theH1 gazette section montrealgazette.com Saturday, November 9, 2013 the gazette montrealgazette.comsection Saturday, November 9, 2013H1 H section· ·The Gazette Saturday· · 11 . 09 . 13 Snowy auberge offers Belgian hospitality and ales. Page h9

FORT LAUDERDALE WEEKLY FFLIGHTSLIGHTS FROMFROM MMONTREALONTREAL starting from

Departure: Dec 11 | Return: Dec 25 $ 7 nights | per person, taxes included 351 CONTACT YOUR TRAVEL AGENT OR VISIT SUNWING.CA Flights are on Sunwing Airlines. license holder. 11/09/2013 t r a v e l MON01039396_1_1 Editor: Evangeline Sadler | [email protected] ♦♦

Mont Ste-Anne Mont Ste-Anne has great skiing as well as spectacular views of the St. Lawrence River.

to $49.99 per person, per day, for two to seven days of non-consecutive snow time, plus 15-per-cent discounts on additional visits. The T-66 card, avail- Rev. Charles-Hector Deslauriers said able at $299 until Dec. 10, has 66 days mass at Mont Tremblant chapel with of slope time and other perks. For Get your passes now for the bestski deals boots peeking at ski out slopes from under all his overovernights, Quebec search www.tremblant.ca The hills robes.are And French countesses worked aliveand go to Last Minute Offers for spe- as chambermaids at local ski lodges cials on unsold hotel rooms and con- highlight of ESPN’s X Games. just to enjoy Quebec’s unpretentious dos at Les Suites Tremblant. As well, “I am very proud of Mont Trem- joie de vivre. When the Ryan family there are super sales for visits bought blant’s anniversary year,” said Olym- sold in the ’60s, the party fizzled, and before Dec. 3, and savings of 20 to 40 pian Peter Duncan, who grew up at the Mont Tremblant missed the era of per cent if you stay two, three or four mountain, trained on its rugged steeps sweeping ski modernization during nights. and competed at the 1964 and 1968 the ’70s and ’80s. Price breaks on lift tickets abound Rochelle Lash Games. “It means we have consistency, Intrawest took over in the 1990s and throughout Quebec. The best buy is the Special to The Gazette continuity and staying power.” turned a flagging ski hill into a so- Ski Passe-Partout, which costs $39.99 Duncan’s grandfather, a blacksmith, phisticated 21st-century resort with and is on sale now. It offers up to 40-per- et the parties begin. Two of Que- arrived in St-Jovite from Scotland in real cuisine, a casino and condos. The cent discounts with a maximum of five bec’s pivotal snow-sports areas the late 1800s. Later, when the moun- par-taay will resume when the season visits to any of the more than 70 Alpine are marking significant anni- tain’s development started, Duncan’s opens Nov. 21 with festivities, VIPs areas that are members of the Asso- versaries during the 2013-2014 father, Charles, was Mont Tremblant’s and, depending on weather, some of ciation des Stations de Ski du Québec. season. first employee. “Charlie” was the the 95 trails, 14 high-tech lifts and 1,000 Available at Sports Experts, Intersport LMont Tremblant is celebrating 75 operations manager who helped to snow guns. and S3 Board stores, the Passe-Partout years since it inaugurated the first carve the mountain’s first trails, in- With a dash of European glamour, is such a hot gift that it sells out well be- in , on Feb. 12, 1939. cluding the Duncan, and installed the a splash of Wonderland family appeal fore Christmas. And using the budget- And Stoneham is turning 50: Quebec first chairlift in Canada in 1939. Trem- and a heap of Quebec savoir faire, conscious Accèski Famille card, avail- City’s spirited suburban mountain blant’s founder, rakish American Joe Mont Tremblant has been named “one able at www.mysnowstore.com, one will host its 10th Fédération Inter- Ryan, named the game-changing con- of the world’s top 25 ski villages” by parent and one snow bunny under 16 nationale de Ski (FIS) World Cup in traption the Flying Mile Chair, after National Geographic magazine. can ski or ride together for $40 at most January, the last international com- his favourite race horse. Tremblant isn’t cheap — you need major areas except Mont St-Sauveur petition before the Winter Olympics The ’40s and ’50s were a wild time fat stacks, some would say — but and Mont Tremblant. and a rare chance to see thrilling for a glamorous sport, with rollick- there are lots of ways to save. You can slopestyle, the extreme acrobatic ing après-ski and a lot of legends. opt into a Latitude Card, which comes Please see SKI choices, Page H2

I am very proud of Mont Tremblant’s anniversary year. It means we have consistency, continuity and staying power. Ol y m p i a n Pe t e r Du n c a n HH2 2 sectionTravel the gazette · montrealgazette.com · Saturday, November 9, 2013

Mont Tremblant Mont Tremblant, marking its 75th year in the coming season, is Eastern Canada’s largest snow park and has been named one of the world’s top 25 ski villages by National Geographic. Ski choices and deals in Quebec are almost as varied as snowflakes

Continued from h1 summit-to-base trails and ❚ iF YOU GO the relatively mild micro-cli- Mont St-Sauveur’s own flex- mate created by its protective ible season passes are valid Association des Stations three-peak bowl. at its six affiliated downhill de Ski du Québec: 877- For experts, “Les 40s” add areas in the Laurentians and 614-2777, 450-765-2012, up to a wall of extreme black- : $199 for nights or maneige.com, mysnowstore. diamond runs like La Bomba $399 for a pass valid Monday com. Some special rates and La Chute. Stoneham to Friday (days and nights) are not available during also is prized by freestylers and Saturday and Sunday December holidays and for its Olympic-size halfpipe nights. At Ski Mont-Gabriel, spring break in February and and Parc XL, a competition- the day-and-night season pass March. calibre snow park with kicky costs $199 if three people buy Mont Tremblant Resort: new step-up jumps. Both at the same time, and skiers 888-736-2526, tremblant. Mont Ste-Anne and Stone- would pay an additional $39 a ca. ham have carved new glades, day to hit Mont St-Sauveur’s and both have extensive night trails in early and late season. Mont St-Sauveur Inter- skiing. national: 514-871-0101, The two mountains com- Eastern Townships montsaintsauveur.com, bine terrific ski-and-stay really, really mssi.ca; Mont St-Sauveur, deals with various hotels at wants us to ski and ride, and , Mont both the mountains’ bases is focusing on snow-making Avila, , Ski and in , starting and trail grooming to maxi- Mont Gabriel, Edelweiss. at $99 for Mont Ste-Anne and mize the experience. The : 866-538- $75 for Stoneham. If you pre- M2J Pass (valid Tuesdays to 2545, montsutton.com. pay the Book Early Package Thursdays and available only before Dec. 1, a three-night online) costs a remarkably Owl’s Head: 800-363- visit with lodging and day- low $111 for a season of day or 3342, owlshead.com. and-night skiing at both night snow sports, and that Mont Ste-Anne: 888-827- mountains starts at $91 per price dips to $90 if four people 4579, mont-sainte-anne. person, per night, double oc- buy in before Dec. 17. com. Réservotel: 800-463- cupancy. Night season passes cost 1568 for lodging. $160 (or $127 before Dec. 17 if Nordic skiing four people buy), and those Stoneham: 800-463- Cross-country skiing is so include the festive ­Nuits 6888, ski-stoneham.com; accessible that you can carve blanches when the lifts World Cup, Jan. 14 to 19. your own tracks in the near- close at 2 a.m. Day skiers get Ski Bromont: 866-276- est park, and then progress breaks, too: if four people buy 6668, skibromont.com. to the trail system on Mount online, tickets on Tuesdays Royal or the Morgan Arbor- through Thursdays will cost etum in the West Island. $30. neighbouring Owl’s Head In the country, favourite Mont Sutton is an irresist- will again share the Carte centres include Ski de Fond ible deal, simply because it Blanche, with discounts to Mont Tremblant at Domaine has some of the finest ski- both areas and a fifth visit for St-Bernard, so pastoral that ing and riding in Quebec. Its free. deer peek out from the trees; flank of steep mogul runs Family-friendly Owl’s Mont Ste-Anne, a paradise and its glades trails, nearly 45 Head, a postcard-pretty for both leisure and competi- per cent of the mountain, are mountain with striking tive skiers with the second unparalleled. Plus, there are views of Lake Memphrema- largest trail network in North bargains galore. gog and the Appalachians, is America, after one in Cali- You can’t do better than the diversifying with new trails fornia; and Parc national du $5 anniversary ticket on Dec. for snowshoeing, cross-coun- , nestled in the 17, when Mont Sutton marks try skiing and back-country mountains of the Eastern its 53rd season. Its accessible ski touring. Townships. ski-and-stay package, avail- The big hit for riders, nov- If you’re willing to invest able Mondays to Thursdays, ices and competitors will be in a five-hour drive to La Picasa/Tourisme Charlevoix starts at $89 per person, and a new boardercross course. Malbaie in Charlevoix, Mont At Mont Grand-Fonds in Charlevoix, the cross-country trails have huts with wood-burn- includes breakfast and a day And the new Snowscoot is Grand-Fonds is a special ing stoves and free refreshments situated every four kilometres. and a half of skiing. You can a cool slide that combines a secret. With an exceptional lock this in at virtually all with scooter-style snowfall, it combines a mod- of Sutton’s inns, including steering. est downhill area with great Auberge des Appalaches and If you log on to Owl’s Head’s family appeal and a superb Domaine Tomali-Maniatyn, new online store, you can save Nordic system. although not during holiday up to 40 per cent on lift tickets. The cross-country trails periods. And as of Jan. 7, until the sea- have heated huts with wood- Discounted theme days for son’s end, you can snare a lift burning stoves, clothes lines skiers and snowboarders (rid- ticket for $17.40 on Tuesdays for drying damp gear and free ers) start in January and run and Wednesdays. Ski-in, ski- soup and coffee. for seven weeks, with $25 lift out lodging at Owl’s Head Au- The huts are situated every tickets and $32 lessons for the berge starts at $90 per person, four kilometres along the 50+ Club (on Tuesdays), Suits double occupancy, includ- main ski routes, so you can & Ties (men, on Wednesdays) ing breakfast, lift ticket and ski for an entire day and stop and Divas on Skis (women, on taxes. frequently to warm up and Thursdays). fuel up. Mont Sutton’s snow school Quebec City area Fairmont Le Manoir Riche- has new ventures: daycare I am crazy about the feisty lieu runs a shuttle to the deals, snowboard lessons for steeps of Stoneham, which mountain and has ski-and- riders aged two to five, tele- is Mont Ste-Anne’s sister stay packages starting at $289 mark options, and learning mountain, but definitely not for a family of four, including packages starting at $60 with its little sister. your choice of snow sport. Le Owl’s Head a lesson, equipment rental Marking its 50th anniver- Parc Régional Mont Grand Mont Grand-Fonds/Tourisme Charlevoix Owl’s Head in the Eastern and lifts for novice trails. sary this year, Stoneham is Fonds: 877-665-0095, mont- The exceptional snowfall means great cross-country ski- Townships has an excellent This season, Sutton and exceptional for its consistent grandfonds.com. ing at Mont Grand-Fonds in Charlevoix. family ambience.