Summertime isn’t slumbertime at ski resorts in Eastern Canada. ADAM BISBY rounds up an off-season’s worth of on-site action.
Whistler-Blackcomb is known far and wide as North America’s largest ski resort, yet for the past 30 years the B.C. behemoth has attracted more visitors in summer than in winter. While that is not yet true of any of Eastern Canada’s ski areas , the biggest of the bunch are heading in that direction. Summer and winter see about the same number of visitors at Quebec’s Tremblant, while “some summer weekends are busier than winter weekends” at Ontario’s Blue Mountain, according to resort reps.
This seasonal balancing is being driven in part by the growing abundance of warm-weather diversions at mountain resorts. The 20 activities that follow—each paired with an eastern destination—show just how diverse, creative, serene and thrilling gravity-fed summertime fun can be.
Spider Challenge
Marble Mountain, Newfoundland
We already know that Spider-Man does whatever a spider can, but for anyone seeking to assess their own arachnoid skills the Spider Challenge high ropes course should do the trick.
Set at the base of western Newfoundland’s 546m Marble Mountain Ski Resort and operated by the peak’s eponymous zipline tour company, the 20m-high course delivers incrementally increasing thrills as its spider-guests ascend three obstacle-strewn levels. The reward for completing Tier 2: a zipline ride that whisks them over a pond and back onto terra firma. marbleziptours.com
Wind Rider Triple Zips
Blue Mountain, Ontario
For visitors seeking pure speed, the nine ziplines of Blue’s platform-to-platform course reach speeds of 50km/h. If high-flying thrills are more your thing, the aerial experience tops out at nearly four storeys. And if it’s more about friendly competition—or snapping photos of your upside-down friends—the 300m-long lines all run in sets of threes. bluemountain.ca
Kayaking, atop Cape Smokey
Nova Scotia
Atlantic Canada’s first gondola takes skiers from ocean to mountaintop during winter. Come summer, it takes kayakers from ocean to summit lake. While the sheltered Atlantic waters of Intonish Harbour below are popular already, kayaking can be taken to the next level, so to speak, by ascending more than 300 vertical metres in Cape Smokey’s eight-person gondola, strolling 1.6km along the resort’s lookout-dotted summit, and slipping into a kayak at pretty Hawley Lake for a serene and secluded paddle (kayak rental is included in lift access). capesmokey.ca
The Mechanical Bird
Le Massif de Charlevoix, Quebec
Just when you thought chairlift-based entertainment couldn’t get any better than bra-and-panties trees, along comes the Mechanical Bird. Now in its second season at Le Massif de Charlevoix, this nighttime attraction produced by Quebec’s Atelier Occhio collective inventively combines the resort’s gondola, one detachable quad chair and two short walking trails to create an experiential sound-and-light circuit spanning all 770 vertical metres of Eastern Canada’s tallest ski area.
Accessible from parking lots at either the top or base of Le Massif, the show’s chairlift ride includes 10 multimedia sections ranging from Forest Ballet to the Valley of Mirrors. The short hike at the base, meanwhile, crosses a “footbridge of daydreams,” while its upper counterpart skirts a fiery Summit nest. New this summer, mountaintop dinner-and-show packages are available at both the Camp Boule café and La Terrasse chalet. lemassif.com
Skiing on Neveplast
Tremblant, Quebec
Now in its second season, Tremblant’s first snow-free ski slope covers a 224m-long section of the South Side’s L-shaped Equilibre beginner run with Neveplast NP30, a bristly carpet-like material made of recycled plastic and dotted with embedded mist sprayers that keep the dark green surface slippery. Two perpendicular magic carpets convey skiers to the top, where boots, skis, poles and helmets are fitted by resort staff. tremblant.ca
Mont Cascades Water Park
Gatineau, Quebec
Fewer than 30 minutes north of Parliament Hill by car, Mont Cascades’ colourful water park is home to 16 slides ranging from the child-friendly Black Magic (an enclosed tunnel where riders plunge into darkness in two-person tubes) to TornadoALLEY (which combines a swirling funnel with dark tunnels). There’s also a wide range of waterfalls, swimming pools, splash pads and watery play structures, along with a picnic area and full-service restaurant. montcascades.ca
Mont Sutton Disc Golf
Quebec
Where better to set up a disc golf course than at a ski resort renowned for its forest glades? Launched in 2022, Sutton’s 18-basket par-3 track covers 1,246m of leafy hillside, making it especially well-suited for technical play. (Read: Avoiding trees is the name of the game.) Its tee pads are made of compacted rock, a driving range and putting practice area are set at the foot of the slopes, and disc rentals and paper scorecards are available on site. montsutton.com
Enduro Mountain Biking
Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec
Twenty-six years after hosting its first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events, Mont-Sainte-Anne remains the only Canadian stop on the planet’s most prestigious tour for professional downhill and cross-country riders. Visiting amateurs can, of course, tackle the resort’s 30km of downhill and 140km of XC trails, but a more recent addition—130km of “enduro” trails—calls on a combination of climbing prowess, long-distance endurance, and technical skills needed to handle whatever comes. mont-sainte-anne.com
Fishing on the Jacques-Cartier River
Mont Stoneham, Quebec
Set at the base of its namesake ski resort, Hôtel Stoneham provides an ideal base for angling day trips along the nearby Jacques-Cartier River as it flows from the rocky Laurentian wilderness of Jacques-Cartier National Park toward its distant confluence with the St. Lawrence. More than a dozen species of fish, notably brook trout, can be reeled in from the road-lined riverbanks, with a reintroduction program returning Atlantic salmon to the mix. Stop in at the park’s Discovery and Visitors Centre for tips on where to hook a lunker, as well as to purchase your right of access and license for day fishing. hotelstoneham.com, sepaq.com/pq/jac/
Downhill Mountain Biking
Sir Sam’s, Haliburton, Ontario
Don’t let the lack of alpine terrain fool you. The downhill mountain bike action at this relatively diminutive cottage-country ski resort is surprisingly intense. Home to 23km of cross-country and downhill runs, Sir Sam’s is strewn with rocks, roots and other obstacles, with seven black-diamond trails allowing riders to bomb downhill in eye-watering fashion after taking the chairlift up. There’s also a pump track on site, as well as several play structures for goofing around. sirsams.ca
Standup Paddleboarding
Calabogie Peaks, Ontario
Steps from the ski resort’s eponymous hotel, a sandy beach on Calabogie Lake is home to water equipment including canoes, kayaks, and standup paddleboards (SUPs) — all available to guests who purchase a “Resort Fee Day Pass” for $29. The lake is about 3.5km in diameter, with a large grassy bay ripe for exploring on the east side. After making landfall again, take your well-earned appetite to the BoatHouse Bar & Grill. calabogie.com
Le Viking vs. Le Dragon
Sommet Saint-Sauveur, Quebec
For a taste of zip-lining sans harness, the action-packed village at the base of Sauveur offers “Le Dragon,” a 43m-high zipline that uses seatbelt-equipped cars to whisk joyriders over the forested hillside, two at a time. For something similarly speedy but less vertiginous, the 1.5km-long Viking Mountain Coaster, which recently underwent $1.4 million in upgrades, winds down the same hillside at up to 35 km/h. Choose wisely…or choose both. sommets.com
Hippobrome Equestrian Centre
Bromont, Quebec
A short drive south of Bromont’s resort village, the spectacularly punny Hippobrome offers guided horseback rides and riding lessons (classic or western) on a network of picturesque trails surrounding a small lake. Camps ranging from a day to a week are also available for children and adults alike. hippobrome.com
Cross-Country Mountain Biking
Owl’s Head, Mansonville,Quebec
From the 33km-long Adventurer trail to the 7km-short Owl’s Head for Families circuit, the countryside surrounding the Eastern Townships’ southernmost ski resort is criss-crossed by five marked gravel and asphalt trails for cross-country MTB enthusiasts. Three cross the mountain and intersect with the resort’s Club Haus Restaurant, where pre-, post- or mid-ride espresso and/or local craft beer flow freely. owlshead.com
Waterskiing
Hidden Valley Resort, Huntsville, Ontario
Slush cup veterans looking to extend the duration of their waterskiing exploits can do exactly that by combining a rented ski boat with a Hidden Valley Resort boat slip on Penn Lake at the foot of the Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area. The lake is connected to three other Muskoka lakes — Fairy, Vernon, and Mary — giving boaters access to a wide range of marina services, public boat launches, and dozens of dining options. hvmuskoka.com
Camp Fortune Mountain Coaster
Chelsea, Quebec
After a scenic chairlift ascent to Fortune’s leafy summit, riders whip down a kilometre-long track that follows the Clifford and Marshall ski runs, and passes through tunnels, as the gravity-fed mountain pipe coaster reaches speeds up to 40km/h. campfortune.com
Hiking the Three Summits
Mont Orford, Quebec
Mont Orford’s 18.5km network of hiking trails (mostly) follows ski runs as it climbs and descends the Quebec park’s three plump peaks and four forested mountain faces. Of particular note are the five panoramic belvederes dotting the cliff-ringed summit and sunset-facing slopes of the park’s 850m namesake peak, which afford glorious views of Lake Memphrémagog, the verdant hills of the Eastern Townships, and on a clear day, the distant Appalachian Mountains. montorford.com
Tubing Pull Rides
Horseshoe Resort, Barrie, Ontario
Horseshoe Lake might be too small for motorboats to rip around in, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your tube on. As well as offering a sandy beach and non-motorized waterfront activities galore, Horseshoe’s man-made lake is equipped with an overhead wire system that pulls a three-rider tube across its surface at speeds similar to those achieved by standard-issue motorboats, except it’s quiet. horseshoeresort.com
WakePark Mont Blanc
Quebec
Across Autoroute 117 from the ski runs of Mont Blanc (the other one), the ZoneMB Park is set on man-made “Lake Adrenaline.” As well as being dotted with giant inflatable play structures, the watery expanse is equipped with overhead wires that allow wakeboarders to strut their stuff—no motorboat necessary. All required equipment is available to rent, with pointers provided by on-site coaches. skimontblanc.com
