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Tremblant is a thoroughly modern mountain, with up-to-date lifts, snowmaking, and grooming. At its base sits a charming, old-fashioned village - also thoroughly modern. The juxtaposition of new and what appears to be old is one of the strengths of Tremblant"s owner, Intrawest. The company has managed to create a vibrant, pedestrian-only village in the spirit of, say, the Old Quarter in Quebec City without it looking - or feeling - like a theme park. There are real shops and real stores here, hustle and bustle, fine inns, and most of the services you could ever want. The village has done much to enhance Tremblant"s already formidable reputation. Of course, having a wide expanse of diverse terrain, plus the ability to get people to it easily, is the heart and soul of a resort and Tremblant delivers there, too. With a vertical drop on the South Side (Versant Sud) of 2116 feet, 610 acres of marked terrain, 92 trails and 31 acres of glades, few will complain of a lack of suitable terrain for their ability level. Thirteen lifts, including six detachable quads and a gondola (telecabine), provide swift uphill transport. Absolute beginners have a separate area in front of the Fairmount Hotel. Designed for kids five to twelve and adults just starting out, it features two magic carpets, a heated tent, and an outdoor fireplace. There"s another carpet nearby at the edge of Place St-Bernard that serves the gentle Onesime. From there beginners work their way up - all the way up to the top if they wish - where a wide variety of trails awaits. For kids there"s Lower Nansen, a designated Children"s Adventure trail, but the more adventurous can take La Crête, Upper Nansen, and Mi-Chemin to Bière-en-bas for a long cruise. All of the above are on the South Side; but P"tit Bonheur will take you over the top and down to the bottom of Versant Nord, where the Expo Express accesses more green circle trails. Intermediates have about an equal number of choices on both sides. Franc Sud and Toboggan off the Le Soleil Quad skirt the Sunny Side area (Versant Soleil). Elsewhere on Versant Sud, blue square trails fade into green or begin black before turning blue. But much of the single black trails are regularly groomed and strong intermediates should have little trouble negotiating them. Neither will advanced skiers and riders, but Tremblant has plenty of challenge all the same. Vertige to Zig-Zag on the South Side is a good double black combo; Ryan starts off black then becomes double black (you can bail on the intermediate Charron before the toughest section). The double black glade Brasse-Camarade shares the trees on Versant Soleil with black diamond glades Bon Vieux Temps and La Jamme; indeed most of this area is black diamond. On the North Side there are no fewer than 19 black and double black trails and glades from which to choose, and The Edge (Versant Edge) is all sous-bois. Versant Nord is also home to the Superpipe, and the Gravite and mini-Gravite terrain parks. The pipe and big park are served by their own surface tow. Finding a place to eat, either on the mountain or in the village, will not be a problem. Deciding where and what cuisine you"d like will be. Opt for the regional cuisine and you won"t be disappointed, but there are Italian, Mexican, and Japanese restaurants, too. Add to this list 15 cafes and bistros (including a juice bar, Fluide), and six sweet shops, and avoiding occasional over indulgence may be impossible. As for lodging, you only need to pick your preference (hotels, condos, chalets and homes, B&Bs, inns and lodges) and your price point and you"re sure to find something slopeside or very near. Off-Slope Fun Après-ski excitement is handily located in the village, where four places - Microbrasserie la Diable, Cafe d"Époque, Le P"tit Caribou and Octobar Rock - will take you into the wee hours. Less energetic, if not less expensive, are the more than four dozen shops and galleries in the village. More energetic but cheaper by far (and good for you, too) are the 90 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails that roll through the Laurentian Mountains, including a trail that traverses Tremblant"s ridgeline and includes the view from its 3175" summit.
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Ski Report
Quebec
