Budget Skiing in Quebec

The Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal, Quebec are a budget skiers’ paradise. The words alpine skiing and budget are rarely found in the same sentence. However, this region offers an affordable way to get out on the slopes.  Ski areas a few hours south in the United States sell daily lift tickets at around $100 USD a pop. Fortunately, a day of budget skiing in the Laurentians can be a quarter of that price or less.

For over 20 years I have been bringing groups of college students north for a week-long winter adventure trip to the Laurentian Mountains.  Working with a college student budget, finding ski deals is imperative.  I’ll show you how to plan your ski trip to the Laurentians to maximize your ski lift ticket dollars.  Additionally, I’ll share some other winter activities that will add to the adventure.

While Mont-Tremblant is the jewel of the Laurentians, it’s not where the deals are.  Instead ski the smaller mom-and-pop ski hills that dot the landscape.  They offer a ton of amazing skiing at a fraction of the cost. Plus, not only are they inexpensive, these resorts offer an old-time charm that makes Quebec skiing great fun.

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Where are the Laurentian Mountains?

The Laurentian Mountains are one of the oldest ranges in the world and are an extension of the Adirondack Mountains in the US.  Located north of Montreal, it’s about a one-hour drive from the city to the heart of the Laurentians. The area has boreal forests and many lakes dotted with the country homes of city dwellers.  Winter outdoor adventures abound.

I recommend staying in one of the endearing towns in the heart of the Laurentians and venturing out each day for skiing and outdoor activities.  I stay in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, about 100 km (62 miles) north of Montreal as it offers lots of nearby alpine and Nordic skiing and all the needed amenities. Nearly Val-David is also a wonderful French Canadian town to use as a base.

Places to stay in the Laurentians

Budget accommodations:

Auberge Micro-Brasserie Le Baril Roulant is a quaint inn in Val-David located right next to the Petit Train du Nord so you can cross country ski right from your room. You can grab a bed in the hostel for a budget deal or stay in a private room. The restaurant on site has an amazing selection of craft beers. All the ones I sampled rivaled my favorite Vermont microbrews. And the nachos with homemade ketchup were the best. It’s so close to the many ski hills nearby that you will want to come back here for apres ski happy hour.

Mid-range accommodations:

Auberge Chez Girard is a cute red-roof inn tucked in a corner of the French Canadian village of Sainte-Agathe-du-Monts. Located right across from Lac de Sables, it’s a few steps from winter fun. Ice sculptures, snow slides, and an ice skating rink offer hours of winter fun. The staff of the inn is exceptionally welcoming. I’ve enjoyed the classic Quebec fare in the cozy restaurant. Order the table d’hote for a sampling of delicious regional food.

Luxury accommodations:

The Stonehaven Le Manoir is located overlooking beautiful Lac de Sables in Sainte-Agathe. It’s an enormous inn on the hill with many amenities including a fireplace in some rooms, an on-site restaurant, a fitness center, and antique furnishings. You will be able to unwind at the bar after a day on the slopes and enjoy the magnificent view from the comfortable lounge.

When to go to the Laurentians to ski?

The ski resorts in the Laurentians are generally open from the beginning of December to the end of March at a minimum.  I’ve had a blast skiing there in the icebox temperatures of January.  However, my favorite time to go is during March. The snow is fabulous, the temperatures are reasonable and there’s more daylight. Try to time your trip so it doesn’t coincide with the vacation week of the Quebec schools.  The ski deals are sometimes suspended on those dates and vacationing families are lined up at the lift lines.

Budget skiing deals of the Laurentians

Alpine skiing lift ticket deals abound in the Laurentians.  With some research, you can generally find a ski hill discount at the mom-and-pop places most days. I share these discounts in each ski resort post.  But make sure you double-check as they may change.

Go skiing midweek

Midweek tends to have more deals so plan your vacation to include these days if you are on a budget.  Many ski resorts offer a women’s or men’s day at sharply reduced rates.  Also, seniors over 60 years old do well in getting discount tickets in Quebec.  Most hills offer a senior discount while some have special half-price senior days.  Students can usually claim a discounted ticket.  Finally, kids always ski cheaper.

Buy tickets online

For the days you want to ski, but there are no ski resort deals offered, find discount tickets online I have found exceptional savings on the ski hill website, especially if you book in advance.  The further in advance you book, the more savings you will realize.  Be aware, the tickets are non-refundable so make sure about the date before buying tickets.  In some cases, I bought an extra ticket because a person in my party decided not to ski that day. However, I have always easily sold it on-site to an arriving skier since it’s cheaper than the window price.

Since online tickets are priced in Canadian dollars, if you are from the United States or Europe, you will enjoy a very favorable exchange rate.  Most places tack on tax to the ticket so factor that in.

Plan your trip around the deals

In order to keep to a budget, you can vary the activities of your winter adventure week in Quebec. Go downhill skiing on the days with promotions.  Then sample other winter activities such as cross country skiing, snowshoeing, or ice skating on no deal days. With the money you save, you can treat yourself to an adventurous dog sledding trip or a soak in a spa.

Budget downhill skiing and snowboarding resorts

This section covers my favorite budget ski resorts in the Laurentians. The promotions listed are usually available year to year but you should check the website to make sure. Some deals require you to buy in advance.

Belle Neige

Belle Neige is a sweet ski hill nestled between Sainte-Agathe and Val-David.  It’s a great place to visit when you don’t want to get up at the crack of dawn to go skiing.  Due to its proximity to the towns and the plethora of ski deals at Belle Neige, you’ll get your money’s worth on a short skiing day.  It’s a very kid-friendly hill with the darling “Plushies Trail”. Here you can ski through a forest of over 1000 stuffed animals dangling from the trees.

Every weekday at Belle Neige has a promotion.  Besides women’s and men’s days, there are two for one, price melt Monday, and ski and spaghetti offers.  So basically, you can ski most days for about 20 bucks Canadian.   

Les Sommets

Five separate ski areas of the Laurentians are managed by the same company.  Collectively, they are called Les Sommets.  Olympia, Sainte-Sauver, Gabriel, Morin Heights, and Edelweiss are the Sommets nested together in the southern part of the Laurentian mountains.

Saint-Sauver

The largest ski resort in the area is Saint-Sauver.  Those on a budget can flock to the Monday night skiing deal.  Night skiing starts at 3 pm so you can get a few daytime runs in before the lights come on.  Around 6 pm the Montreal after-work-crowd descends and clogs up the lifts for a couple of hours.  But they are on the return drive home or in the bistro bar by 8 pm so you have the slopes to yourself until closing. Therefore, take a dinner break in that time frame or ski the terrain serviced by lifts further from the main lodge.

Olympia

At Sommet Olympia, you can descend trails named after the famous ski towns of the world. Easy terrain clumped together makes for a beginners’ paradise where you don’t accidentally find yourself on a black diamond.  For skiers seeking more challenge, the expert terrain is clustered on one side of the mountain.  Wide cruisers with spectacular views of other surrounding ski mountains make Olympia a joy to ski or board.  

Olympia’s budget skiing options include a family day deal and a day with half price for seniors. Check the website for details.

Gabriel

If you like moguls, Sommet Gabriel is for you. It’s located just off the main highway Route 15 in Saint-Adèle. Gabriel is a great place for kids to learn to ski like the locals.

I was at the Freestyle Skiing World Cup held at Gabriel a few years ago. It was amazing to rub elbows with mogul icons Hannah Kearney, the Dufour-Lapointe sisters, and Mikael Kingsbury. When you ski at Gabriel you are following in the ski tracks of great ones! It’s also quite common to see an awesome mogul competition on the front of the mountain at Sommet Gabriel. You can get some ideas to improve your moguls technique. More useful tips to improve your downhill skiing skills can be found in this post by Alissa at Exploring Wild.

Budget skiing deals can be found on the Gabriel website. A daily budget ski ticket can be scoped up for around $22 CND. Grab one and hit the non-stop skiing fun at Sommet Gabriel.

Ski Chantecler

Ski Chantecler near Saint-Adèle has terrain with an equal number of runs for each person’s skiing ability.  Therefore it’s the place to go when you have beginners and black diamond daredevils in your posse.  The discounts at Ski Chantecler are listed on their website, but check in often because I was there for a $13 CND ski day on a Saturday that wasn’t on the website when I first checked.

Chantecler also generously hosts Oui Can Ski events that introduce new Canadians to alpine skiing.  I volunteered for a recent event where new citizens from many African and Middle Eastern nations had their first ski experience. The excitement of families to learn to ski was infectious.  For volunteering, I received a free lift ticket, lunch, and more smiles than you can imagine.

Mont Blanc

Located between Sainte-Agathe and Tremblant, Mont Blanc is the perfect ski destination for a full day of skiing.  Spread over three peaks, Mont Blanc has it all. Enjoy easy cruisers, terrain parks, glades, intermediate runs with amazing views, and a whole mountain of black diamond terrain.  There are plenty of runs for everyone and enough territory to keep the lift lines moving. 

There’s a cabane à sucre (sugar shack) on top of the hill to stop for tire d’érable (maple taffy on snow) between runs.  Jungle Magique is an on-site 4-story deluxe play palace for the little ones. It’s a fabulous way for kids to have a blast while parents trade off skiing.

Budget skiing deals at Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc has promotions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for women’s and men’s days.  If there is no deal on the hill, go over to Liftopia and score some cheaper tickets online.

Accommodations near Mont Blanc

If you want to base a bit further north to ski at Mont Blanc and hop over to the Mont Tremblant area on occasion, book accommodations near Saint-Faustin.

Gite la Bonne Adresse is a charming Victorian bed and breakfast located in Saint-Faustin.  It’s super close to the Mont Blanc ski resort.  Additionally, you are right near the best traditional Quebec meal in all of the Laurentians.  La Tablee des Pionniers is a sugar shack in Saint-Faustin with a family-style meal of French Canadian favorites.  Go hungry and expect to bring lots of delicious leftovers home.

If you want a place to stay where you can cook your own meals, then Royal Laurentien will be more your style. This property in a beautiful setting has everything from a one-bedroom chalet up to a house that sleeps 16 people. So, if you have a big group or family, they have you covered. As with most accommodations in the Laurentians, you will want to book early to make sure you are not disappointed.

The ghost of Mont-Alta

Mont-Alta in Val-David used to be a traditional ski hill dearly loved by the locals.  When the chalet and lift burned down a few years ago, many a tear was shed. However, the Phoenix has arisen from the ashes in the form of an off-piste skiing mecca.  Now backcountry skiers using climbing skins ascend the hill and swoop down ungroomed terrain.  The 27 trails offer a wide variety of backcountry runs and tree skiing.

Alpine touring and splitboard rental gear is available in Val-David at Roc and Ride.

Mont-Tremblant

With over 100 ski trails and 14 lifts, Tremblant is the most famous ski resort in Quebec. While budget skiing is more difficult to come by here, if you book online or through Liftopia in advance, you will pay much less than at the ticket window on the mountain.

I like to ski at the smaller ski resorts for most of the week and save skiing at Tremblant for a day I can’t find a deal at other places. The picturesque pedestrian village under the open-air gondola is the go-to place for dining and shopping. Skiing down beside the colorful village at the end of the ski day always tops off an incredible day.

Other winter activities
in the Laurentians

Budget Cross Country Skiing

Not all skiing in the Laurentians is about going down big hills. The cross country skiing is fabulous throughout the region. Many of the alpine resorts also have cross country skiing nearby. Here are some of my favorites.

P’tit train du Nord

Le P’tit Train du Nord is a linear park that runs 232 km through the heart of the Laurentian Mountains. A former railway line, the trail is a cycle path in the summer and a tracked cross country ski destination when the snow flies. Sections between Saint-Jérôme and Val David and the Mont-Tremblant sector are reserved for Nordic skiers. The rest is open to snowmobilers.

You can ski through the tiny towns on the groomed trail, stopping at a cafe or microbrewery for a break. In addition, rustic trail stations serve as warming huts along the way. Other Nordic ski areas adjoin the linear trail, offering a variety of wooded trails for all ski levels. My favorite is Parc Regional Val-David-Val-Morin.

Ski Fond Mont Tremblant

Another favorite cross country ski center is in the Mont-Tremblant area. It’s known by anyone I’ve ever taken there as the “chickadee place.” Besides 75 km of groomed trails, Ski Fond Mont Tremblant has chickadees that land on your outstretched hand. The ski center provides free bird seed to have the birds eating out of your hand.

The ski trail system winds through beautiful boreal forests and past rushing streams. Refuges (warming huts) spaced along the routes are great places for lunch in front of a toasty wood stove. The center offers ski and snowshoe rentals as well as lessons.

If you want to find other budget cross country skiing in Vermont or Western Massachusetts click over to my blog posts. Free Cross Country Skiing in Burlington, VT, and Cross Country Skiing in Western Massachusetts.

Visit a spa in the Laurentians

A spa visit in the Laurentians is a perfect way to take a break from winter adventures and soothe sore skiing muscles. Bagni Spa Station Santé, located next to the Simon River in Piedmont, is delightful. Rotating between the salt-water hot pool, cool pool, hot tub with jets, dry sauna, and a eucalyptus steam bath, you will be consumed by feelings of bliss.  Add a massage to the alternating hot treatments and you’ve mastered self-care. The tiny bistro with health-conscious food and drink is a nice break between soaks.

It is possible to get budget deals to some of the spas in the Laurentians.  We went on ladies’ day to Bagni Spa Station Santé and got $10 off.  The Polar Bear’s Club right across the river from Bagni Spa has coupon cards in many of the local restaurants and gear shops for a discount.  Skiers at Mont- Tremblant and Mont Blanc can get a 10% discount by presenting a lift ticket at Scandinave Spa Mont-Tremblant.

Have a traditional French Canadian meal

For gastronomic adventures, you can’t beat a trip to a cabane à sucre (sugar shack) for classic French Canadian food and drink. Think maple syrup poured on every course. The prix fixe meal is served family-style on long tables in a rustic environment. A typical menu begins with pea soup and moves through the salad and pickled courses to sausage and beans. The main course is a fluffy souffle with bacon and maple-glazed ham. Dessert is maple-inspired deliciousness too. The experience ends with sugar on snow which is called tire d’érable in French.

I’ve enjoyed this traditional meal at several places in the Laurentians. The Cabane à Sucre Arthur Raymond is right next to the tubing park at Avila near Saint-Sauver. You can work off all that maple syrup on the sliding hills after the meal. There is a special deal available.

For a more gourmet spin try La Tablee des Pionniers in Saint-Faustin. Their smoked meat is amazing. There are animals to visit and a warm bonfire to hang out around after eating.

Snowshoeing in the Laurentians

Take a break from the long boards and strap on snowshoes to explore the outstanding scenery of the Laurentian wilderness. Snowshoeing is an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages and fitness levels. Dressing for winter hiking is different than gearing up for alpine skiing. Take a look at my post on proven winter hiking tips to prepare properly.

A fun place to snowshoe near Sainte-Agathe is Camping Sainte-Agathe-des- Monts Center Plein Air with 12 km of trails. There is a spacious outdoor center with snowshoe rentals and a big fireplace. Cross country ski trails and ski rentals are also available.

Mont-Tremblant has a network of snowshoe trails around the mountain. An adventure I’ve enjoyed is snowshoeing up the backside of the ski mountain carrying my backcountry skis and then descend the downhill runs of Tremblant. It’s an ambitious trip so make sure you are prepared for a full-day expedition with the right gear and skiing skills.

For a more mellow time, visit the trails around the resort. For budget snowshoe rentals at Mont-Tremblant, reserve them in advance. You can also do a trip with a guide to get an in-depth experience in the snowy wilderness around Mont-Tremblant.

Dog Sledding

With all the money you saved on ski tickets, it’s time to indulge. There is nothing like the excitement of being pulled by a team of dogs on a sled. The trip listed here will provide a memorable adventure not to be missed.

Budget Skiing in Quebec Wrap-up

There is no need to head out west or pay big bucks at the popular ski resorts. There is plenty of amazing budget skiing a reasonable drive from the East Coast population centers. Head up to the quintessentially charming French Canadian villages of the Laurentians. You’ll find affordable alpine skiing and scores of other winter adventures for everyone in your group. And with all that activity, you will certainly earn your poutine.

Want some other downhill skiing ideas? For many awesome ski resorts on the west coast of Canada within a drive from Vancouver, British Columbia, check out this post by Josy on her beautiful blog A Walk and a Lark. In addition, the Eastern Townships nearly in Quebec have fantastic downhill and cross country ski as well as charming villages and beautiful scenery.

To find more budget ideas for cross country skiing in Vermont or Western Massachusetts, click on these links.

Related posts -> Best Cross Country Skiing Centers near Burlington

Best Free Cross Country Skiing in Vermont

Free Cross Country Skiing near Hanover, New Hampshire

Amazing Places in the Berkshires for Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoeing

Best Cross Country Skiing in the Adirondacks

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