This season of skiing and riding is shaping up to last well into spring. The snow should hold up well enough around here for day trips. But here's a suggestion for a great destination for a last blast weekend. Quebec City, with numerous sights and activities of its own, has three major ski areas nearby. Mont-Sainte-Anne, Stoneham and Le Massif are all within an easy drive of the city.
Mont-Sainte-Anne has the longest season. It goes well into April and sometimes May. This winter the whole region received the most snow in 30 years. In late February, the snow around the houses was up to the roofs of the cars in the driveways.
There are plenty of places to stay at the mountain, but the charm of staying in the city should not be missed. Accommodations range from luxury hotels like the Chateau Frontenac to B and Bs.
Sainte-Anne is about 40 minutes from Quebec City. It's big. It has a vertical drop of over 2,000 feet. A new trail opened this year with the intimidating name "The Beast." It's a double black diamond that has one of the steepest pitches in the East. There are many black and double black trails that don't let up and seem endless.
Part of the fun here is the glides through trees, ranging from easy ones for kids—like the "Enchanted Forest"—to the black diamond "Foret Noire." On the side of one easy trail there is a sugar shack, complete with a cozy fire, that serves up maple sugar on snow.
Mont-Sainte-Anne has a terrain park at the top of the mountain with stunts so huge the park is restricted to experienced riders and skiers. The view from the top is spectacular, with the St. Lawrence River close to the bottom of the mountain.
Mont-Sainte-Anne opened in January, 1966. Now there are 13 lifts, including an eight-passenger gondola and three quad chairlifts. There are four mountain restaurants with decent food at reasonable prices. It's the one time of the year I have poutine, a very filling dish with French fries, gravy and cheese curd.
In addition to the late season skiing and riding, Mont-Sainte-Anne will have events every weekend through the month of April. There will be a festive atmosphere of competitions and contests, smoking barbecues, live bands and sun decks to while away the spring days.
And this is all paired with the most European city in North America. Quebec City has fortress walls, stone buildings and cobblestone streets. There are hundreds of restaurants, cafes, bars and discos and the cooking is outstanding.
There is live jazz at the Hotel Clarendon and at a new venue, the Bar St-Angele. The owner of this tiny bar plays jazz guitar and invites his friends to play. There is hardly any room for patrons.
Passports aren't required yet if you're crossing the border by car or bus. But you must provide proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate. It's no easier getting into Canada than it is coming back. They check closely because they don't want you stuck in their country if you can't get back into ours.
