In the West Coast, Whistler-Blackcomb is the most popular spot for a mountain getaway. As a former West Coast resident, I had visited it a few times. It is a staple itinerary item when playing tourist guide to visiting family and friends, and in some cases, even colleagues. (I worked for an international company in Vancouver and had the chance to play host to visitors from our bases abroad.)
In the East Coast, you would often hear of Mont-Tremblant, especially from the residents of Quebec and Ontario.
Set within the Laurentian Mountains northwest of Montréal, it is considered the prime destination for skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snow tubing, snowmobiling, ice climbing, and dogsledding in the winter. But as a year-round resort, people also flock there in the spring, summer, and fall seasons to enjoy hiking, canoeing, swimming, biking, golfing, shopping, dining, luxuriating in a spa experience, or spending time at the casinos.
It is almost a given for any Quebec or Ontario resident to visit at least once in his lifetime. For us here in Ottawa, it is only about an hour and a half’s drive, which makes it easily accessible.
My husband and I are not into winter sports, and since moving to the East Coast, we had been busy with our jobs and our child. We went to Mont-Tremblant for the first time only when our son was big enough to enjoy what it has to offer - when he was around five years old.
What truly prompted my boys to go was the “Tremblant Beneath the Stars” event, which was basically a stargazing extravaganza at the summit of the mountain to witness the impressive Perseids meteor shower that happens around August every year. The event was sponsored by an organization composed of astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts. Thus, there were activities, such as talks and seminars, nighttime hikes to learn about constellations, and a telescope display where the public is allowed to use them, with the supervision of the equipment owners. My husband is a "science guy," and naturally, this rubs off on our son.
We planned a full weekend stay. We left Ottawa on a Saturday morning, stayed at Mont-Tremblant for two nights, and then segued to Montréal to spend the rest of the week with my in-laws that summer.
The drive was nice and scenic, especially as we approached the Laurentian range. Personally, mountain settings give me a sense of calm and peace, with a tinge of exhilaration and indescribable positive energy, so this was a great way to break the monotony of everyday life back then.
The "Mont-Tremblant" that most people know is the Mont-Tremblant Ski Resort. The mountain itself, standing at an elevation of 875 meters, making it one of the tallest peaks in the Laurentian Mountain range, is surrounded by lush boreal forests and breathtaking views, and is thick with a wondrous variety of wildlife. Apparently, the name of the mountain, literally translated as “trembling mountain,” came from the Indigenous Algonquin peoples that first inhabited the area. They once believed that there was a great deity who lived inside the mountain, causing it to tremble when he was upset.
First timers soon find out that "Mont-Tremblant" is not just the resort, but is a city composed of many districts. The first district is called, “The Resort Village” or “Pedestrian Village,” or simply, “The Village.” It is situated at the foot of the mountain and is the location of the actual resort, where most tourists go.
Less than two miles from the resort is the “Old Village,” a charming country town on the shore of Lake Mercer between the resort village and Mont-Tremblant’s downtown area.
The downtown area, which is the municipality of St-Jovite, also referred to as “Centre-Ville,” is the largest of the three districts, and has a history that dates back over 100 years. It officially joined the City of Mont-Tremblant in 2000. Despite being the business district, it has retained its charismatic old town feel.
Surrounding the mountain is the Mont-Tremblant National Park, the biggest of all the parks managed by the SEPAQ (Société des établissements de plein air du Québec), the agency of the Government of Quebec that is in-charge of parks and wildlife reserves. It is also the first national park that had been created in the province. Nearby are other villages or “domains” where the locals live.
Naturally, we were headed to “The Village” because we were tourists and first-time visitors that time. “The Village” was built by Intrawest (the same company behind Whistler-Blackcomb in B.C.) and developed it into a resort town composed of pretty pastel-coloured structures – houses, hotels, town houses, apartments, and business establishments. They also built gondolas to connect the parking lots to the hotels and the ski lifts. This quaint pedestrian village eventually became home to large hotel chains and various types of rental properties, from rustic log cabins to posh condominiums.
We booked a room at Le Lodge de la Montagne. As the name suggests, this hotel has a log cabin feel, decorated with wooden beams, stone fireplaces, and replicas of old-fashioned winter-gear, but equipped with modern amenities. We got a studio suite with a queen bed, a sofa bed, and a full kitchen.
We loved that it was located at the centre of the pedestrian village and within a couple of minutes’ walk to the lifts, shops, and restaurants. Our little boy loved his sofa bed! He felt so grown-up in it (that time, he still slept in his transition bed, i.e., crib turned into a day bed, at home).
The first thing we did was to stroll along the main streets of the pedestrian village to check out shops and restaurants. The atmosphere was lively, with families and tourists leisurely milling about.
The pedestrian streets had a good selection of stores, but with an emphasis on high-end winter gear, sporting goods, maple syrup, and other Canadian souvenirs. There were also art galleries, Indigenous shops, and local specialty boutiques. Practical additions were small convenience stores and a mini-supermarket that not only sell daily essentials, but also offer wine, cheese, baked goods, and charcuterie items. We found a Christmas shop selling antique-style decorations and animated Santas, and it sure added to our festive mood even in the middle of summer. My husband checked a few outdoor menus and made a note of the restaurants where we could go.
We took the Cabriolet, an open-air gondola that connects the upper and lower sections of the village to see the lower area where more shops and restaurants were waiting to be perused. The lower section, however, was more dominated by hotels and apartment complexes compared to the upper part of the village, which was a predominantly shopping and dining area.
That weekend, there were other events happening aside from the “Tremblant Beneath the Stars.” There was the “Ironman: Mont-Tremblant,” “The Spartan Race,” and “Wanderlust.” That explained why the parking lots were filled to the rafters and why there were several stages mounted around the area.
We stayed for a bit near the big fountain, where our son watched the swimming ducks and their ducklings. Then, we headed back to the upper section via the Cabriolet. Our little boy said that this was such a fun ride.
We ate our late lunch in our hotel room. My husband, due to his food intolerances, brought a lot of home-cooked food that we just warmed up, along with fresh bread, cereal, granola bars, dark chocolate bars, eggs, and cold cuts. After eating, he took out his surprise for our little boy – a handheld telescope. Our son got so excited that he assembled and tried it out right away. He ran to the balcony and surveyed the scene outside with his new toy, focusing on the Cabriolet cars that we could see from our room.
The long drive, the afternoon stroll, and late meal got us all drowsy. We ended up napping for a couple of hours, then got up refreshed and ready to embark on that night’s adventure. My always-hungry boys ate a combination of snack and early dinner, while my husband reviewed his “Tremblant Beneath the Stars” brochure and gave us a rundown of the schedule. The boys were hyped up by the panoply of activities awaiting for us at the summit.
I was not hungry yet, so I just ate a granola bar and off we went. We dressed warmly as the temperature would be dropping significantly that evening and we would be staying at the summit until past midnight. We also brought blankets, flashlights, and of course, a picnic bag for my boys’ take-along food.
We started the evening by taking the gondola to the peak of the mountain. On regular days, the gondola runs only until 10:00 pm, but on that particular weekend, because of the stargazing event, they extended their operating hours until 1:00 am. We also got unlimited free gondola rides as part of our package.
The Panorama Gondola ride took only twelve minutes and provided a view of the Resort Village that looked like a peaches-and-cream doll’s town from up above with its buildings in calming hues of whimsy yellow, light azure, creamy mint, soft salmon, and soothing orange.
We were just in time for the scenic sunset, so we climbed the highest floor of the Grand Manitou and watched it from the deck. The Grand Manitou is the chalet-style main building where the gondola station is located and which caters to skiers and hikers. It has a restaurant, a bar, a coffee shop, a souvenir shop, washrooms, and phones inside.
The sunset was so beautiful. From that vantage point, we had spectacular views of the Laurentian Mountain Range, the Tremblant Lake, the River Diable that runs adjacent to its coniferous forests, and the ski slopes that become busy in the winter.
Mont-Tremblant has a ski area that covers 305 hectares and includes 102 ski trails on four distinct slopes for skiers and snowboarders of all levels. There are also several hiking trails both from the base to the summit, or around the summit, also at different levels of difficulty.
We meandered around the vicinity of the Grand Manitou as we waited for the skies to get dark. We saw trail signs everywhere. During the summer season, there are 11 trails available to explore on the mountain, ranging from one kilometer to 11 kilometers for all hiking levels, each promising a walk amidst lush forests, sparkling streams and lakes, and gorgeous waterfalls. We were going to take one of those trails that circle the summit later on that night.
We also noticed a sign that said, “Birds of Prey,” an activity that got my boys intrigued. We found out that it was a 45-minute show featuring trained birds of prey. Participants of all ages get to meet falcons, eagles, and owls, then see them fly, and even experience the thrill of calling a bird prey to their gloved hand. They also offered a “Falconer for a Day” program for 12 to 17-year olds, where you would spend five hours with a team of raptor specialists who would show you the ropes of caring for falcons, from preparing their food to feeding them, training them, holding them (with a glove), and setting them off to flight. As it was already late, the last show was over, but we were still able to say hello to the birds.
We were supposed to join a night hike along an easy trail where the guide would take us to the best spots to view the constellations, culminating at the 360-Degree Observatory Deck. Soon enough, we spotted a crowd conglomerating at the appointed meeting spot and the two guides yelled announcements.
We joined the huddle and noticed most of them came prepared with binoculars and flashlights with red bulbs or covered with red tape. Our guides told us to refrain from turning on bright flashlights as our eyes are most sensitive to them. Dimmed down lights would enable us to see the constellations in the dark better. We strategically walked between the guides and the participants with the red flashlights, as we couldn’t use the ones we brought.
We were led along the 360° Trail, which is a 2.5-kilometer loop with a panoramic view of all the slopes. Since it was nighttime, we could not see the slope views but the path provided several strategic spots for unobstructed views of the night skies. Our guides expertly led us along the moderately challenging terrain as they located constellations and identified stars, planets, and even satellites.
Our walk culminated at the 360° Observation Tower, a three-level wooden structure that provides a panoramic view of the Laurentians, and the vast night sky, after which, we headed back to the grounds outside the Grand Manitou to join the even bigger crowd in watching the meteor showers.
The grounds looked like a vast camping ground when we arrived from our hike. There were blankets and towels spread all around, people lying down as they stared at the sky, or lounging on folding chairs as they peered through their binoculars.
Amateur astronomers installed their telescopes and observation gear at strategic points and shared them with the rest of the spectators. Soon, the big and small telescopes positioned on higher ground attracted a line-up of people waiting for their turn to have a closer look at the heavenly bodies.
The team of organizers took turns in giving live commentaries of what is going on in the skies with the use of a powerful laser pointer.
The Perseids Meteor Shower is one of the most beloved celestial shows in the Northern Hemisphere. It occurs every summer, usually peaking around mid-August, and features very fast and very bright meteors at a rate of 50-100 meteors per hour. The meteors are known for frequently leaving long wakes of light and colour behind them as they streak through Earth's atmosphere, and oftentimes produce “fireballs,” larger explosions that can persist longer than an average meteor streak.
The Perseids were named after the constellation Perseus, the location of its radiant, or the point where it appears to originate from. Those familiar with Greek mythology will recall that Perseus was the hero who defeated Medusa, the Gorgon lady with the live snake hair and stone-turning stare.
NASA scientists explained that this meteor shower is caused by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle. Every 133 years, the huge comet swings through the inner solar system and ejects a trail of dust and gravel along its orbit. When Earth passes through this trail, debris hits the atmosphere at lightning speed and disintegrates in flashes of light.
The weekend that we were at Mont-Tremblant corresponded to the days when the meteor shower was supposed to peak, and true enough, we were treated to an amazing show of shooting stars that night. It also helped that we were at the summit of the mountain and that we were away from the city lights.
In addition, we had the advantage of being in the company of astronomers and amateur enthusiasts who were experts at spotting them and immediately pointing them out to the rest of the crowd. Equipped with microphones and laser pointers, it was as if they were conducting an outdoor class with the entire pitch-black sky illuminated by stars and planets as their blackboard. Likewise, cheers and shouts would be heard from crowds at regular intervals whenever a group would spot a shower.
It was a night of peaceful bliss…with us lying on our blankets, eyes glued to the heavens, and lost in the magic and awe of this magnificent cosmic show. If you focused on the sky and listened to nothing but the commentary in the background, you could convince yourself that you are alone with the universe. And it was not that difficult to accomplish really, because everyone else around you appeared like shadows…each one in his own private cocoon, mesmerized by the Perseids and wrapped up in his own thoughts and imagination.
The only thing that broke this spell was my son asking us when we could check out the telescopes, which we did when the line-ups got shorter. We took our turns taking a peek at the planets and the more popular constellations from up close. We even saw the International Space Station!
When it was nearing pack-up time, the HMI lights were brought to life, the astronomers put away their gear, and the crowd dispersed. Some took the gondola back to "The Village," while others stayed behind either to have some more private viewing time of the stars and meteors or to attend the talk at 10:45 p.m. (There was an earlier session scheduled at 9:00 p.m, but in French.)
Back at the Grand Manitou, we listened to a 45-minute lecture entitled, “The Incredible Journey of the Rosetta Space Probe & 45th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Mission” presented by Michel Burelle, a passionate astronautics specialist. In a jam-packed corner of the restaurant, they had set-up a giant projector screen for an interesting presentation on the development, construction, and voyage of NASA’s spacecraft to Pluto.
My hungry boys ate their take-along snacks. I did not have dinner with them earlier on, so I ordered a small bowl of soup. My son ordered a cup of hot chocolate in keeping with the chalet spirit.
As we descended the mountain via the gondola, our son said that this was the “best day and best night ever!”
Photo Credits:
quebecgetaways.com, officialmonttremblant.com, sepaq.com, laurentides.com, tremblant.ca
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