Let me clarify something. I am a Stowe guy. The vertical is comparable (2,600 vs. 2,100, approximately) but the feel on the slopes was not quite the same. Stowe is a hard-core skiers'/riders' mountain. I would never pass by the likes of Stowe or Jay for the trails of Tremblant (though there are some great trails at Tremblant). What you come to the Laurentians for is the experience.
Most accommodations are right at the mountain. As a rule of thumb, The higher the hotel is on the mountain, the more prestigious it is.
We walked the whole time. Cars do not go into the village. That would take up room on the "Place St. Bernard" that is needed for tables and bars and lounge chairs and grill
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Most accommodations are right at the mountain. As a rule of thumb, The higher the hotel is on the mountain, the more prestigious it is.
We walked the whole time. Cars do not go into the village. That would take up room on the "Place St. Bernard" that is needed for tables and bars and lounge chairs and grills and people sunning themselves.
A typical day in Tremblant was up at 7:30am for a large buffet breakfast at the hotel ($21 Canadian/person) and then readying ourselves to ski. Lifts operate on a varied schedule, but most are running at 8am. In the morning, we'd ski the Versant Nord or Versant Edge. These areas seem to get the sun and soften up first. The Edge, marked as only for experts, is a very satisfying section with only one cut trail and a selection of glades.
At midday, we would have lunch at the Grand Manitou summit lodge or, better yet, ski to the village and eat at one of the many outdoor cafes. Le Shack became a personal favourite for its reasonably priced ($12) bacon cheesburger and 20-oz. labatt bleus. Afternoon skiing would be on the Versant Sud or Versant Soleil, followed by apres ski in the village, where a DJ rocks the tunes while kids play volleyball in the middle of the plaza.
An early evening swim in the Fairmont's outdoor pool, followed by dinner (at $100/person, with drinks--an expensive proposition), followed by drinks at the Diable Brewpub or Le Petit Caribou, followed by a nice Cuban smoke ($40... yes, I did say $40. Canada has a 100% tax on cigars). Next day, repeat.
One word of caution: The slopes get crowded. There seemed to be a phenomenon of beginners needing to get on the diamonds. It slowed everything down and bottlenecked some of the better trails. By the end, I came to the conclusion that I could always ski the steeps at Stowe. I took to the glades and, interestingly, to some of the green and blue cruisers, where I found the best snow. I also found that the rating system varied. Some blacks could have been blues, blues-blacks, blacks-doubles... well, you get the picture. Use your wild side and explore. At 90+ trails, there should be some kind of nirvana for everyone.
Conditions were nice in the morning and slushy in the afternoon, but the elusive corn was around. Temperatures were in the low 30s (F) and just nice enough to sit in the sun in the village, which, as it turns out, is what Tremblant is all about.
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