Eastern Canada WWYD: Mont Sainte Anne or Le Massif de Charlevoix?

[Jilly]

Open today. Machine groomed.
Runs Open
14/71
Lifts Open
6/9
Snow Depth
149cm

Snow Last 24 Hours
0cm

Data provided by

• LAST 24 HRS
• HOURLY
• 36 HOURS
• 7 DAYS
• 14 DAYS

Rain Outlook: - 7:00pm Tue to 6:00am Thu
Feels like
POP
Snow
Wind
Wind gust
Humidity
Dewpoint
Pressure
Tue
Evening
Snow

-9°C
-19
90%
~5 cm
NE 38 km/h
48 km/h
79%
-11°C
-11 kPa
Tue
Overnight
Snow

-6°C
-15
100%
~20 cm
NE 33 km/h
51 km/h
73%
-10°C
-10 kPa
Wed
Morning
Snow

-3°C
-11
100%
10-15 cm
NE 34 km/h
54 km/h
86%
-5°C
-5 kPa
Wed
Afternoon
Snow

1°C
-3
100%
~5 cm
NE 21 km/h
45 km/h
93%
-1°C
-1 kPa
Wed
Evening
Light snow

0°C
-6
70%
~1 cm
SW 26 km/h
41 km/h
93%
-1°C
-1 kPa
Wed
Overnight
Light snow

-3°C
-10
60%
~1 cm
SW 28 km/h
44 km/h
86%
-5°

Well that didn't turn out all that well....but you can get the jist.

 

[Tony S]

Massif is a smaller hill, but has some great views and great tree skiing. MSA is bigger with lots of terrain

Le Massif is a tougher mountain, more consistent vertical. Less variety.

I don't know, you guys. It may well be that MSA has bigger numbers of some kind. (Trail count, yada yada.) On the ground, with good cover, Massif skis bigger to me. That's skiing all the bump and tree runs - of which there are MANY - along with the groomers. MSA has one nice pod of challenging skiing (looker left), and that's it.

Massif - so you don't die in some stupid chairlift accident.

No kidding!

 

[cantunamunch]

Great cheese too.

Do not discount this factor. Both the uncooked pressed cheeses and the washed rind cheeses are seriously top notch.

17-27” forecast for tomorrow seems like enough to fill in a lot of the mountain, no?

Yeh, not seeing it. 20cm overnight + snowmaking sure. Talking of not seeing, bring your goggle scraper. Because of course they will blow during the day.

 

[scott43]

I don't know, you guys. It may well be that MSA has bigger numbers of some kind. (Trail count, yada yada.) On the ground, with good cover, Massif skis bigger to me. That's skiing all the bump and tree runs - of which there are MANY - along with the groomers. MSA has one nice pod of challenging skiing (looker left), and that's it.


No kidding!

Yeah when I said less variety I meant definitely less of a beginner hill. I think it's better for a more advanced skier.

 

[Crank]

IMO Tony has is backwards. Massif runs are pretty much down one face of a ridge, well maybe a cliff, one aspect, kinda similar, that falls down into the sea.

Different strokes for different folks I guess. I like both hills and suggest that OP skis both and forms her own opinion.

 

[ilovepugs]

Massif - so you don't die in some stupid chairlift accident.

Yeesh, forgot about that.

I’m happily ensconced in my hotel room at the base of MSA. They upgraded me to a “loft” suite. Ultimately chose the ski-in ski-out place at MSA for reasons of economy and being able to duck into my hotel room to deal with anything urgent at work. The drive through the plains of Quebec province was a bit hairier than expected, but ultimately not too bad.

You people are pessimistic! Where is your sense of adventure?! I didn’t have any reason to stay at home.

We will see how this storm pans out. If it’s several inches to a foot overnight and free refills all day, I will be happy. I only booked for one night. If the storm pans out, I’ll extend for a second and if it doesn’t, I’ll head home tomorrow night. Low commitment and expense aside from gas money, reasonably-priced lift tickets and hours spent on the road with some podcasters cracking jokes.

 

[James]

You people are pessimistic! Where is your sense of adventure?! I didn’t have any reason to stay at home. The hotel is nearly empty.

You tell em!
I’d already figured you bailed from the storm of negativity.
However, our reverse psychology poll voting seemed to work. 5-0 Le Massif won.

 

[ilovepugs]

You tell em!
I’d already figured you bailed from the storm of negativity.
However, our reverse psychology poll voting seemed to work. 5-0 Le Massif won.

Lol. I liked your idea of staying at MSA and trying both mountains the best.

The analysis and discussion over-weighted the factors that are important to a ski vacation, emphasis on vacation.

I, footloose and fancy free of responsibilities at home, am “playing hooky” for this storm, so I needed to consider my ability to duck into my lodging to get some work done. $600 for ski-in ski-out in highly uncertain snow conditions was too much to swallow.

The snow is coming down pretty hard now…

 

[ilovepugs]

9” overnight and it’s still coming! They’ve already upped the trail count and night skiing is on!!

My home mountain, Jay Peak, got 10” but it is now raining on the mountain. Good news for the base there though, it will be a net gain.

The winds are high and they are slowly opening lifts due to high wind. I think the play for me today is to wait until 12:30pm when the half day ticket access begins, and buy a 12:30-9pm lift ticket.

Going to extend my hotel reservation. Woot!

 

[James]

I had no idea there was night skiing there.

 

[scott43]

Le Massif today..

 

[scott43]

So crowded...

 

[cantunamunch]

G

I had no idea there was night skiing there.

I did. And I have tales of scraping 10cm icicles off my helmet chinbar to go with that.

 

[cantunamunch]

So crowded...
View attachment 221022

Oh was that a working lift?

 

[scott43]

Oh was that a working lift?

Hugh Betcha!

 

[Jilly]

28cm overnight. But still only the north side open, still at MSA.

I'm sure that @ilovepugs has her fatter skis with her, so she'll be good.

 

[ilovepugs]

Happy, happy powder bumps on the north side this afternoon and not too windy at all. The slope was the perfect pitch for me to work on my bump skiing, playing with flexion and extension, surfing the bumps and working on driving the skis instead of the skis driving me. Yes.. very crowded as you can see.

The afternoon was too short but tomorrow is another day. I doubt I’ll make it to Le Massif. The gondola is about 50 feet from my hotel room; the convenience just can’t be beat and I’m having a great time playing on this terrain. Maybe when I’ve leveled up my skiing and feel better on even steeper bumps, eh!

 

[ilovepugs]

Also worth noting that with tax, my afternoon lift ticket purchased online moments before pickup came to US$73.

 

[James]

So talk of it not worth it was exaggerated.

 

[ilovepugs]

I’ve paid more money and traveled further for worse skiing. It was a gamble and it paid off enough for me.