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.

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.

My mind went to drones, ufos, cruise missiles, anxiety. It took us until New Paltz to realize it was the Geminids Meteor Shower providing the entertainment, and it went on for hours. Not bad for a clear Friday night drive.

The next morning we continued North as record breaking high pressure set in and the mercury began to plummet. We got to Quebec mid day and set out for a stroll through the beautifully European style old town, complete with skating rinks, toboggan runs, alleyway marketplaces, funiculars, and delectable comestibles such as warm cider, German hot dogs, and maple snow candy.

Golden hour set in at 2pm and soon the entire town was ablaze with Christmas displays. Nearly every shop was pedaling some form of North Pole and Kringle accoutrements. An allegedly world famous ornament store had a line around the block just to get in even with temperatures nearing single digits. It was nice to be in a place where the true spirit of winter felt real. Shopping bags were filled with gifts for others and ourselves alike, and our stomachs brimmed with local delights. It was easy to fall asleep that night with dreams of fromageries and Christmas gnomes.

A slow morning sipping good coffee put us in the parking lot at the summit of Le Massif de Charlevoix at around 11am. It was strangely empty for how much snow seemed to be covering the slopes.

Apparently they have different standards up there as only about 20% of the mountain was open. Part of that had to do with the light rain they received in the last storm but I was surprised to only see one lift spinning as even the glades seemed pretty well coated. The gondola was only serving as transport from the base on the riverbank to the summit connecting two parking areas and access to the one side of the mountain that was open.

However, the vista more than made up for lack of terrain on offer. A river inversion slowly lifted through the day, revealing the vast St. Lawrence beneath for the last few runs. It was hard to focus on actual riding at times with the eyes wandering way off into the horizon.

It was a novel feeling cruising down into the maritime clouds, the air feeling crisper and colder down at the lift. Groomers can indeed be fun when you can really sink the edges without sliding out and the Massif grooming and snowmaking certainly felt high quality. Most of the mountain is north facing so the prospects of a deep storm on such a large and protected hill clould harbor stashes for many days after. A return trip should be a priority, but then again there’s Jay Peak and it’s three hours closer.

That evening we made it a point to get to Chez Rioux & Pettigrew which is said to showcase some of the truest of the local gastronomy, recommended to us by a former Quebec Nordique who knows the city well. Duck fois gras, deer tartare, pork blood black pudding, veal sweetbreads, and some odorous cheeses brought the palate on a journey through the surrounding hillside forests and farmlands, close to the earth and close to heaven at once.

Spending only two days after driving so far seems a little crazy, but with such a new feeling for being on the “east coast”, it really felt like traveling much further away and so the 9.5 hour return trip didn’t seem so bad. It was mostly a nice relaxing return to an easy week of work leading into the holidays.

Somewhere on the Thruway the thermometer hit 35, then 45, and the rain was coming down, reminding us of the barely winter we were returning to in the NYC metro. The solstice has arrived and it’s been cold and maybe we’ll have a white Christmas for the first time in 15 years right here in NYC. Still, we’d have to cross back into Quebec to enjoy that food again.