The Perfect Conditions For A Mont-Tremblant Ski Weekend
Flying to Mont-Tremblant from downtown Toronto is one of my favourite travel transitions. You get on a plane surrounded by city towers, and you land at a log-cabin airport in the middle of a snowy forest.
On this visit to Mont-Tremblant, we booked into Le Westin Resort & Spa, located in the Pedestrian Village at the base of the mountain. Our spacious suite was fully equipped with a gas fireplace, perfect for warming up after a long day of skiing. We knew we had a full weekend of skiing ahead of us, so we decided to call it an early night to get an early start to the next day.
It was so convenient to be able to walk to the resort’s main lift, the Telecabine Express. We were planning to take full advantage of the Westin’s offer of a free First Tracks pass so that we could get on the lift at 7:45 a.m., ahead of the general opening at 8:30 a.m. We were all set! But – travelling with someone who is not a morning person meant that we did not quite get there for First Tracks. Maybe the Westin’s buffet breakfast was just too tempting, not to have a second plate and just one more cup of coffee?
Once we (ahem, finally) got to the top of the mountain, it was amazing. Fresh snow and serious overnight trail grooming meant awesome skiing conditions. We knew we wanted to start on the north side of the mountain, away from the main trails on the south. Some green (beginner) trails to get going, and then moving up to blue (intermediate). With 96 trails, we had lots to choose from, and the good signage meant that we never veered onto any Black Diamond (expert) trails by accident. Green was enough excitement for us!
Five hours later, we were done skiing for the day. Onto food! We hitched a ride with some friends and drove to the nearby La Crêperie Catherine. The four of us had crêpes every which way – delicious, solid food. And somehow, amazingly, we still had room for the Catherine Crunch dessert crêpe, topped with crunched-up crispy crunch bars (try saying that 5 times fast).
That night, we caught the shuttle to the Mont-Tremblant Casino. It’s North America’s only ski-in-ski-out casino. When you ski in, they’ll even lend you some shoes to keep you comfy. What’s also unique about the casino are the big windows overlooking the mountain. After a glam dinner in the vaulted dining room, we were ready for fun, so the bright lights of the whirling slot machines kept us busy. Although we heard there is a VIP room for high rollers, with a private dining room!
Sunday morning, with some prodding, we did make it onto the mountain for First Tracks. Feeling virtually alone on the slopes was an amazing experience! Another great day of snow, and then we were done.
A massage at the Amerispa in Le Westin was a great way to recover from two days on the ski slopes. The professional spa staff sure know what they are doing to smooth out the kinks!
Then it was time to head back to the Mont-Tremblant Airport, and then back to reality in Toronto. But we’re ready to go back, at the drop of a snowflake!
If you are interested in learning more about one of our favourite ski destinations, read more on our Mont-Tremblant page.
Mont-Tremblant
Le Westin Resort & Spa
La Crêperie Catherine
Amerispa Westin Mont-Tremblant
