SLOPES Switch your job to the late shift and pick up a weekday season pass
Mont Saint-Sauveur traditionally is the first area in Quebec to open — maybe even this weekend — and the last to close in spring, so investing in lift passes here has high returns over the long term.
Mont Saint-Sauveur International offers a night season pass at $199 at its six smallbut-feisty areas in the Lower LaurentiansandGatineau.Or simply switch your job to the late shift and pick up a weekday season pass for $345. The seniors’ deals are so tempting that you probably can’t wait to turn 60, when you can snag 50 per cent off at a different area every weekday. You can ski well into your old age pension with steals like Tuesdays at Ski Mont Gabriel for $15.70 and Mondays at Mont Olympia at $18.57.
Farther north, Mont Tremblant, Quebec’s largest downhill resort area, now is recognized far and wide. Along with the iconic villages of Zermatt, Chamonix, Aspen and Whistler, National Geographic Magazine has named Tremblant one of the world’s 25 best snow-sports towns, labelling it great “for croissant-loving skiers and riders looking for European ambience.”
True, but we all experience different Tremblants.
Take the Middle Eastern princes, South American jetsetters and Hollywood movie stars who arrive for the high life by private jet at Mont Tremblant International Air-
Casino Express Gondola is a gorgeous ride high
over the forest.
port. They surely are revelling in their first Canadiana log cabin, Beaver Tails and maple sugar taffy. Then there is the picture-postcard sight of the Laurentian forests and mountains blanketed by snow, not to mention 1,000 snow guns manufacturing more of the white stuff.
Or imagine the New Yorkers and Torontonians who fly in on Porter’s charters. I bet they need that croissant fix — and Tremblant’s best is said to be at the posh Hotel Quintessence. But, most Montrealers arrive by car or bus, then cocoon in slopeside condos and frolic along the buzzy pedestrian village, which has cute shops and family eateries.
The lifts will roll on Nov. 22 and opening-day festivities at the summit restaurant Le Grand Manitou include schmoozing with the likes of Olympic snowboarder JaseyJay Anderson. To round out the party, world champion downhiller Erik Guay and FIS snowboarding champ Ariane Lavigne will make virtual appearances on Facebook video clips.
Tremblant can be daunting economy-wise, but there are a lot of free features — yes, free! — if you have the inside dope. Even if you are not betting the farm on blackjack or roulette, the Casino Express Gondola is a gorgeous ride high over a forest wilderness with unparalleled panoramas of Lake Tremblant. Intrawest also runs free guided tours for skiers or boarders, departing from the summit at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., daily. It’s a great introduction to a big area and you’ll have company to give you confidence. To boot, guests of all slopeside hotels have First Tracks privileges for magical morning slides before the lifts open to the public. Also free around the Tremblant village are ice skating, after-dark tubing, animation for children and après-ski concerts in the bandshell.
Tremblant reservations guru Johanne Aubin tipped me off to the new Latitude Card that offers lift tickets starting $49.99 per person, per day, and also includes discounts for the rest of the season. That’s for people on a two-to-seven-night visit. For frequent skiers, the opportunity to snap up Mont Tremblant’s new $399 Sublime Season Pass has come and gone — bookmark that for September 2013 — but a runner-up is the T-66 card at $379 which has 66 days of slope time and other markdowns. For overnights, depending on how many people bunk into a hotel room or condo, lifts and lodging start at $79 per person.