This week’s post moves past the present and begins to look at ski resorts that I have on my bucket list to visit in the next few years. Mont-Saint-Anne is a sister resort of Stoneham ski resort, which I reviewed in a previous post. Originally, this resort was included in the Snowboard Club’s Quebec trip itinerary but was shut down for the period of time we were there due to a gondola crash.
While I am grateful that I was not a part of this gondola accident, I was disheartened to hear that we would not be able to explore the slopes of this mountain. More expansive than Stoneham, this mountain features a 2000 feet vertical drop, with over 540 acres of skiable terrain (mont-saint-anne.com). In addition to the gondola (which has since been renovated and then re-opened), there are four high-speed quad chairlifts and four surface lifts.
Features along the south side of the mountain that caught my eye included the Schnell and La Beauregard run, which, leading into La Crete, would prove to be a long run that would keep me occupied for likely 30-40 minutes at a time. Although the difficulty of Canadian black diamond runs are certainly different from Pennsylvania ones, I would enjoy being put up to the challenge. Also, the green runs that traverse through the woodlands on the right side of the trail map, namely La Familiale, would certainly provide unmatchable views.
This ski resort also boasts an equally expansive south and western side, decorated with mostly blue runs. I am incredibly interested in trying out La Belanger, which runs right alongside the chairlifts, to try and reach new top speeds. While winding green tree runs are fantastic to take in views, the diversity of also being able to speed down straight blue runs also has its merit.
This resort would easily keep a skier or snowboarder occupied for multiple days. Not only does the wide range of trail variety treat the wants of all skill and adrenaline levels, but the sheer number of different runs makes sure that no trail gets too crowded and nobody has an issue with doing the same runs repetitively. Similarly, the longevity of some of the runs like Le Chemin du Roy on the far north side will make sure anyone is occupied for many hours. One aspect of southern snowboarding that I dislike is the ratio between time on lifts and time on runs, but this resort makes sure that ratio is as high as possible with both long runs and quick lifts.
As I’ll be joining the Snowboard Club again in 2024 on their next trip to Quebec, I hope to get to experience this resort in all of its glory instead of spending all four days at Stoneham. Until then, I can only wait and hope it remains open.
Until next time!