Le Massif: Christmas Present

I had no plans for an early season trek north until our friends mentioned they’d be going to Quebec and had an extra room in their downtown loft rental. It’s tough to say no to a quick plunge into some foreign cuisine and culture without the need to hop on a plane, not to mention the very favorable exchange rate.

old towne Quebec
Old Town Quebec

The drive from Jersey City to Charlevoix QC is possible in a day, but probably not a good idea if you leave at 7pm on a Friday night. We opted for a stop in Plattsburgh. Not ten minutes on the turnpike, an intense flash above us streaked across the sky.

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Mont Catherine: On the Road, Past the Liftline

The famous ski corridor of the 15, north of Montreal, is spoiled for ski options. Skiing is a part of the culture, as evidenced by the billboards advertising ski manufacturers and fancy gore tex outerwear, all drawing the eyes of the millions in the city.

tree skiing

It would be hard to convince anyone that the sport is suffering when you can go to any hill and see an army of racer kids tearing down the slopes with matching jackets embroidered with the many sponsors, especially after a week like we’ve had with 40-50″ of new snow to bury any remaining memories of the summer.

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Sommet Olympia Reloaded

In the now-maligned 1999 film, The Matrix, the main character (Neo) is given a choice to swallow a pill that can continue his journey down a rabbit hole or another to return to his former life. Sometimes I feel a certain affinity to the tale. I too continue down towards the (mostly) unknown, visiting small ski areas that were off my radar a few years ago, in a country that is not my own.

Big Air

In the movie there’s a phenomenon known as “A Glitch” that takes on a special importance. If you were to notice something happening in a repeated way, you should take special notice of it since it could be important.

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