Skiing - Mont Blanc

Nice views west from Mont Blanc

Some local friends of ours suggested we try Mont Blanc.  They said the skiing is great, it's much quieter than Mont Tremblant, and it's just ten minutes down the highway from the Mont Tremblant exits.  So we decided this week to give it a try, and they were right!

We arrived on a prime ski day during Quebec March break...sunny, soft powdery snow, about minus five Celsius.  And we arrived at about noon, so we probably experienced Mont Blanc at its busiest or close to it.  The parking lot was marked "full" (or complet as they say in French) but we still found a spot.  So did the other four or five cars that came in after us.  A short walk to the ticket office, and a minute later we were ready to ski.  Over the next few hours, we noticed a few key differences from our experiences at the Mont Tremblant mountain:

Virtually no waiting at the lifts!

• The most obvious difference from our Mont Tremblant ski experience is that the lifts were relatively empty.  Even at prime times, the waits are about a minute or two long, maybe three tops, but most of the time we pretty much skied onto the lift.
• Cheaper.  About $40 versus $70 plus at Tremblant.
• The runs are much shorter, considering Mont Blanc has vertical of about 700 feet versus Mont Tremblant's 2,100.  But with the shorter lines, you spend more time skiing and less time in line.  And unless you ski moguls, you won't likely experience that burn in your quads because your run is over before that sets in.
• There is no slopeside village to speak of, although there still is a rental centre, restaurant and bar at the base of the mountain.
• There are many more families and beginners at Mont Blanc as the terrain is open and less challenging overall.

What Mont Blanc does have in common with Tremblant is nice views.  We enjoyed some beautiful panoramic views from the Versant Nord.  We really enjoyed our day at Mont Bkanc and wwould definitely return, although mostly as an alternative to Tremblant when we know it is overrun.

Meantime, I couldn't help but laugh at the typo on their trail map.  Look in the bottom right in the photo below...there's an arrow pointing the way to Mont Tremblant which is 6km away.  However, it's spelled "Mont Tremblanc".  Typo?  Or the early signs of a hostile takeover of the entire region?