Ski trip to Mt. Tremblant

I just came back from a ski trip to Mt. Tremblant, Canada. I thought it was
a very good place to go - lots of terrain for a single mountain resort,
plenty of lifts, good facilities, restaurants, bars, stores, lodging, all
right there at the mountain.

While we were there (3 days) it snowed a little each day, with most of the
snow on the first night. My wife and I stayed just off the mountain at Club
Intrawest, which we were very impressed with. The first night we ate at a
place called "Q", which is the restaurant at the Hotel Quintessence. It was
superb! One of the nice things about dining in Canada, as compared to here
in the U.S., is that none of the wait staff we had at any restaurant told us
there name and that they would be serving us.

A. I don't care what the waitress's name is, and
B. I assume that since you're addressing me, you'll be serving me too.

Just a pet peeve.

Anyway, back to the skiing and eating. We didn't bring our ski stuff with
us, so we rented. There are several places right there that rent, so it was
easy and reasonably priced (about 30 USD). Everything worked and fit well,
so off we went. We skied over the weekend, but even so, there was never more
than a brief wait for some of the lifts, mainly the gondola at the base of
the slopes. Most lifts were no line at all.

The conditions were excellent, for the most part. Packed powder, some fresh
powder, very little granular and ice. Trails are pretty wide, with very good
signage. We never had any trouble figuring where we wanted to go, and the
staff at the mountain are always there asking if you need help.

We ate at the cafeteria on the North Face, it's less crowded. It's ski area
food.

Off the slopes though, the dining is excellent. There's a Mexican place in
the base village that makes pretty good Mexican food and has pitchers of
beer. Beer is expensive though, and any kind of mixed drink or cocktail is
measured exactly. I guess it's against the law to free pour in Canada, so my
wife's margarita was very weak, and my glass of scotch was miniscule. This
was the case everywhere.

There's another little coffee shop that has beer and light fare to eat that
we went to. I don't remember the name, but they had Guinness in cans, not
on draught unfortunately. But it was still good. We liked that place because
it was not full of little kids and families. We left the kids with the
grandparents, so I was glad to have some time for just the two of us.

One thing about Tremblant is that most of the trails are for advanced
skiers. There's lots of diamond and double diamond trials there. I think 75%
of the mountain is Blue square or harder. It didn't seem like the place to
take kids for a family trip, though there were certainly many families and
children.

One of the cooler things we saw was the Erickson Aerobatic Show. There was a
big event sponsored by Erickson that weekend, and on Friday night, they put
on a show. Teams of skiers did all kinds of flips and tricks, with music and
colored lights. That was kinda different.

All in all, it was a great time and I would go back in a second. Anyone
else been there?

Davlo wrote:

A. I don't care what the waitress's name is, and
B. I assume that since you're addressing me, you'll be serving me too.

Just a pet peeve.

I'm somewhat the opposite. When I frequent the same restaurant often I
like to get to know the staff. They treat me better. Also if I have a
very good waiter/waitress I will ask what nights they work and request
them to be my server.

Off the slopes though, the dining is excellent. There's a Mexican place in
the base village that makes pretty good Mexican food and has pitchers of
beer.

I'll have to try it when I visit next month. I live in Arizona so good
Mexican food anywhere that far from the southern US border states is a
rarity in my opinion. Depends on what you are used to!

One thing about Tremblant is that most of the trails are for advanced
skiers. There's lots of diamond and double diamond trials there. I think 75%
of the mountain is Blue square or harder. It didn't seem like the place to
take kids for a family trip, though there were certainly many families and
children.

Darn! My wife is pretty much a green circle skier. She ski's well and
is not a beginner but prefers the easier gentle long winding slopes.

"miles" wrote in message
news:%5_Ed.735$_d4.370@fed1read05...
Davlo wrote:

A. I don't care what the waitress's name is, and
B. I assume that since you're addressing me, you'll be serving me too.

Just a pet peeve.

I'm somewhat the opposite. When I frequent the same restaurant often I
like to get to know the staff. They treat me better. Also if I have a
very good waiter/waitress I will ask what nights they work and request
them to be my server.

Off the slopes though, the dining is excellent. There's a Mexican place
in
the base village that makes pretty good Mexican food and has pitchers of
beer.

I'll have to try it when I visit next month. I live in Arizona so good
Mexican food anywhere that far from the southern US border states is a
rarity in my opinion. Depends on what you are used to!


You may not think it's good Mexican. I'm sure that the Mexican food in
Arizona is a far cry from New England/Northeast. It was good to me though,
and I have pretty high standards, so hopefully I haven't set you up for any
dissapointment.



One thing about Tremblant is that most of the trails are for advanced
skiers. There's lots of diamond and double diamond trials there. I think
75%
of the mountain is Blue square or harder. It didn't seem like the place
to
take kids for a family trip, though there were certainly many families
and
children.

Darn! My wife is pretty much a green circle skier. She ski's well and
is not a beginner but prefers the easier gentle long winding slopes.


There are green circle trails and 1 or 2 of them can be taken from the
summit all the way down. I just wanted to convey the fact that there is a
lot more intermediate and expert terrain than beginner. Your wife should
find plenty of good skiing, and after a few green runs, she may be up for
some blue squares - they were not too hard for the novice skier.


Also, if you're looking for a refined, really special meal, I recommend Aux
Truffe. It's a classic French-style restaurant right in the base village. It
will cost a lot - our bill for the 2 of us was nearly $200. The food,
service, and ambience were all exceptional. Bon Appetite!

Mexican Food In Eastern Canada??? In A Cafeteria???? In A Ski Lodge??? You've Got To Be Kiding Me.

Davlo wrote:


There are green circle trails and 1 or 2 of them can be taken from the
summit all the way down. I just wanted to convey the fact that there is a
lot more intermediate and expert terrain than beginner. Your wife should
find plenty of good skiing, and after a few green runs, she may be up for
some blue squares - they were not too hard for the novice skier.

I think we'll decide if we're gonna ski or not once we get there. I'm
checking the weather reports and its basically -10F to +20F mostly
overcast for Montreal. I'm told Mt. Tremblant is even colder. Just
doesn't seem like a very nice place to spend a day. We're western
skiers used to bright sunny relatively warm days where only light ski
clothes are needed. The exception is on a snow day but even then its
usually in the upper 20F's.

"slownlow" wrote in message
...

Mexican Food In Eastern Canada??? In A Cafeteria???? In A Ski Lodge???
You've Got To Be Kiding Me.


Not in a cafeteria or lodge - there's a dozen or so independent restaurants
in a full village at the mountain. That's where the Mexican restaurant is.
It was pretty good, too.

Do you have to go to China for Chinese, Japan for Japanese, or Italy for
Italian food? So why can't Canada have decent Mexican?

"miles" wrote in message
news:FdhHd.1831$ry.1179@fed1read05...
Davlo wrote:


There are green circle trails and 1 or 2 of them can be taken from the
summit all the way down. I just wanted to convey the fact that there is
a
lot more intermediate and expert terrain than beginner. Your wife should
find plenty of good skiing, and after a few green runs, she may be up
for
some blue squares - they were not too hard for the novice skier.

I think we'll decide if we're gonna ski or not once we get there. I'm
checking the weather reports and its basically -10F to +20F mostly
overcast for Montreal. I'm told Mt. Tremblant is even colder. Just
doesn't seem like a very nice place to spend a day. We're western
skiers used to bright sunny relatively warm days where only light ski
clothes are needed. The exception is on a snow day but even then its
usually in the upper 20F's.


You will probably NOT like it at all, if those are the conditions you're
used to. It is very cold there generally, but with proper gear it's
comfortable. Proper clothing means good long underwear (I like Hot Chilies),
ski bib, a serious ski coat, probably a balaclava if you aren't used to
single digits with below zero wind chill, and excellent gloves. If you're
outfitted properly, the cold is no problem.

One thing you will not like here in the East is the ice. It's unavoidable at
times and in general there is packed powder and granular. Powder is
extremely rare.

I would still suggest you at least try one day of skiing out here - just to
know how spoiled you are with the skiing out West
Better to try something than wonder about it in retrospect.

Davlo wrote:

Do you have to go to China for Chinese, Japan for Japanese, or Italy for
Italian food? So why can't Canada have decent Mexican?

Generally you won't find decent Mexican food in an area that caters to
tourists from varying regions. Traditional Mexican food is not well
accepted by the general masses. Instead they often prefer the rather
bland style Mexican food. By bland I mean lacking flavor but still
might be hot. Good Mexican food to me is bursting with bold flavors and
may or may not be hot in the spicy sense.

Davlo wrote:


You will probably NOT like it at all, if those are the conditions you're
used to. It is very cold there generally, but with proper gear it's
comfortable. Proper clothing means good long underwear (I like Hot Chilies),
ski bib, a serious ski coat, probably a balaclava if you aren't used to
single digits with below zero wind chill, and excellent gloves. If you're
outfitted properly, the cold is no problem.

I have the right clothing. Only time I really need it is when I choose
to night ski. Even out west the temps will quickly drop close to zero
or below 0F after dark. I suppose we are spoiled out west. Its really
nice to be able to stop for lunch outside on a picnic bench, with a BBQ
going sipping a brewski and listening to a band play.

Generally skiing during the day in the west I wear thin stretch ski
pants with hot chilies, turtle neck with sweater over it, goggles and
gloves. On a snow day I'll put a liner over my ski pants to keep dry,
wear a decent jacket and wear a ski hat. If there is any wind then I'll
add a face mask.

While I love skiing on sunny days my favorate time is gently falling
soft snow with no wind. Usually means no crowds to as people don't like
skiing when its snowing nor do they like driving on the snow packed roads.

Speaking of which, do the roads around Montreal and vicinity often
become snow packed and icy?