Family Day Weekend February 15 – 18, 2013: Extreme Fun in the Sun (and cold)

Mont Tremblant, Quebec

 Accomodations

Crystal Inn

We have been going to Mont Tremblant Ski Resort for years.  It is located about a two and and a half hour drive northeast of Ottawa.  We have stayed in the Resort village at a bunch of different hotels, we have stayed in the tiny town down the road, we've borrowed a friend's cottage.  But this year, I think we may have found a hidden gem!  Crystal Inn Bed and Breakfast contains numerous murals and four crystal themed rooms. We were in the Amethyst room. It has purple walls and lilac trim. There are purple towels and purple bathrobes.  (I put some photos on my Facebook page.  Go have a look.  Or go to their Facebook page for even more pictures.) The Inn has a hot tub and the night cleared just long enough for us to sit in it under the stars. Then the clouds rolled in and it started to gently snow. Gorgeous. We signed up for a 7am breakfast which consisted of bottomless orange mango smoothies and the best crepes I’ve ever had. An hour and half chitchatting with the owners was thoroughly enjoyable but put us behind schedule so our first run wasn’t until 10am; just as the rest of the gang was taking their first break.

 Snow Conditions

The ski hills of Eastern Canada and the United States are notoriously icy.  Tremblant is no exception and generally in mid February it would be at it's worst.  So, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the snow conditions were optimal.  Indeed, you had to try very hard to find those icy patches!  Not once in the three days of riding, did I find myself on my butt crying and cursing that I had taken on too much hill! 

Weather

It was cold.  Going up in the chair lifts was bone chilling!  Everyone had their goggles down and face masks up.  But there was a great big clear.blue sky and at the bottom of the runs in the lift lines the sun warmed you up, a bit. Monday morning it was -19C with the wind chill making it seem like -29C.  I tried to take a picture of the wind blowing Luke around at the summit but I think it was too cold for the camera.  There is no picture anyway. 

Big thanks to my brother's brother-in-law for arranging the weekend.  Planning is something I'm not very good at and committing to a ski vacation months in advance is something I never do.  You can't trust the weather or the snow conditions.  I never would have gone to Tremblant this past weekend if I had been paying attention to the weather.  Just goes to show, you never know.

Nightlife

If you really want to enjoy the nightlife at Tremblant, you need to say on the Hill preferably in the pedestrian village.  The condo the family stayed at was about a 15 minute walk from the bar scene which ensured the young adults would have all kinds of drama on their night out.  Which they did.  

We were not at the condo but at the old railway hotel Hotel Mont Tremblant and Au Coin Resto-Bar in the old village.  We discovered that there is a great bus service and took advantage of it to avoid drinking and driving and enjoy dinner with the family at the condo and a pitcher of beer at El Diablo on saturday night. El Diablo is a great little brew pub we always visit when we at Tremblant.

'til Next Time

Easter is early this year and with the tremendous snowfall we've had, conditions should be great for spring skiing over the Easter weekend.   We have spent many Easters at Tremblant.  It is often the last weekend of the season and part of the Sikwam festival.  There is also the Caribou Splash which is great fun to watch.