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Which hills are the best for boarding? For skiing? For drinking and carousing? A panel of experts rates the resorts
by ROGER ARGENT
Say what you will about the proud nation of Quebec, one thing that's never been in short supply are ski resorts. But with so many to choose from, and with some hills definitely better than others, it can be a tiresome and expensive ordeal to find the slopes best suited to your purpose.
With this in mind, the Mirror rounded up an enthusiastic team of local ski and snowboard experts to get their opinions and rate the more notable hills within striking distance of our fair city.
Making up this year's peanut gallery, and offering their ratings for the slopes of choice with a maximum rating of five, are: Michelle Ford, a local 17-year-old champion snowboarder who wins everything she competes in and is destined for big things; Stefanie Belleu and Andreanne Simon, two hot snowboarding chicks who "start doing the snow dance" as early as summer and host www.sunflowergirl.ca, a Web site devoted to the local snowboard scene; and Steven Stelzer, a 40-something master skier who hits the slopes "about 50 or 60 times on a good year" and has been skiing the local hills since he was eight years old.
Of course, if you don't have access to a car you'll find that your hill options are considerably diminished. But don't lost heart, Limocar (450-435-6767) provides bus transportation to many of the hills and will be posting bus/lift ticket specials on their Web site shortly (www.limocar.ca).
Eastern Townships
Mont Sutton
79 Main Street South
Sutton, QC
450-538-2545
www.montsutton.com
Slopes: 53
Vertical Drop: 460 metres
Chairlifts: 9
Schedule: Daily 9am-4pm. Weekends: 8:30am-4pm
Full day rate: $41
Promotions: Sutton 4 passes entitles skiers to 4 days of skiing for $130. A full week for $140. Midweek special: Purchase a half-day ticket midweek and receive a voucher for a free full day midweek pass.
In business for 41 years, Sutton is unique in that 40 per cent of its skiable terrain is glades. One of the largest resorts in Quebec, Sutton boasts 40 kilometres of runs with 194 junctions allowing you to take a different route on each run. The town of Sutton is also a pretty good place to get lucky if you've got après-ski action on your mind.
SS: A great hill. Kudos to whoever designed this mountain. They've got a really nice chalet at the summit. The harder runs are at the east and the easier ones are toward the west. Drawbacks: big lines on the weekends and the northern exposure means there's not much sun on the expert trails. Rating: 4.9
MF: Sutton has awesome glades, but the last time I was there they still had really old chairlifts from the 1950s or something. They were really slow and kind of scary. It's a big family hill with lots of old people and little kids. Rating: 3
S&A: They get a lot of snow and it's a really good hill for skiers, but we don't like all the crossovers on the slopes because, on a board, you can never really ride one from top to bottom. You're always having to merge or yield on this hill and it gets confusing because the place is like a maze. We don't think it's a great hill for snowboarders. The best thing about it are all the trails in the woods. The moguls are also pretty good. Rating: 3
Owl's Head
40 Owl's Head
Mansonville, QC
www.owlshead.com
800-363-3342
Slopes: 41
Vertical Drop: 540 metres
Chairlifts: 7
Schedule: Daily: 9am-4pm. Weekends: 8:30am-4pm
Full day rate: $32
Promotions: Carte Blanche: offers substantial discounts on the regular rate if you ski here more than three times over the season.
Owl's Head is a nice, relatively inexpensive hill whose primary claim to fame is the magnificent views it offers of Lake Memphremagog and the surrounding area. It's been around since the Stone Age and some of the lifts reflect this reality. Still, most people give it an unenthusiastic thumbs up. This year they've opened up three new trails for glade skiing. The Vieille Bouche Pub is the place to go for après-ski in these parts.
SS: I never got head from an owl but this mountain has really good snow and offers great value for the money. It's a good family mountain with some tough runs, but the staff is conservative and doesn't open them unless there is complete snow coverage. Ski under the barriers and chance it. The staff is nice and the line-ups are not bad. Rating: 3.75
MF: I guess it's a good hill for beginners.
Rating: 3
Mont Glen
136 Glen Knowlton
West Bolton, QC
450-243-6142
www.glen.qc.ca
Slopes: 32
Vertical Drop: 335 metres
Chairlifts: 2
Schedule: Thursday to Sunday: 9am-4pm. Seven days a week over the Xmas holidays and Spring Break
Full day rate: $27.50 weekends. $17.50 weekdays
Hidden away a little over 8 kilometres from the rockin' town of Knowlton, those in the know swear by Mont Glen. Inexpensive and largely frequented by locals, Glen has no artificial snowmaking but gets so much natural snow that nobody seems to mind too much. A relatively small hill by Townships standards, Glen has a first-rate Snow Park, and if you're feeling adventurous you can rent one of their hilltop cabins for the night. But be warned, said cabins have no electricity or running water. For a real taste of local culture, check out the Thirsty Boot drinking hole just up the road. Yeehaw!
SS: Glen is a very nice family mountain and the people are really friendly. No attitude here. They've got a few pretty good runs but nothing all that difficult. I really like their pub, but when you're out in these parts Knowlton is the place to go for après-ski. The Knowlton Pub, though not what it used to be, can still be a good time. Rating: 3.45
S&A: Mont Glen is a jewel. A small hill that gets crazy amounts of snow and the line-ups are never bad. But don't mention it in your guide because we don't want anyone else to know about it. Rating: 4
MF: Where is it?
Ski Bromont
150 Champlain
Bromont, QC
888-866-4270
www.skibromont.com
Slopes: 45
Vertical Drop: 405 metres
Chairlifts: 4
Schedule: Monday to Thursday: 9am-10pm. Friday: 9am-10:30pm. Saturday: 8:30am-10:30pm Sunday: 8:30am-10:00pm
Full day rate: $39
Night rate: $28
Promotions: Trio Semaine: three full days or three nights after 3pm for $69.
The best thing about Bromont is that it's less than 40 minutes away from the Champlain Bridge. A decent hill, they are said to have an above average ski school.
SS: Even though I'm not crazy about Bromont I still think it's better than just about anything in the Laurentians. For night skiing I'll take it over Gabriel or Sauveur any day of the week. They also have hourly rates, so you can quit when you get bored, which for me, doesn't take too long here. The chalet is always crowded and the lines are usually pretty thick. Overall though, Bromont is pretty good value for the money. Rating: 3.3
MF: It's basically a family hill. There's nothing spectacular about it. And in answer to your question, no, it's probably not such a good place to pick up chicks. Rating: 3
S&A: Bromont is really icy and really steep but pretty good for night skiing when it's not too crowded--which isn't very often. They've got some really good jumps. though, including one run we like that has jumps from top to bottom. Downside is that it's really windy. It's probably a good place to pick up chicks. Rating: 3.5
Laurentians
Mont Saint-Sauveur
350 St-Denis
Saint-Sauveur, QC
800-363-2426
www.montsaintsauveur.com
Slopes: 34
Vertical Drop: 213 metres
Chairlifts: 8
Schedule: Monday to Friday: 9am-10:30pm. Saturday: 8:30am-10:30pm. Sunday: 8:30am-9pm
Full day rate: Weekends: $41. Weekdays: $35 Night: $30.
Promotions: Two days: $72. Three days: $104. Four days: $134.
Outside of all the swell-looking riders here, one of the best things about Mont Saint-Sauveur is that your lift ticket enables you to ride at all of its sister hills in the region: Mont Gabriel, Mont Olympia, Ski Morin Heights, and Mont Avila. None of these hills are particularly spectacular, mind you, but they offer a change of scenery and are more than fine for beginning or intermediate skiers. There are pretty regular shuttles between the various hills, and, of course, après-ski in the village of Saint-Sauveur is none too shabby. Mont Saint-Sauveur recently acquired a new high-speed quad which can get skiers up to the summit in less than three minutes.
MF: It's a young hill with a lot of crazy riders on it which is kind of fun. There are always a lot of show-offs at Sauveur, but that's okay. The Wednesday night snow jams are always crazy, when the locals come out. Rating: 4
SS: I liked this hill a lot more 30 years ago. They cut down a lot of trees to get more runs in and now it looks like a tundra. The chalet is nice but crowded and I find that after half-a-dozen runs I am bored--although they do have a couple of good bump runs here. Rating: 2.7
S&A: We really like Mont Saint-Sauveur--although it gets a little icy. The snowboard park is really cool and there are some excellent riders here. It's best at night because they have a lot of activities and there are fewer people. Last year a season pass for night riding was a really good deal at $170. And yes, there are a lot of people hitting on one another here, so I suppose it's a good place to pick up chicks. Rating: 3 daytime, because it's crowded. 5 at night.
Mont Tremblant:
Mont Tremblant, QC
3005 Principal
800-461-8711
www.tremblant.ca
Slopes: 92
Vertical Drop: 645 metres
Chairlifts: 13
Schedule: Daily 8:30am-4pm. First tracks from 7:30am
Full day rate: $58
Promotions: Buy two full day lift tickets and receive a third day free until December 21.
The most-renowned of area hills, Mont Tremblant is also the most expensive and many winter sports enthusiasts will tell you that it's considerably overrated. That said, it is undeniably huge and the après-ski action, if you have a lot of money, is primo along the Tremblant strip.
SS: It's over-rated and over-priced and populated by snobs who like to show off their cash more than their ability. You even get charged in some places for parking. They do have the show going on though. Good artificial snow and grooming and lots of challenging runs. The lifts are nice and fast but there are still lots of lines. Rating: 4
MF: Avoid it from late December to mid-February when it is horrible. There are too many people there and it's always icy and it's so cold. The lines are terrible and even worse for the beginner runs. It's not so bad if you stay in the snowboard park. Tip: park on the north side of the hill where there are fewer people. It's best in the spring when there are fewer people and it's not so brutally cold. I was there once last year and it was minus-80 up top. Rating: 4
S&A: It's a downer because the top is really steep but then it evens out before it gets steep again--which kind of sucks if you're on a board. Stick to the snowboard park, which is pretty good. But it's a good place to pick up chicks--expensive, high-maintenance ones. And you can't take away the fact that it's such a high mountain. Hyper crowded, hyper icy. Rating: 4
Mont Blanc:
1006 Route 117
Saint-Faustin-Lac-Carre, QC
800-567-6715
www.montblanc.com
Slopes: 36
Vertical Drop: 300 metres
Chairlifts: 5 lifts 2 T-bars
Schedule: 8:30am-4pm
Full day rate: Weekdays: $26 Weekends: $35
Promotions: Tuesday is Ladies Day offering a full day lift ticket and free daycare for $16. Wednesday is Men's Day offering free access to their sports complex with its sauna, steambath and pool, again for only $16. Date restrictions apply.
SS: Take the extra 20 minutes and drive to Tremblant instead. It's a nice mountain for kids and stuff but boring for skiers. Rating: 2.6
MF: A big decent hill but there's nothing special about it. Lots of children with their parents.
Rating: 3
S&A: Mont Blanc is beautiful with a really cool half-pipe. It's not too icy because it's never that busy. Rating: 4
Vermont
Jay Peak:
www.jaypeakresort.com
800-451-4449
Slopes: 75
Vertical Drop: 2153 feet
Chairlifts: 7
Schedule: Weekdays: 9am-4pm. Weekend: 9am-4:30pm
Full day rate: $52
Promotions: Buy a Passport Card for $50 Cdn. and get your lift tickets for $40 all season plus receive 10 per cent off on lodging, repairs, ski shop and food from the snack bar.
Even though they take Canadian funds at par, riding at Jay Peak still isn't all that cheap. Nevertheless, most riders in these parts agree that Jay is about as good as it gets in the Northeast and offers excellent value for the money. Smack in the middle of some wacky weather system, Jay gets more snow than any other hill in these parts and is often open until mid-May.
SS: They've got great snow and excellent bump runs. A lot of good advanced runs are off the Jet Triple Chairlift. It is one of the only mountains around Montreal where you can do out-of-bounds skiing. People are friendly here, not like the snobs at Tremblant, and the calibre of skiing you see at Jay is the best in the Northeast. This is my main hill. Rating: 5
MF: Jay is amazing! Last year they got close to a foot of powder every week. It's a really great mountain for back country--although it gets very, very cold. I wouldn't really recommend Jay to beginners. No big line-ups either. Rating: 5
S&A: We love Jay Peak. It's really good. Way better than Tremblant. Rating: 5
South Shore
Mont Saint-Bruno
550, 25 Saint-Bruno
Saint-Bruno, QC
450-653-3441
Slopes: 14
Vertical drop: 130
Lifts: 8
Schedule: Monday to Thursday: 9am-10pm. Friday and Saturday: 9am-11pm. Sunday: 8am-8pm
Full day rate: $28. Night: $19
Like Bromont, the main advantage to Mont Saint-Bruno is that it's so close. They generally attract a young snowboarding crowd but it's possible the management might be moving towards a more family-oriented direction this year. A new hillside bar is opening up that will not serve anybody who is under 25 years old. Hmmm.
MF: It's really small but it's so close to the city it's worth going to if you need a quick fix. And it's pretty cheap too. Rating: 4
S&A: It's a fun place for night boarding. But it gets crowded very quickly. Rating: 3
SS: There is absolutely no point to come here unless you live within 20 minutes of the hill and are too lazy to go anywhere else. Rating 1.2
Quebec City area
Stoneham Mountain Resort
1420 Hibou
Stoneham, QC
800-463-6888
www.ski-stoneham.com
Slopes: 30
Vertical drop: 420 metres
Lifts: 10
Schedule: Monday to Friday: 9am-10pm. Saturday: 8:30am-10pm. Sunday: 8:30am-9pm.
Full day rate: $41. Night: $23
Promotions: Club Action card: $21 buys you a card and offers substantial discounts if you intend on skiing here several times over the season.
A bit of a hike just for a day of skiing but serious riders agree that it's worth the trip. This year they have upgraded their already excellent snowboard park.
MF: Stoneham is the best deal in the area.. It's a really big hill with a great, well-kept snowboard park and the people are friendly. There are lots of younger riders, and yes, I suppose it's a good place to pick up chicks. They've put a lot of money into it lately. Rating: 5
S&A: They have lots of snowboarding events here which is really cool--especially their 418 snowboard camp which is a three-day event given by pro boarders. They've got a really cool big long pipe. It's the same sort of crowd who go to Sauveur but the riding is better. Rating: 4
SS: I understand it's a great hill for cruising. Rating: 3.2
Also of note
Station Altitude
1259 chemin 321,
Papineauville, QC
819-983-1553
www.chez.com/snowpark
Rates: Around $10. $7 in spring.
A big freestyle snowboard park in the Outouais that is supposed to be really, really cool. Boarders are taken to the top of the hill via skidoo.
Val St-Côme
501 chemin Val St-Côme
Val St-Côme, QC
800-363-2766
www.valsaintcome.qc.ca
Full day rate: Weekend: $34. Weekdays: $27. Night: $20.
Nestled way up in the Joliette, Rawdon area of de Lanaudiere, Val St-Côme is a big steep hill that not a lot of people know about.
MF: I really like Val St-Côme. They have an amazing board park that is always very well kept. It's not that expensive with a lot of steep hard runs but plenty of slopes for beginners too. Rating: 4.5
S&A: What's good about Val St-Côme is that it's far enough away that not too many people go there. The snow conditions are pretty good all season and they take good care of their slopes. It's pretty steep--good pitches there--and they've got a really nice big pipe. Rating: 5
Mont Gabriel:
1699 Mont-Gabriel
Ste-Adèle, QC
450-227-1100
www.montgabriel.com
Slopes: 18
Vertical Drop: 200
Chairlifts: 7 lifts
Schedule: Weekdays: 9am-6pm. Friday and Saturday: 8:30am-10:30pm Sunday: 8:30am-4pm
Full day rates: Weekdays: $15. Weekends: $25. Night: $15.
This year, in celebration of its 60th anniversary, Mont Gabriel is offering cut rate prices to skiers. Historically a popular hill with the snowboarding crowd, the management have recently decided to close down their snowboard park and are gearing themselves up to be more of a family hill. It's small, but it's really cheap, and in previous years it was never very crowded. A great deal for skiers.
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