surfy
01-27-2004, 07:42 PM
Sorry I haven’t gotten to this until now, January is always a tough month at work and the skiing has been too good to not ski this month. Anyway, here goes. Sorry that it’s a bit long.
Traveling to Tremblant was no problem; we hit good weather all the way on Sunday, January 4. Once we crossed Customs we were expecting to see snow as we had arrived in “The Great White North” but ended up almost all the way to Montreal before any snow cover, just long enough to start getting nervous. We had originally booked our reservations from one of the advertisers on skidave’s website and I would highly recommend them again. Our accommodations actually were sold out due to the freestyle competition they were having so we were upgraded (free of charge) to a one-bedroom suite at the Westin.
Arrival late afternoon strolled through the village and caught several après ski activities and then spent a couple hours in the outdoor heated pool at the Westin, very nice. Whenever enjoying myself in the lap of luxury I always think back to an old saying that my Aunt had “I wonder what the poor people are doing” and I admit that I thought that as I laid back in the warm water while my hair was turning to ice. Not too cold that day, as my beer didn’t freeze in the cup while I was drinking it. After relaxing in the pool for a while we made it to Ya’oo Pizza for dinner, highly recommended, and then off to the P’tit Caribou. A little slow on a Sunday, but Isabelle the bartender was in rare form and made everyone feel at home and Surfette enjoyed the younger drinking age. Surfette wanted to get to sleep early so I obliged, amazing that at home the thought of her going to sleep before 2:00 am would usually result in concern that she must not be well.
Monday, up early. The Westin has a very nice breakfast buffet so we pigged out on the free breakfast and headed for the gondola by 8:00 am. Weather a little on the cool side, probably about 10 degrees F, but not too windy and very good light. We made a beat to Versant Nord and skied laps on Geant, Superieur, Devil’s River, Duncan Haut, and Saute Moutons. All of them groomed (I won’t let the Surfette off piste without a helmet) and in good shape, very firm, very fast. Afternoon we worked our way to Versant Soleil and had some very good runs on Laurentienne and Tiguidou. Then made our way to Versant Sud. Found a very nice trail in Grand Prix with a spectacular view of the Lake below. Tried Kandahar afterwards but very icy and we didn’t try it again, cut over to Gaetan Boucher instead and that was very nice. Called it a day about 3:00.
Back to the Westin and straight to the outdoor pool and Jacuzzi. The Surfette fell asleep lying on the stairs of the pool and the couple in the pool next to me was quite amused with her snoring. The air started getting a bit colder and it started snowing heavily so I had to keep my beer cup in the pool to keep it from freezing. At that point the guy next to me decided I should try his rum concoction and that way I wouldn’t have to worry about it freezing. After too much rum I woke the Surfette up and we headed for Le Shack for dinner. Good food and very quick service. After dinner, back to the P’tit Caribou. Isabelle was there once again and remembered us from the night before. We made plans to meet the next morning to ski. The crowd was a bit more livelier and we found out what the steel poles were for over the bar. Too many guys inviting the Surfette for body shots but they all changed their mind as soon as she told them that I was her father. The 20-year-old male brain is still lacking in common sense in many ways.
Tuesday morning we woke to a fabulous powder day. Very cold, about -5 degrees F, good sun and 12 inches of powder. We rushed through the breakfast buffet, hoping to get first turns and we were richly rewarded. Met up with Isabelle and we decided to hit Grand Prix first and as it turned out we had first tracks in the pow and it was absolutely spectacular. We bailed at the halfway point and rode TGV back up hoping to catch it again but a bunch of people had the same thought by then. We made a beat over to Versant Nord and found most of the blacks hadn’t been touched by the groomers since before it started snowing. They bumped up nicely and since it was so cold they were very soft. Had a blast, tried Banzai and Marie Claude Asselin then moved down to La Griffe, all very nice. After warming up we headed to the Edge and gave Action a try but it was a little too icy, especially since there were so many other good trails. Back to Versant Sud, tried Zig Zag but it reminded me of Outer Limits at Kmart. After leaving most of my cartilage on Zig Zag we decided to ease up a bit and skied some nice blues. It was starting to get really cold so we bailed out about 2:30.
The forecast for the next day was calling for some cold weather so I hit some of the shops in the village for hand warmers and anything else that would keep us warm. Warning, everything in the village is pretty expensive so you really want to do your shopping elsewhere. One of the ski shops was having a sale, they had a nice Helly Hanson jacket marked down to $1,000 CDN, these people must be nuts. I can get the same jacket at home for $200. Got my hand warmers and then it was back to the pool. Had a little trouble keeping my beer thawed and we were pretty sore from all the pow that we hardly ever get to ski in. After too many semi frozen beers I had a little trouble navigating the exit from the Jacuzzi and did a slider on my bare feet down three rock stairs. The bottom of my left foot is still black and blue three weeks later but it was only moderately sore so it didn’t interfere with skiing. Afterwards we hit Ya’oo Pizza again and then back to the Caribou.
Wednesday morning was colder than just chilly –28 degrees C. in the gondola according to some guy that had a thermometer on his jacket. Also had a stiff wind and heavy fog and snow at the top. Visibility at the top was about 5 feet and the wind chill was enough to freeze skin just by looking through a window. We decided to start off low on Versant Nord which the Surfette has now renamed Versant Froid. Stayed with La Griffe and Le Rapides for a while and met up again with Isabelle while warming up in between runs. Moved over to Versant Sud, now known as Versant Tres Froid, and found a little protected trail that was in pretty good shape, Fripp. The only problem was you couldn’t see a thing and it was so cold that there was ice forming on the inside of Surfette’s goggles. Moved a little lower and hit Ligne de Pente and St. Bernard, which were just about skied off, and turning to solid ice. Decided that an early start wouldn’t be a bad thing so we headed for home about 1:00 only to get caught in a blizzard 100 miles from home. All in all a very good time, good skiing, but cold. I’d definitely go back but maybe a bit later in the year. I imagine the spring skiing here must be pretty good.
A few observations for anyone pondering a trip:
If you are going through Customs make sure you have proper ID. We both had our Passports with us so that wasn’t a problem in either direction. Getting back in the U.S. is a little bit of a challenge as they did go through our trunk before letting us through.
Just because everything is French and English in Ontario does not mean it will be once you hit Quebec. Good idea to know at least enough French to be able to translate road signs and directions. Get a good map before you leave home if you’re not sure where you are going.
Staying in the Village is fun but probably not worth paying a premium. I admit that it was an advantage to not having to mess with a car until it was time to leave. There are good deals in the Village and I would stay there again if the price were right. If you do stay there, bring any food or beverages that you may need. There is a general store but prices are ridiculously high.
If you are coming from the U.S either charge everything or exchange your money before you get here. Exchange rates weren’t very good.
Sharpen your edges before you go. I found it to be firmer than what I normally ski and it was icier than I expected. I liked the firm, very fast. I usually sharpen my edges every three days of skiing so I had just sharpened them before we went. Even though it was firm with some ice mixed in I didn’t have much trouble keeping my edges and it made for some very fast runs.
Bring all the clothes that you have, you’ll need them.
Traveling to Tremblant was no problem; we hit good weather all the way on Sunday, January 4. Once we crossed Customs we were expecting to see snow as we had arrived in “The Great White North” but ended up almost all the way to Montreal before any snow cover, just long enough to start getting nervous. We had originally booked our reservations from one of the advertisers on skidave’s website and I would highly recommend them again. Our accommodations actually were sold out due to the freestyle competition they were having so we were upgraded (free of charge) to a one-bedroom suite at the Westin.
Arrival late afternoon strolled through the village and caught several après ski activities and then spent a couple hours in the outdoor heated pool at the Westin, very nice. Whenever enjoying myself in the lap of luxury I always think back to an old saying that my Aunt had “I wonder what the poor people are doing” and I admit that I thought that as I laid back in the warm water while my hair was turning to ice. Not too cold that day, as my beer didn’t freeze in the cup while I was drinking it. After relaxing in the pool for a while we made it to Ya’oo Pizza for dinner, highly recommended, and then off to the P’tit Caribou. A little slow on a Sunday, but Isabelle the bartender was in rare form and made everyone feel at home and Surfette enjoyed the younger drinking age. Surfette wanted to get to sleep early so I obliged, amazing that at home the thought of her going to sleep before 2:00 am would usually result in concern that she must not be well.
Monday, up early. The Westin has a very nice breakfast buffet so we pigged out on the free breakfast and headed for the gondola by 8:00 am. Weather a little on the cool side, probably about 10 degrees F, but not too windy and very good light. We made a beat to Versant Nord and skied laps on Geant, Superieur, Devil’s River, Duncan Haut, and Saute Moutons. All of them groomed (I won’t let the Surfette off piste without a helmet) and in good shape, very firm, very fast. Afternoon we worked our way to Versant Soleil and had some very good runs on Laurentienne and Tiguidou. Then made our way to Versant Sud. Found a very nice trail in Grand Prix with a spectacular view of the Lake below. Tried Kandahar afterwards but very icy and we didn’t try it again, cut over to Gaetan Boucher instead and that was very nice. Called it a day about 3:00.
Back to the Westin and straight to the outdoor pool and Jacuzzi. The Surfette fell asleep lying on the stairs of the pool and the couple in the pool next to me was quite amused with her snoring. The air started getting a bit colder and it started snowing heavily so I had to keep my beer cup in the pool to keep it from freezing. At that point the guy next to me decided I should try his rum concoction and that way I wouldn’t have to worry about it freezing. After too much rum I woke the Surfette up and we headed for Le Shack for dinner. Good food and very quick service. After dinner, back to the P’tit Caribou. Isabelle was there once again and remembered us from the night before. We made plans to meet the next morning to ski. The crowd was a bit more livelier and we found out what the steel poles were for over the bar. Too many guys inviting the Surfette for body shots but they all changed their mind as soon as she told them that I was her father. The 20-year-old male brain is still lacking in common sense in many ways.
Tuesday morning we woke to a fabulous powder day. Very cold, about -5 degrees F, good sun and 12 inches of powder. We rushed through the breakfast buffet, hoping to get first turns and we were richly rewarded. Met up with Isabelle and we decided to hit Grand Prix first and as it turned out we had first tracks in the pow and it was absolutely spectacular. We bailed at the halfway point and rode TGV back up hoping to catch it again but a bunch of people had the same thought by then. We made a beat over to Versant Nord and found most of the blacks hadn’t been touched by the groomers since before it started snowing. They bumped up nicely and since it was so cold they were very soft. Had a blast, tried Banzai and Marie Claude Asselin then moved down to La Griffe, all very nice. After warming up we headed to the Edge and gave Action a try but it was a little too icy, especially since there were so many other good trails. Back to Versant Sud, tried Zig Zag but it reminded me of Outer Limits at Kmart. After leaving most of my cartilage on Zig Zag we decided to ease up a bit and skied some nice blues. It was starting to get really cold so we bailed out about 2:30.
The forecast for the next day was calling for some cold weather so I hit some of the shops in the village for hand warmers and anything else that would keep us warm. Warning, everything in the village is pretty expensive so you really want to do your shopping elsewhere. One of the ski shops was having a sale, they had a nice Helly Hanson jacket marked down to $1,000 CDN, these people must be nuts. I can get the same jacket at home for $200. Got my hand warmers and then it was back to the pool. Had a little trouble keeping my beer thawed and we were pretty sore from all the pow that we hardly ever get to ski in. After too many semi frozen beers I had a little trouble navigating the exit from the Jacuzzi and did a slider on my bare feet down three rock stairs. The bottom of my left foot is still black and blue three weeks later but it was only moderately sore so it didn’t interfere with skiing. Afterwards we hit Ya’oo Pizza again and then back to the Caribou.
Wednesday morning was colder than just chilly –28 degrees C. in the gondola according to some guy that had a thermometer on his jacket. Also had a stiff wind and heavy fog and snow at the top. Visibility at the top was about 5 feet and the wind chill was enough to freeze skin just by looking through a window. We decided to start off low on Versant Nord which the Surfette has now renamed Versant Froid. Stayed with La Griffe and Le Rapides for a while and met up again with Isabelle while warming up in between runs. Moved over to Versant Sud, now known as Versant Tres Froid, and found a little protected trail that was in pretty good shape, Fripp. The only problem was you couldn’t see a thing and it was so cold that there was ice forming on the inside of Surfette’s goggles. Moved a little lower and hit Ligne de Pente and St. Bernard, which were just about skied off, and turning to solid ice. Decided that an early start wouldn’t be a bad thing so we headed for home about 1:00 only to get caught in a blizzard 100 miles from home. All in all a very good time, good skiing, but cold. I’d definitely go back but maybe a bit later in the year. I imagine the spring skiing here must be pretty good.
A few observations for anyone pondering a trip:
If you are going through Customs make sure you have proper ID. We both had our Passports with us so that wasn’t a problem in either direction. Getting back in the U.S. is a little bit of a challenge as they did go through our trunk before letting us through.
Just because everything is French and English in Ontario does not mean it will be once you hit Quebec. Good idea to know at least enough French to be able to translate road signs and directions. Get a good map before you leave home if you’re not sure where you are going.
Staying in the Village is fun but probably not worth paying a premium. I admit that it was an advantage to not having to mess with a car until it was time to leave. There are good deals in the Village and I would stay there again if the price were right. If you do stay there, bring any food or beverages that you may need. There is a general store but prices are ridiculously high.
If you are coming from the U.S either charge everything or exchange your money before you get here. Exchange rates weren’t very good.
Sharpen your edges before you go. I found it to be firmer than what I normally ski and it was icier than I expected. I liked the firm, very fast. I usually sharpen my edges every three days of skiing so I had just sharpened them before we went. Even though it was firm with some ice mixed in I didn’t have much trouble keeping my edges and it made for some very fast runs.
Bring all the clothes that you have, you’ll need them.