Tremblant

By Caroline Samson, special Contributor and GendronSki Group Leader

With the different sides and sectors of its mountain, its quaint pedestrian village, its alternate activities and variety of restaurants, Tremblant has everything you need for a great ski vacation. Repeatedly ranked one of the best ski destinations in North America, Tremblant also has a sublime atmosphere that I especially love in the spring, at Christmastime, or during any of the countless events it holds throughout the year.

That being said, the main reason we all go to Tremblant is to hit the slopes—and, with plenty of options for everyone, it’s certainly a joy to do. Officially, Tremblant has four sides, but I would actually say it has six distinct sectors: Versant Soleil with its long descents; the sector surrounding Flying Mile with its parks and crazy pitch; the often less-frequented Edge, which is simply fabulous after a heavy snowfall and where you are sure to have a blast weaving in and out of the trees; the varied and therefore extremely popular Versant Sud, with its magnificent lake views; Versant Nord for its abundance of possibilities; and, lastly, the Expo sector, where my friends and I spend half of our winter weekends!

Naysayers will often argue that Tremblant is too crowded on the weekends. My counter argument, and one that applies to practically any ski resort, is the following: get there early and, if possible, meet up with friends who ski the mountain regularly because they will know exactly where to go and what time to arrive in order to make the most of your day. Keep in mind that, at Tremblant, much like anywhere else, Sundays are the quietest, especially in the afternoon. On the flip side, during the Holidays and on Saturday mornings, around 10:00 a.m., the line-up for the Versant Sud gondola is likely to be a lot longer.

Sunny late afternoons are just as magnificent at Tremblant. In January, when the sun sets on the mountains to the west, ending the day by slowly winding down the slopes from Le Manitou cottage towards the base of Versant Sud, with Galarneau a kaleidoscope of colours in the background, is pure heaven. In March and April, when the end of the day is upon us, we tend to head over to Place Saint-Bernard instead—which is not too shabby either, if I do say so myself.

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