-in we learned that it had snowed all day on the upper mountain and rained down below. No matter, for skiing is only available from mid-mountain up. Things were looking good. <BR> <BR>It started snowing here around 4 am, and at times during the day it was positively puking. Sounds good, right? <BR> <BR>Unfortunately, the TGV broke down late Friday and needed a part to be delivered. As a result, after uploading on the gondi, the only skiing to be had this morning was on the north side via the Lowell Thomas triple chair. By 10:30 the liftlines created by the Saturday crowd skiing from only one chair became an interminable 40 minutes. My son and I returned to the condo for an early lunch in the hopes that they'd finish the repairs on the TGV. <BR> <BR>Lo and behold, they did and it made all of the difference in the world. We spent the rest of our ski day lapping the TGV, where the liftline was a tolerable 5-10 minutes. That's also got to be the quickest detachable quad I've ever ridden. <BR> <BR>Coverage was more than ample, but despite the new snow the wind howled straight up the South Side and scraped parts of the steeper runs to ice, with fluffy windblown patches in between. The edges, however, were a different story, and if you didn't mind venturing off of the snowmaking base the skiing was heavy but quite delightful. <BR> <BR>Now past midnight, the snow has stopped, the skies cleared, and tomorrow should be a fine early-season day. This morning they were reporting something like 8" new since Friday, but with the wind it was hard to tell how accurate that was. A good 4 more inches must've fallen today.
 
Whoa, scratch that last paragraph! I just pulled up the Environment Canada website, and...what? Supposed to start snowing again tonight? I then pulled up the radar...wow! Right on our doorstep. I then turned around to look out the window and, sure enough, it's just starting again. Tomorrow *will* be a good late-November day. <BR> <BR>They're now calling for snow overnight, ending in the morning, then flurries resuming in the afternoon, becoming good ol' snow tomorrow evening and Monday again.
 
I'm eager to see your report of today. <BR> <BR>They said this morning that they got 17" in the storm... it's tough to believe as the St-So valley got 1" lol. But it's possible, as the snow belt begins at Ste-Adèle.
 
I skied Tremblant today... they definitely did get some snow, but it was a foggy day overall and at some points some chunky ice bits were coming down (not too comfortable on the face). However, off the Lowell Thomas it was good skiing, and the runs that all drop into that one area (Bansai, Tunnel, etc) had some pretty good cover (I was in almost shin deep snow in some spots), except at the end of the day the ski patrol was waving people down at the end and trying to punish them for skiing the closed area, it was the closest thing to a speed trap ive ever seen. If you were sneaky though you could avoid their sight.... Not too much new terrain open from what I saw though, but at least an improvement in snow conditions.
 
Hmmmm, Tunnel in deep powder... I would like to see that. Sad that the Ski Pat*** were acting like jerks once again... ahhhh Tremblant.
 
Sven, you've summarized Tremblant on the 30th well. Visibility was tough, huh? <BR> <BR>Crowds of Saturday were gone on Sunday, with 10 minutes or so on the Lowell Thomas chair and skiing right up to the lift on the TGV. McCullough was wind scoured down to the ice on the upper, steeper half, but everything else was surprisingly delightful. I thought about poaching, but the base was too thin for me to give it any serious consideration (I didn't bring any rock skis with me). I'm surprised that the patrol started cracking down at the <I>end</I> of the day -- that seems rather counter-productive, doesn't it? During the day I saw many, many tracks being laid on closed trails. My kid dropped a pole into the streambed underneath the TGV, and after 3 or 4 powder turns down the closed Fripp below tower 10 to retrieve it, I had the bushwhack from hell over boulders, fallen trees, etc. to get back to McCullough. Had my wife and kid not been waiting on McCullough, I might have poached the remainder of Fripp, for it most certainly would have been better than that bushwhack. <BR> <BR>Snow had resumed when we called it a day early around 1:30 or 2 to head home. By the time we reached Ste-Adele, it tapered off to next to nothing left on the ground.
 
I just heard that Tremblant got 28" since friday. <BR> <BR>Is this true? or is this what the marketing department likes to tell us?
 
It's possible on the summit of the mountain, Sharon... but only on the summit. <BR> <BR>The St-Donat (city close to Mt Tremblant at 1400' of elevation) webcam showed about 16" of fresh even though some snow have melted due to rain at that elevation. So on the peaks, 28" is very possible, but I wasn't there to confirm it.
 
Additional comments on the Nov 30 Tremblant conditions.

Sharon wrote: "I just heard that Tremblant got 28" since friday. Is this true? or is this what the marketing department likes to tell us?"

The Saturday evenings snowphone (website report was down) was mentioning 30-40cm (12"-16"). It started snowing more late in the day Sunday. We had a blanket of fresh snow in Ottawa overnight last night, so it's very possible Tremblant received an extra 12" since the late Saturday snow report. Although Tremblant doesn't need any lessons from other ski resort in enhancing their facts, the amount of snow is probably close.

HOWEVER, BEWARE of the trail count. Tremblant had the nerve (nothing new here) to call what was open 14 trails. Basically, Southside had McCulloch (partial Charron to reach the TGV lift) and Beauvallon (Crete to get there and Alpine!!!). 2 runs and not really 5 trails on the South.

For those who don't know Tremblant that well, Alpine is a trail that runs parallel to Beauvallon separated on most of its length by a few long tree islands. Although Alpine was called open, the only place it was open was for the first few hundred feet where someone could say that it's a large Beauvallon and they wouldn't be wrong.

Northside had the run combo Lowell Thomas-Rigodon as 1, instead of the 2. The other open runs were Andy Moe (short trail), Petit Bonheur, Upper Beauchemin and La Traverse.

SNOW CONDITIONS:
The Upper part of the Southside trails were blasted by the wind and icy. Northside was sheltered and nicer, with the possible exception of LaTraverse trail.

WHICH SKIS TO BRING?:
Sven, I really envy you. Like Marc, I debated about going down Banzai (less so for Tunnel). I had two pairs in the car, skis with shape edges and old ski with no edges. Considering the conditions on the Southside, it was a hard call. I was tempted to make a long trip back to the parking lot (at least 40 minutes return trip), but decided against it.

I didn't see any tracks arriving from the other side of the Triple which would be the way a skier would end up going down Banzai-Tunnel territory. Mind you the visibility was pretty bad.

Sven, where were the ski patrol you were talking about? At the bottom of the trail (base of the old t-bars/rope tow area)? Left side of the Triple? Or on the side the Lowell Thomas where it stops running parallel to Banzai?

Unfortunately, I can see why they would stop skiers from going down. Someone might end up lost with very little snow to ski on if they made the wrong turn. <

Frank, I preferred Friday's St.Sauveur snow condition in the rain.

Marc, you probably guest it, I only saw your message the following day.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?:
Ah yes, lift tickets: $49!!! Half-day starting at 12:00 (I think) and lifts close at 3:30 (downloading from summit) for $40!!!
 
(at least, it's in Canadian money...) <BR>Ish... just the fact that the rain at MSS friday was better than Tremblant sunday with the snow says it all..... <BR> <BR>My training begins on january 6, at Tremblant and we'll be on the slopes wednesday morning. We finish the training on friday, but according to what I've heard up to now, the chances to see me at Burke on saturday or the other one sunday (which one already ?) are close to 0%. <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/sad.gif" ALT=":("> I will see that later...
 
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