On Sunday, I found a nordic center that's serious about nordic skiing. We enjoyed a sunny day of good classic skiing at Ski de Fond Mont Tremblant in Mt. Tremblant, Québec. The trail network offered plenty of choices with 68 km of groomed classic trails and the conditions were excellent.
We left the welcome center at Domaine Saint Bernard and had a big mountain view of the top of Mt. Tremblant. The welcome center offered quality rentals, a wax room, restrooms, snack bar and a restaurant. The Skimeister's mom is a novice, so we selected the four-mile A1 loop for our outing. We kicked across the open field with the mountain view and entered the forest.
Deer tracks cut through the snow everywhere and small birds gathered at bird feeders that were spaced along the trail. Some skiers had packets of seeds from the nordic center and they were feeding chickadees from their palms. Even the kids were trying it.
Earlier, on our drive to the cross-country center, we had seen a white-tailed deer bounding across a small frozen lake. Pretty cool!
The lovely, forested loop included a stop at a small, rustic cabin by the roaring Rivière du Diable (yes, that means the devil!). We enjoyed a few bites of our sandwiches by the warmth of the woodstove.
The only problem with A1 was its long, fast downhills—they were too much for novices. The grooming was excellent, however, as was the environment.
The Skimeister even skied back to the condo. He said that A16 trail along the Rivière du Diable to the Pont Jackrabbit (a new cross-country skiing bridge) was very scenic. The bridge is wide and about 50 feet above the river—with no traffic or buildings to detract from the view.
I hope to return to this nordic center again so I can explore more of its world-class trails. A bientôt!
Ski de Fond Mont Tremblant nordic center at a glance
68 km tracked classic trails
52 km skating trails
18 km snowshoe trails
2 heated huts, 1 heated tepee
Quality rentals available
Lessons available, too
