The Quebec Blog

It’s hard to wrap my head around living in a city where everyone skis. Skiing is such a subculture in metro New York, that to be really passionate about it gives you a little identity.

If you storm chase, you know that when you’re in an elevator at work the other 11 guys are all grumbling about winter, so you have to wear your smile on the inside.

In Montreal, it’s different. I’ll meet people at a technology conference and before I know it everyone is discussing the weather models and Candide’s newest video.

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Skis and snowboards are different tools for sliding down a snowy hill. They each have strengths. Conversation about their differences is old and hum-drum and yet it still never quite disappears.

Snowboarding may allow a more expressive descent on a trail and surf better on powder. Although the gap was narrowed with twin-tips and new shapes, skis might still be a bit less sexy precisely because of their utility. “Did you see me nail that traverse, I totally skated it hardcore!”

On my first run with a new snowboarding buddy last week, he commented on my buckle fiddling. I couldn’t believe a snowboarder was accusing me of being slow, it was rivalry deja vu all over again.

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With a weekday free to explore Quebec, I had my heart set on getting to the Whistler of the East with 10″ of fresh. That ski area will remain nameless however, because after many text messages with new friends I was convinced to pilot my car to a much smaller area in The Laurentian mountains: La Réserve.

After some technical difficulty on the drive, I arrived. It turns out the A25 bridge is a tolled path. There are no booths, it’s private and I think you need some sort of EZ-Pass. Suffice to say, if you’re heading North to checkout La Reserve, take the 15.

Once out of the city, I noticed something else I’ve missed in recent years — big snowbanks. A bit like Neo in The Matrix, the Laurentians are situated far enough North to have dodged rain drops for much of this season. I could have been in the anywhere north of the Artic Circle for all I know, with lots of snow and limited development.

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