Road trip.
That’s what I thought when I got the invite to join the IKON Pass bus trip from Blue Mountain, ON to Mont Tremblant, QC.
I had been to both before–Blue many times, as it’s about an hour’s drive away, and Mont Tremblant a few years back, on a solo winter adventure. But, the idea of visiting both, by road, in only four days, seemed a little daunting at first.
Turns out, I’d do it all over again.
[Check back here soon for a full video insert.]
Blue Mountain, ON
We started the week driving up to Blue Mountain, from Southampton, ON (it’s also super easy to get to from Toronto on the daily shuttle service), and checked into our suite at the Grand Georgian Hotel in the Village.
The first thing we did after checking in, was pop over to the Grand Central Lodge Cafe for lunch. I knew it was going to be a busy day, so I carbed up with chicken fingers & fries.
Mmm, healthy.
Woodview Mountain Top Skating
After lunch, we headed up to the Woodview Mountain Top Skating. With a quick drive up the mountain, we parked and walked through a snowy winter wonderland to the rental hut, where we laced up and stepped directly onto the loop through the back door.
I fell immediately.
I laughed and picked myself back up, but there was no way I was going to be able to make it around the 1.1km loop. I consider myself a good skater, but I’m used to figure skates rather than hockey style skates–and I could hardly stand in these things.
After that, I managed to hobble wobble my way over to the fire pit and bench area, and waited for Wade to do the full loop on his own. He enjoyed his skate, and said we’ll definitely have to come back when I get some of my own skates.
Snowboarding at Blue
After my skating fail, I was feeling a bit discouraged, and already wasn’t feeling confident about my mediocre skiing skills. So, when the snow and wind really started to pick up, I decided to let Wade continue his independent day of action, while I explored the village on my own.
Wade said that he had some great runs, and the snow on the hill was perfect. Unfortunately conditions began to turn to a blizzard, so it ended up being a little difficult to see too far ahead. However, the sun was setting, and we had a dinner to get to, so it was time to come in anyway.
I watched all of his GoPro videos after and ended up wishing I had just gone up with him. Wade says he’s definitely getting a pass at Blue for next winter, and I might have to join him.
Blue Mountain Village
I always love hanging out in the village, and try to make it over in every season of the year. But, of course, winter is my absolute favourite season of all.
Having seen photos on social media for such a long time, I kept meaning to try Royal Espresso’s s’mores hot chocolate for years. This was finally the time. I ordered, and then watched her concoct a masterpiece of deliciousness right in front of me. It looked so beautiful that I almost didn’t want to drink it. Almost.
At that point, I carried the drink back to our room, and took the opportunity to put my feet up in front of the fireplace for a while and simply relax before dinner.
Once Wade returned, we hopped on the Village shuttle and headed over to The Pottery Restaurant to meet the rest of the group. A few drinks later, our two tables were probably the noisiest in the place, but everyone was getting along, and excited for the next day.
Road Tripping to Quebec
Who doesn’t love a good road trip? Even better? When you don’t have to drive yourself. That’s exactly how we got to Mont Tremblant from Blue Mountain–on the IKON Pass coach bus.
Wade & I rushed on the bus to secure our seats in the very back. Luckily we all had enough space to spread out with two seats per person. The seats themselves were super comfy, and there was plenty of space for overhead storage, and lots of area to move around.
The first few hours went fairly quick, we even made good enough time through Toronto traffic, and as usual, I loved watching the scenery change as we got up into Northern Ontario. There were multiple stops for bathroom and snack breaks, and we made it to Ottawa with just enough light in the sky to see the Parliament buildings as we crossed the border into Quebec.
The last couple of hours were the hardest, as we were all so excited to get there, but we were following a pretty significant snowstorm, which slowed us down a little.
Mont Tremblant, Quebec
Mont Tremblant is a whole different place & feeling from Blue Mountain–which makes sense, as it’s in an entirely different province. The setting itself is so unlike what we’re used to at home, with mountains in every direction, a crisper, colder atmosphere, and all of the trees have just a liiiittle extra dusting of snow on them.
There’s plenty to do aside from being on the mountain–last time I went dog sledding and also paid a visit to the Scandinave Spa, plus there’s a whole list of other winter activities to choose from.
The Village is basically just the most magical place to be on the planet, and feels like perpetual Christmas. I could explore the shops & restaurants for hours, and still have more to see. You don’t even have to go inside, you can simply walk up and down the hills people-watching, petting doggos, making snow syrup pops, watching entertainers, or simply warming up by one of the fire pits. You can even ski down a trail through the middle of the village (a favourite spot for local deer at night).
A great feature is the pedestrian gondola that takes you from the lower village to the upper village. It’s certainly useful, as the streets are a bit steep, but more than anything it’s just a fun way to see the village from above.
Hitting the Slopes
I’m no early bird, so Wade was the one to get up for first tracks.
He met with a few of the others, and they all spent the day together, exploring the slopes. They went on several different runs on both sides of the mountain, and went through all kinds of terrains. From wide powdery runs in full sun-shiny glory, to thick zig-zagged trails through the glades.
The top of the mountain feels completely frozen over, with a layer of frost across every surface, and a view over the snowy valley below. As you make your way down, you travel through what seem to be descending microclimates, from skinny snow ghosts, to crisp packed snow, to fluffy tree-lined tracks, back down to a more sheltered and temperate village area.
We all met for lunch back at the top later on, for the best meal-with-a-view you could ask for.
I never expected to be eating an Asian curry rice bowl on top of a mountain in Quebec, but to be honest, that’s probably the only way I’ll be able to eat from now on.
The rest of the day meant a few more runs, before Après with the group.
Après Ski
We started our first night at Microbrasserie La Diable, where I had a few 7ième Ciels. I might also need to admit that I had a few more than a few drinks on this trip.
After a day on the slopes, the whole group met at Le P’tit Caribou, which is Tremblant’s most well known bar for crazy parties and, of course, the best après on the mountain. From shot-skis to beer pong, and various other bar games, we ended up spending the rest of the afternoon here.
My favourite beer, which quickly became a regular, was Joufflue from Archibald Beer. I ended up taking a six pack home, but already miss that beer. Maybe one day they’ll sell it in Ontario..
We also ate a lot of great food in Tremblant, including Coco Pazzo and Smoke’s Poutinerie. As usual, I had a number of hot chocolates that I’m not willing to reveal, and always find them to be the best in Quebec.
Snow Tubing
Somewhere between après and dinner, we managed to run up to the hill and get in a few runs of snow tubing.
It was probably my favourite part of the entire trip.
With the help of a moving walkway (although, to be honest, I felt more like a marshmallow on a factory production line in all my snow gear), you make your way up to the top of the hill, where you board your tube. Wade & I grabbed a double, hopped in, and away we went.
The best part was hitting the edge at the bottom, and flying up in the air before coming to a stop. We went up a couple more times, and then had to run back to make it to the restaurant in time for dinner.
Luckily, if you’re staying in one of the village hotels, tubing is an included attraction for free!
Heading Home
The ride home was a time to relax, look back over all of my photos/videos, and get some other work done. I also read a book, munched on some snacks, and had a nap or two.
It was sad to leave Mont Tremblant, but Wade & I agreed that we would be back.
Since we arrived back to Blue Mountain fairly late, we stayed another night at the Grand Georgian Hotel, and spent a leisurely morning in the Village before heading home.
In the end, we both had a great trip, and haven’t stopped telling our friends about the trip since.
Details of the IKON Pass
The Ikon Pass gives holders unlimited access to both Blue Mountain and Mont Tremblant Resorts all winter season. But, the best part is that it also gives you access to 36 other world-class ski Resorts in Canada, the U.S., Chile, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
Essentially it’s your ticket to the world.
And, I’d say that $1249 for the world is a pretty good deal.
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View this post on InstagramS’mores. Hot. Chocolate. At. @Bluemtnresort. Scroll. To. Drool. That. Is. All.
View this post on InstagramK’Bye @bluemtnresort ?? We’re on the @ikonpass bus headed to @monttremblant ??
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