Family Skiing in Eastern Canada - US.

Flatlander

New member
Can anyone suggest good skiing in Eastern Canada for the last week of March? I have always headed west to the interior of BC for Manitoba Spring Break, but this year the snow is marginal out there so I'm looking outside my area of experience. Iam looking for a good hill for families with on-hill (ski-in/ski-out) accomodations to suit the group (lots of kids).

I understand the snow has been good out in the east this year, so where is your favorite desitination resort with good variety for a mostly beginner and intermediate group? Hopefully it will also have some more 'interesting' areas for my older boys and I.

Thanks
 
Frankly, most of my favorite Québec spots aren't loaded with ski-in/ski-out options.

Sutton has a bit of something for everyone:
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/sutton2004.htm

Although the "glades" are wide-open compared to the Eastern standard (La Fantasie is one notable exception), this place is a blast. It's spread out upon a long, broad ridge. Need it slightly steeper? Move to skier's right. Need to wind things down a bit? Move to skier's left. The eastern end is like one big roller coaster, where you're free to wander anywhere you wish and drop stair steps back to the base of the lift.

There are a limited number of condos and chalets slopeside along the gentle trails at the resort's western end.

Also in the Townships, Orford's groomers are a bit monotonous, but the trees...OMG the trees!
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/orford.htm

Here you'll find some limited ski-in/ski-out as well, at the base of Mont-Giroux, but it's very limited.

Alas, as you'll see in other threads on these boards - particularly from last year - Le Massif ain't what it used to be:
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/lemassif2002.htm

Massif du Sud is one tough little bugger in places, but there are no slopeside pillows:
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/massifdusud.htm

Mont-Edouard is tough, too, but with only 1 slopeside option:
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/montedouard2002.htm

Le Valinouet is the natural snow capital of eastern Canada, but you might as well be Sir Edmund Hilary trying to get there:
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/valinouet2002.htm

Personally, for my taste, I'd bypass Tremblant and Mont-Sainte-Anne, the two most well-known Quebec options. However, you say that the group is primarily beginner and intermediate, and they certainly have the most diverse options for those abilities as well as the most alternative resort options for those who don't plan to pound the slopes from opening to close. I tend to aim toward areas with a high quotient of naturally challenging terrain, and my thoughts above reflect that. I prefer to ski hard and sleep hard, and resort amenities therefore mean much less to me. As all of these others are somewhat smaller, you'd pretty much have to plan to link at least a few together into one trip to make the voyage from Manitoba worthwhile. For example, you could combine Sutton, Orford, and even Jay Peak in Vermont, or combine Mont-Edouard and Le Valinouet. You could travel to Quebec City and ski Massif du Sud, Le Massif, Mont-Sainte-Anne, Stoneham and Le Relais. It's sometimes tough for a westerner who's used to wide-open spaces to visualize just how close things are to each other back east.

Have you thought about dipping south of the border instead? Jay Peak, Smuggs, Stowe, and Sugarbush are all more diverse options than any of those listed above, and with the current exchange rate the loonie isn't so bad down here right now.

The biggest problem here, however, is the last week of March. That's crapshoot season in the northeast thanks to low elevation, as Tony Crocker has drilled into our heads so many times by now. You could have pow, you could have rain, you could have freezing rain. Anything is possible. You'd pretty much have to check the weather a few days before to decide whether or not to go for it. Feb. 1 - March 15 is the dependable season in the Northeast.

You'll find links to all of our Quebec resort features here:
http://www.FirstTracksOnline.com/qcski.htm

and our Vermont resort features here:
http://www.FirstTracksOnline.com/vtski.htm
 
Thanks Marc, for the thoughts.....

If I knew what the weather was going to do, this would be a lot easier. Of course, if I knew what the weather would do, picking those winning lottery tickets would be a snap too :wink:

I did ski Smuggs with my family in 2001 (?) and conditions were fantastic. I don't know if I could trust my luck twice when we're talking this late in the season? However, I just can't quit thinking that driving all the way out to Fernie is a sucker's bet. Sure, the older kids and adults can ski in the high bowls and have a ball, but the youngsters will be stuck with skiing the lower mountain and I just can't be sure it will be there when we arrive.

I don't need a ski forum, I need a @#$% crystal ball ](*,)

Thanks anyway.
 
I can second Marc's recommendation of Sutton. The go-right-to-ski-steeper, go-left-to-ski-easier ridgeline is the ultimate in user friendly family terrain. Back in the day when I was still a wedge-christie child, Sutton gave me a very welcome first taste of woods skiing. (I never looked back.)

Like Marc said, Sutton probably has the least in the way of near-slope amenities, but it's not like there's nowhere to stay where you can walk, if not ski, to the lifts.

http://www.mt-sutton.com/hebergement/forfaitsVacances_en.php

Have fun.
 
Eastern skiing, On the Quebec scene, Sutton is a good choice as like the other posts state the Sutton ridge offers a good variety of glades and cruiser runs (though they are not on the difficult side but still interesting) Not sure when you are planning to go but as of now the weather is holding up with still good coverage. Sutton is also close to Jay Peak VT and they take Canadian money at par (cash only) so this is a good place between the 2 ski centres. There is lodging less than 2 km from Sutton called the Horizon which is fine for a skiing place (You can walk to the hill for this place). Both of these areas are very crowded on weekends (especially Saturday) but you will have the place to your self on the weekdays. Jay will give you 2000? vertical and Sutton I believe about 1500? (not exactly Western Standards).
 
We were at Tremblant Feb.20-26 and our girls ages 10 &11 (fourth time on skis) had a blast. My wife, a solid intermediate skier, fell in love the glades beside The Edge chair lift. Tremblant might not have an abundance of real expert terrain but runs like Emotion and Haute Tension keep things interesting. One thing Tremblant has an abundance of is ski-in, ski-out lodging.
 
Thanks for the tip Wolfer,

My kids, nephews and nieces will probably love it too. Any hints on where to stay on-hill. I want to park the bus and just leave it, so I am really keen on ski-in/ski-out condos. A private hot tub is also a luxury I have gotten used to our West. Any pointers?[/quote]
 
Flatlander":32l1jpiw said:
What does anyone know about Montebello? My brother tells me he read about this area having an excellent kids program.

What's Montebello?
 
Flatlander":356g34r2 said:
I asked you first. :?

Just wondering if it's a ski area that has somehow escaped my radar (if it has more than a rope tow, that's actually not likely), a hotel, or what-not.
 
Sorry for the flip answer in the post above, it came over me too fast to resist. :oops:

The question comes second hand, so I can't add much in the way of detail - my brother saw an add in a travel magazine of some sort. It caught his eye because it rated resorts on the basis of their child-care and lessons programs. I have never heard of the place either, but I don't know Quebec. All I can find on the web is a Fairmont Hotel and some links to a x-country site. It's very possible that my brother didn't understand the article (he lives in Toronto, what can I say?) :lol:

If you have never heard of it, I don't think it can be big enough to fit the bill. Live and learn.

Thanks
 
flatlander":12g2yyeg said:
Sorry for the flip answer in the post above, it came over me too fast to resist.

NP - you're chatting with the world's biggest smart-aleck here.

You'll find virtually every ski area in the province listed in the drop-down box on the website for the Quebec Ski Areas Association:

http://www.quebecskisurf.com/en/index.asp

I don't see anything with that name.
 
Montebello - This is a century old hotel in between Ottawa and Montreal and is not near any ski centres. Usually used for big corporate and Gov't meetings. The kind of of place wear you have to wear a tie to go in the dining room . They have cross country skiing .
 
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