# Snowboarding in Canada...



## Canned_Water (Jul 18, 2010)

im headed up to quebec for a couple weeks this december and was wondering where's the best place to shred up there. i have absolutely no knowledge of the area so any help would be appreciated :thumbsup:


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## roremc (Oct 25, 2009)

Mt Tremblant would be your best bet.

Mont Tremblant Ski Resort Official Site - Ski, Hotel, Condos, Golf, Spa, 4 Seasons Vacations in Quebec, Canada


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## Bones (Feb 24, 2008)

Where in Quebec are you going?


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## Canned_Water (Jul 18, 2010)

Bones said:


> Where in Quebec are you going?


It's looking like I'll be in the Montreal area


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## Canned_Water (Jul 18, 2010)

roremc said:


> Mt Tremblant would be your best bet.
> 
> Mont Tremblant Ski Resort Official Site - Ski, Hotel, Condos, Golf, Spa, 4 Seasons Vacations in Quebec, Canada


You ever been there?


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## david_z (Dec 14, 2009)

I've been there twice. Once in about 1997 and again in 2009. It's about 1hr from Montreal even in a snowstorm (we drove through one on the way in). We had good weather, nonstop snow but not a ton of accumulation (maybe 8-10 inches for the week), but be prepared for variable conditions as you would expect anywhere else on the East Coast. When I was there in '97 it was 0 degrees one day and 36 degrees the next. The resort area is really self-contained, which is nice. There's a little shopping district, a handful of bars, restaurants, and a decent microbrewery which are all steps from the main lift area. It goes about 2,000 vertical feet which is pretty respectable. The terrain isn't particularly steep gnarly, but it's varied enough for most. They set up some decent park areas if I remember correctly, and they do some good gladed areas, too. 

I'd go more often if it wasn't a 10-hour drive.


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## zeeden (Sep 29, 2008)

Tremblant is about 1-1.5 hours north of Montreal. I've been there in 2008 and 2009 both in mid decemeber. As one other member stated the conditions can vary. A couple of days were really cold and icy, some days we got a huge dump of fresh snow. I'll be there again in mid december this year.


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## AlexS (Feb 12, 2010)

david_z said:


> I've been there twice. Once in about 1997 and again in 2009. It's about 1hr from Montreal even in a snowstorm (we drove through one on the way in). We had good weather, nonstop snow but not a ton of accumulation (maybe 8-10 inches for the week), but be prepared for variable conditions as you would expect anywhere else on the East Coast. When I was there in '97 it was 0 degrees one day and 36 degrees the next. The resort area is really self-contained, which is nice. There's a little shopping district, a handful of bars, restaurants, and a decent microbrewery which are all steps from the main lift area. It goes about 2,000 vertical feet which is pretty respectable. The terrain isn't particularly steep gnarly, but it's varied enough for most. They set up some decent park areas if I remember correctly, and they do some good gladed areas, too.
> 
> I'd go more often if it wasn't a 10-hour drive.


pfft if you're going on a 10 hour drive hit up vermont! I've done it twice this year, hoping for more times next year.

OP:Only resort i hear about is Mt. Tremblant(as everyone in this topic is saying)


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## david_z (Dec 14, 2009)

Vermont is 13+ from Detroit, and that's if you go through Canada. If you drive around lake Erie, it's more like 15.

I have considered taking the AmTrak from Toledo to Rutland for a VT trip. It's an overnight train leaving ~2am. The lodging options at Tremblant are more "resort-y" from my limited experience, and considerably less expensive. We weren't "slopeside" but we were only 1/4 mile from lifts and walked to/from the bars and our condo. Places like that in VT cost an arm and a leg...


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## AlexS (Feb 12, 2010)

david_z said:


> Vermont is 13+ from Detroit, and that's if you go through Canada. If you drive around lake Erie, it's more like 15.
> 
> I have considered taking the AmTrak from Toledo to Rutland for a VT trip. It's an overnight train leaving ~2am. The lodging options at Tremblant are more "resort-y" from my limited experience, and considerably less expensive. We weren't "slopeside" but we were only 1/4 mile from lifts and walked to/from the bars and our condo. Places like that in VT cost an arm and a leg...


I live in West Bloomfield..me and my dad have gotten 12 hours including stops. We went to small hotel in Bennington(like 50 a night max?), which was around 40 minutes from Mt Snow(best vermont park, has 7 parks on 1 slope), and around 40-50 to Stratton. If you're willing to step down from condos/slopeside, you can get verrry cheap hotels, and better riding. 
EDIT; Why Rutland? Killington is good for the stash, but otherwise snow/stratton are better. Okemo is very good too, and i don't think its that far from where we stayed. Maybe 90 minutes


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## david_z (Dec 14, 2009)

AlexS said:


> I live in West Bloomfield..me and my dad have gotten 12 hours including stops. We went to small hotel in Bennington(like 50 a night max?), which was around 40 minutes from Mt Snow(best vermont park, has 7 parks on 1 slope), and around 40-50 to Stratton. If you're willing to step down from condos/slopeside, you can get verrry cheap hotels, and better riding.


I stayed at a small hotel when I went there in 1997 with my dad and someone stole one of my flannel shirts from the closet. For serious!

We did 12 hours through Canada non-stop but I know traveling with a crew of 6 dudes and two cars in caravan we'll be slower than that. I don't necessarily need slopeside (because we usually can't afford it) but I like to be near enough that I don't have to get up at 7am to make first chair, or that I can hop a quick shuttle back to the room/condo for lunch or mid-day breaks, etc. Also it's more difficult to manage a group of people with varying skill levels when you're spread geographically like that.

But we got a 2BR condo with 2 baths, sleeps 6 comfortably, at Tremblant, for $160 US per night. Killington couldn't touch those rates. Plus, the week we went it was raining in VT...



AlexS said:


> Why Rutland? Killington is good for the stash, but otherwise snow/stratton are better. Okemo is very good too, and i don't think its that far from where we stayed. Maybe 90 minutes


Does Amtrak go to Killington? I didn't think they did. It's been a few years since I looked at that as an option...


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## Bones (Feb 24, 2008)

Canned_Water said:


> You ever been there?


I live about 2 hrs from Tremblant and hit it about a dozen weekends a year.

It's an Interwest resort so it's got the common look and feel of most Interwest resorts like Whistler. Lots of pricier accomodations in the base village, but lots of amenities. Try searching the "for rent by owner" sites and you can find some very good deals on condos just outside the main village (in the old village) but still on the shuttle service. I managed to find, for example, a nice 3 bedroom townhouse for $250/night about a 3 minutes drive/10 minute walk/25 minute drunken stumble back from the base bars in peak season when slopeside condos were going for $1200/night

Lots of runs, good lifts and gondola, but stay up at the top for lunch or the post-lunch lines at the gondola can be big after lunch until the hill is loaded again.

As for conditions...it can get pretty cold (-40) and very windy at the top. Like any east coast hill, ice will appear. I'm not a park guy, but there's a few and they seem to have a good amount of features and kickers. They do host some World Cup level competitions and don't seem to have to build much when they do that.


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## AlexS (Feb 12, 2010)

david_z said:


> I stayed at a small hotel when I went there in 1997 with my dad and someone stole one of my flannel shirts from the closet. For serious!
> 
> We did 12 hours through Canada non-stop but I know traveling with a crew of 6 dudes and two cars in caravan we'll be slower than that. I don't necessarily need slopeside (because we usually can't afford it) but I like to be near enough that I don't have to get up at 7am to make first chair, or that I can hop a quick shuttle back to the room/condo for lunch or mid-day breaks, etc. Also it's more difficult to manage a group of people with varying skill levels when you're spread geographically like that.
> 
> ...


Naw, Rutland is like 30 minutes or less from Killington so i thought that's what you meant.


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## chupacabraman (Jul 30, 2009)

Depends what you are looking for. If you are looking for a good park there are lots of great resorts to choose from (see other's suggestions above) including Tremblant, Saint Sauveur, Stoneham, Bromont, etc (it's the East Coast)

If you want good freeriding and pow, the definitive place to go is Le Massif (near Quebec City). Everything else is crap (maybe Valinouet for a small mellow hill with great powder, or nearby Jay Peak VT)


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## snowboardquebec (Sep 21, 2010)

some areas of Quebec does get snow earlier and way much more snow than other areas... thinking of Bas St-Laurent and Saguenay maybe, could be worth the look. Both far from main cities.


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## KzooSpade31 (Sep 15, 2010)

I'm west of you in Kalamazoo, MI. Been looking at the road trip idea to Stowe. Never been to Vermont so not sure the pros/cons to each resort. I'm about 2 hours west of you right off the jump so that could be long trip, especially if the weather doesn't cooperate. Quebec seems a bit far. Is there anything you're aware of in Ontario? What about any resorts in upstate NY?


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## david_z (Dec 14, 2009)

kzoo i'll send you a private message here


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