jamesdeluxe
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2020
After the high-end, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink offerings at Tremblant, Mont Blanc is a return to a more old-school ski experience. Located conveniently right alongside Route 117 with 900 vertical feet spread out across a ridgeline — about the same general footprint as upstate New York’s Greek Peak, but more consistently pitched — Mont Blanc is a prototype Laurentians family mountain that’s been owned and operated by the same family for more than 40 years.
Originally consisting of two separate ski areas (Mont Blanc and Mont Faustin, see trail map below) that were combined into one in the early 1980s, the hill packs a lot of variety into its 41 trails. With the exception of expert skiers, there’s terrain for every level, including a handful of nicely pruned glades.
Surrounded by parents spending quality time with their kids and a couple busloads of junior-high students enjoying a school-sanctioned day on the snow, you could feel the family vibe everywhere. At one point, we came across a father and his three-year-old daughter maneuvering through a bumped-up glade. Not only was she using poles (a rare sight with ski tots in the U.S.); she also moved confidently through the trees like a veteran bark eater.
Since we were there on a Tuesday, all members of the fairer sex skied for $20. Men get the same deal on Wednesdays.
Mont Tremblant in the distance:
As fun as the skiing was, the high point of our day was a visit to the busy cabane à sucre (sugar shack) at the summit, where they serve the addictive late-winter national institution: maple taffy. Maple syrup is heated to 200 degrees and poured onto snow in rectangles. After letting it cool for 30 to 60 seconds until it solidifies somewhat, you twist it up with a Popsicle stick into a gooey roll and quickly devour. My wife was so enamored of this sweet, fragrant stuff that we returned two more times that afternoon.
Rounding out our visit were two pleasant nights at a comfortable ski-in/ski-out condo on the far looker’s right of Mont Faustin. With just enough resort amenities to provide for a fun family visit (or a quick one-day in and out), but not too much to overwhelm you, we both agreed that Mont Blanc was a nice counter-balance to nearby Tremblant:
Originally consisting of two separate ski areas (Mont Blanc and Mont Faustin, see trail map below) that were combined into one in the early 1980s, the hill packs a lot of variety into its 41 trails. With the exception of expert skiers, there’s terrain for every level, including a handful of nicely pruned glades.
Surrounded by parents spending quality time with their kids and a couple busloads of junior-high students enjoying a school-sanctioned day on the snow, you could feel the family vibe everywhere. At one point, we came across a father and his three-year-old daughter maneuvering through a bumped-up glade. Not only was she using poles (a rare sight with ski tots in the U.S.); she also moved confidently through the trees like a veteran bark eater.
Since we were there on a Tuesday, all members of the fairer sex skied for $20. Men get the same deal on Wednesdays.
Mont Tremblant in the distance:
As fun as the skiing was, the high point of our day was a visit to the busy cabane à sucre (sugar shack) at the summit, where they serve the addictive late-winter national institution: maple taffy. Maple syrup is heated to 200 degrees and poured onto snow in rectangles. After letting it cool for 30 to 60 seconds until it solidifies somewhat, you twist it up with a Popsicle stick into a gooey roll and quickly devour. My wife was so enamored of this sweet, fragrant stuff that we returned two more times that afternoon.
Rounding out our visit were two pleasant nights at a comfortable ski-in/ski-out condo on the far looker’s right of Mont Faustin. With just enough resort amenities to provide for a fun family visit (or a quick one-day in and out), but not too much to overwhelm you, we both agreed that Mont Blanc was a nice counter-balance to nearby Tremblant:
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