NY Ski Magazine: Québec’s Laurentians

Last winter, I completed my tour of Québec’s three ski regions with a five-day visit to the Laurentians, an hour northwest of Montréal.

Tremblant Village, Quebec Laurentians
Tremblant Village

Due to the fact that the offerings there comprise an extremely popular full-service resort along with a dozen or so local hills (all 1,000 vertical feet or less), the Laurentians tend to get less attention from south-of-the-border skiers than the Eastern Townships and the mountains north of Quebec City, and understandably so.

That said, if you can put your usual expectations aside, it’s an interesting trip that mixes large and small: fun off-the-beaten-path hills, cute villages, great food, friendly locals, along with a couple days in the second biggest French-speaking city in the world, if you’re so inclined…

NY Ski Magazine
Québec’s Laurentians: The Autoroute-15 Ski Corridor

Catskills Winter Sampler Card

Catskills Winter Sampler CardIt was announced last night that the major ski resorts in the Catskills have entered into a joint promotion for the 2012/2013 skiing and riding season.

The Catskills Winter Sampler Card will cost $199 and includes one unrestricted adult lift ticket valid any day of the upcoming season at each of four premier winter ski and snowboard destinations in the Northern Catskills: Hunter Mountain, Windham Mountain, Belleayre and Plattekill Mountain. In the next few weeks the card will be available online at CatskillsWinterSampler.com.

Continue reading →

Windham Mountain, NY: 12/2/12

It’s my goal to ski and report on every ski mountain in New York. Given the demands of work, family, and our property near Gore, that may take a while. Until today, I’d never skied Windham Mountain in NY and it was a big gap in my resume.

Windham Mountain NY

My plan was to ski Windham for the first time last Friday — the mountain’s planned opening day — but work didn’t cooperate. Today the stars finally aligned, and I got my chance.

The forecast called for afternoon showers, so I left the flatlands well before dawn, to make the most of the morning. When I arrived at the mountain around 8:15 it was gray and warm. I grabbed a cubby in the main base lodge area and ordered breakfast. The resort feels very well cared for, and when you’re in the common areas, you do too. After chatting with the chef, I whirled around and somehow my egg sandwich ended up on the floor — it was replaced even before my embarrassment slipped away.

Continue reading →