This has been a season where optimists have seen the lifts as half-full.
“We received guidelines from Alterra Mountain Co. (Tremblant’s owners) on how to operate this winter, but we also have to abide by the Quebec government operational plan that continues to evolve as the winter progresses,” said Tremblant President and COO Patrice Malo. “We apply the strictest rules in order to keep everyone as safe as possible.”
After the first 10 weeks, things have been running smoothly and Tremblant’s ever-present “experience ambassadors” gently remind every guest to follow the guidelines, mask up properly and ride the lifts only with your bubble or two singles at opposing ends of chairlifts or gondolas.
Many of Tremblant’s runs are named after world champions, such as Duncan (named after Charlie, a Tremblant pioneer), Olympic gold snowboarder Jasey-Jay Anderson and Erik Guay. Since retiring from racing, Guay enjoys skiing his home hill: “For my namesake run [“Erik Guay” on the South Side], I like to ski it fast; it’s quite open and wide. If I’m not training my daughters, we start early from the summit and ski off to the North Side, maybe enjoy the glades after some fresh snow overnight, like Taïga or CBC. My kids enjoy the glades and the bumps too, like Expo.”
Despite restaurants having to close their dining rooms, food options are still plentiful—and tasty. From outdoor barbecues at La Forge to food trucks on Versant Nord, most local restaurants offer takeout. And you can still enjoy a five-star experience with in-suite dining at Hotel Quintessence. The Fairmont Tremblant got creative too, with various packages that offer parking near the hill, access to a slopeside condo for the day and a hot lunch.
Bar-top dancing at the legendary P’tit Caribou has been curtailed this winter, as have communal fondues served at après-ski. The usual sounds of outdoor concerts and cheering crowds have been replaced with music piped through speakers across the pedestrian village. Yet, the spirit of the Trembling Mountain lives on despite the chaos COVID has brought.
As long as the snow keeps falling, there will be winter activities to safely enjoy. At late-January press time, skating was still available at multiple ice rinks, plus snowshoeing, fat biking, dogsledding, alpine ski touring, cross-country skiing, sleigh rides, ice fishing, snow tubing and more.
For updates and to book day lift tickets, go to tremblant.ca.
