Paradise for Glade Skiers
Written: Mar 29 '03 (Updated Mar 29 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Glade Skiers Paradise
Cons: Side falls on cut trails
Better lifts needed
The Bottom Line: If you are an expert skiing who loves the challenge of glade skiing - check out Mont Sutton!
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| davidoikawa's Full Review: Mont Sutton |
This year was my family’s second ski week in Quebec's Eastern Townships. Three of the major ski resorts in the area: Owl’s Head, Orford and Sutton, participate in an interchangable lift ticket program. The resorts are generally within an hours drive of each other. This is one of the great benefits of a ski week in the Townships, because if you are willing to do a little driving, you will get enough variety not to get bored. We stayed in the town of Magog, which is a 60 minute drive away from Sutton.
Although Sutton claims a 1,500 foot vertical drop, it’s a bit misleading. The mountain is built on a “tilted ridge”. While there may be 1,500 feet of vertical between the high end of the tilt and the low end, that’s not how most of the trails are laid out, which for the most part, just go generally from a point on the top of the ridge, down the fall line.
Although Sutton offers a variety of trails, it is definitely an expert glade skier paradise. About half of the mountain is black and double black runs, often through the trees. On many of the runs, you’d better be an expert, or be prepared to hug a few trees. Although there are 55 marked trails, when skiing the glades, there is an infinite number of possibilities – it’s very difficult to get bored. A word of warning however, last year I skied Sutton when there was not much snow cover. During those conditions, glade skiing was nearly impossible, and it resulted in a much reduced level of skiable terrain.
My biggest problem with Sutton is that many of the trails have a distinct side-fall to them. This makes it difficult to establish a nice rhythm, since you have to crank your turns more in one direction than the other.
The base lodge at Sutton is looking pretty tired. It’s small and crowded. However, if you ski mid week, the two smaller lodges at the summit provide a nice alternative. Sutton provides 3 quad chairs, but only one is detachable. The remaining six chairs are doubles.
The main quad chair in front of the base can become busy in the mornings and after lunch, so I tried to get my skiing done in that area early and moved to more expert runs. I returned to the central area in mid afternoon when the crowds had died down.
The trip into Sutton from the Eastern Townships Autoroute is a major drawback to the resort. It contains one of the most heaved and potholed roads that I have ever driven. Last year, part of it was repaired. Hopefully it will be fully repaired during the summer of 2003.
Overall, I would recommend an Eastern Townships ski vacation to anyone who doesn’t mind doing a bit of driving during part of their ski week, as the availability of the interchangeable ski ticket makes the world of a difference in enjoyment.
Just The Facts:
Location: Quebec, Canada – Approximately 1 hour drive south of Montreal
Nearest Airport: Montreal Canada (Dorval Airport will be closer to the resort than Mirabel Airport)
Highway Access – The Eastern Townships Autoroute is a 4 lane highway – Sutton is approximately 30 minutes off of the highway
Cost of 5 Day Interchangeable Lift Ticket: $160 Cdn (approx. $109 US)
Services At Resort: 4 lodges (only 3 open while I was there), lessons, ski and board rentals, day care, ski shop
Chairlifts Open: 8:30-4:00 p.m. weekends, 9:00-4:00 p.m. weekdays
On Slope Accommodation: minimal. Most places to stay are on the access road to the resort and are mostly small and locally owned.
Where I stayed: 45 minutes away in Magog, Quebec. Magog is 5 minutes away from 1,700 foot vertical Mont Orford, which is one of the other resorts on the interchangeable lift tickets
Tips for American Travelers: If you are an American, don't let the $ cost of food and accommodation fool you. Values are excellent once you convert to Canadian $. (Current exchange rate (March 2003) is $1 Cdn = $0.68 US. Change your cash at a Canadian bank for the best rates. I have changed cash at US banks and received very poor exchange rates in the past.) Also don't worry about language problems. Although my wife and children speak French fluently, I don't speak it very well, but I got by fine using English. Everyone in the shops and restaurants were very friendly - there was no anti-anglo sentiment here.
Recommended:
Yes
Level of Experience Needed: All
Best Time to Visit: February
Best Suited For: Families
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Epinions.com ID:
davidoikawa
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Location: Oakville, ON, Canada
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
I really like to get value for my money.
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