Skiing Mont Sainte Anne in Quebec, Canada

Greetings,

Hello from Mont Sainte Anne, Canada where I just enjoyed my first downhill ski session in 7+ years. I used to ski / snowboard all the time, had a seasons pass, twin tips and delusions of grandeur involving X-Games gold. That said, I’ve been out of the scene but fit right back in surprisingly well and enjoyed a great day of skiing. The conditions here were some of the best I’ve experienced in Eastern Canada as it’s been snowing 5-10cm a day for the last few days. Also the rentals I was given from Sport Alpin Ski Shop were as good a ski as I’ve ever ridden. The place is pretty big and lot’s going on, let’s talk about that now.

The resort has 67 trails with something for everyone. Considering I haven’t been skiing in forever and suffered egregious knee injuries in 2000, took it easy. We mainly stuck to the blue squares which are intermediate runs but did thoroughly enjoy some green circles which are easy cruisers. If you’re at the base of the mountain in front of the gondola, to your left is the more challenging terrain consisting of single and double black diamonds aka the tough stuff and to the right it’s more green circles and blue squares.  I was impressed with the lift infrastructure they had and above all else, thrilled that the place wasn’t too busy on this day and by that I mean I walked right onto the lift a few times.

At 10 am, I met a gent named Guy who has been skiing Mont Sainte Anne for 45 years and was kind enough to show me around the place. Considering I was just getting going again we kept things simple and cruised lots of interesting runs and even did some work in a few tree runs. I’m a huge fan of skiing the trees, especially when there is great ski conditions, lots of gaps and a pretty straightforward slope. That said, the trails always eventually turn into mogul runs which isn’t ideal on the old shock absorbers aka the knees, so did them sparingly.

At about noon we rolled into the cafeteria and had a meal that also meant a much needed rest. Downhill skiing is actually quite a bit of work, especially if your muscles aren’t used to it, let alone conditioned to the maneuvers. I ended up skiing for about 4-5 hours which has always been what I’d consider ideal. After X amount of runs, your body gets tired and if you’re not willing to commit to every turn, especially on trickier terrain, you’re asking for trouble.  Think about it, you’re standing on a surface built to be slippery on a steep snow covered slope…

It’s closing in on 5pm and the sun has set. Thinking an appropriate thing to do is wrap-up this post and take a soak in the hot-tub. They have this nice setup outside which is always a smart way to warm and soothe your muscles after a day on the slopes. I’m also going to look around and see what my dining options are as I know there are a few options available here.  I’d also like to point out that I’ve really enjoyed my room here at Chateau Mont Sainte Anne. Really comfortable with a mountain view and it has a kitchenette which is always clutch, especially for extended stays.

I’d like to thank Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec City Tourism and Guy for an awesome day on the slopes.

Tomorrow I’m headed to another ski resort in the area, stay tuned…

Tips hat,