Mont Tremblant Resort
Encyclopedia
Mont Tremblant Ski Resort (known as Tremblant) is a year-round resort
in the Laurentian Mountains
of Quebec, Canada, about 130 km northwest of Montreal
. It is best known as a ski destination
, but also features a lake suitable for swimming and two golf courses in the summer months. The name of the mountain, Mont Tremblant, was derived from the local Algonquin natives, who called it the "trembling mountain". The summit is at an elevation
of 875 metres (2,870.7 ft), which makes it one of the tallest peaks in the Laurentians.
The mountain and resort are part of the Mont-Tremblant National Park
and are located near the village of Mont-Tremblant.
In its early years, Lowell Thomas
, the American radio broadcaster, was an avid skier who helped popularize the resort by broadcasting shows from the site. The resort named a ski lift and trails after him and after other early devotees.
The resort operated independently until 1991, when it was purchased by Intrawest
, which immediately expanded the pedestrian resort village and built new ski lift
s, including a gondola
. Other changes included building the Grand Manitou summit lodge.
In 2009 a casino located at the base of the soleil trails was opened. The casino is serviced by a new 8 passenger gondola that runs from the main resort to the casino.
Two days later the union staged a general strike, workers setting up a picket line between the gondola and the pedestrian village. A small number of lifts remained in operation.
While the strike was only supposed to last 24 hours, it did not end until January 2, 2006.
sustained a head injury when she fell while taking a beginner skiing lesson at the resort. The injury was followed by a lucid interval
, when Richardson seemed to be fine and was able to talk and act normally. Paramedics and an ambulance which initially responded to the accident were told they were not needed and left. Refusing medical attention twice, she returned to her hotel room and about three hours later was taken to a local hospital in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts after complaining of a headache.. She was transferred from there by ambulance to Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur, Montreal, in critical condition and was admitted about seven hours after the fall. The following day she was flown to Lenox Hill Hospital
in New York City, where she died on 18 March. An autopsy conducted by the New York City Medical Examiners Office on 19 March revealed the cause of death was an "epidural hematoma
due to blunt impact to the head", and her death was ruled an accident..
ing trails in four distinct areas: North Side (Versant Nord), South Side (Versant Sud), Sunny Side (Versant Soleil) and The Edge (Versant Edge).
As of the 2005 winter season, the resort had 94 marked downhill trails, the longest 6 km (3.7 mi), 16 designated easy, 31 intermediate, 37 difficult and 10 expert.
The resort features 13 ski lifts, including 1 gondola
, 5 detachable chairlift
s, 3 regular chairlift
s and 3 magic carpets
. Total lift capacity is 27,230 skiers per hour.
The top of the mountain has a chalet and restaurant, Le Grand Manitou, open winter and summer.
It is important to note that Mont Tremblant Resort and the municipal village of Mont-Tremblant are separate entities.
Summer activities include airplane tours, all-terrain vehicle tours, croisieres, boating, caleche rides, canoeing trips, cycling, dune buggy tours, fishing tours, golf, helicopter tours, hiking, horse back riding, lake cruises, mountain biking, paintball games, rafting, rock climbing school, spas, via-ferratta, waterskiing and wakeboarding, white-water rafting, and zip-lines.
Winter activities include cross-country skiing, dogsledding, downhill skiing and ski schools, helicopter tours, horseback riding, ice-climbing, paintball, sleigh rides, snomobiling, snowshoeing, and spas.
and condo
accommodations, many of which are situated in the pedestrian village at the foot of the mountain.
There are additional condo and chalet accommodations located adjacent to the pedestrian village which are managed by the resort's rental agency or other private rental agencies. These accommodations feature shuttle bus
service which provides guests some of the same convenience afforded to people staying in the pedestrian village.
Most condo accommodations at the resort area are privately owned. The resort or rental agencies act as a rental broker for these properties by handling maintenance, reservations and other guest-related tasks on behalf of owners.
There are also many privately owned chalets of all levels (from budget to luxury) in the immediate area.
and hiking. The ski trails connect with other ski trails in neighboring towns, making it possible for nature lovers to undertake ski excursions lasting several days going (or coming from) as far south as Blainville, Quebec
on the outskirts of Montreal. The network of cross-country ski trails consists of over 100 km of terrain, much of which follows the Diable river and its adjacent coniferous forest.
The surrounding valleys of the Mont-Tremblant National Park
have small lakes, dense boreal forests and thousands of vacation cottages. There are also world-class golf courses, hiking trails and small rivers suitable for canoeing
and swimming.
There are many trails for mountain bikes and a special "route verte" rail trail
paved for road bicycle
use. The cycling/multifunctional path was built on an abandoned right-of-way of the Montreal-Mont Laurier railway; so cyclists do not have to share a path with motorized vehicles.
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
in the Laurentian Mountains
Laurentian mountains
The Laurentian Mountains are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of 1166 metres at Mont Raoul Blanchard, north east of Quebec City in the Reserve Faunique des Laurentides. The Gatineau, L'Assomption, Lièvre,...
of Quebec, Canada, about 130 km northwest of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. It is best known as a ski destination
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
, but also features a lake suitable for swimming and two golf courses in the summer months. The name of the mountain, Mont Tremblant, was derived from the local Algonquin natives, who called it the "trembling mountain". The summit is at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 875 metres (2,870.7 ft), which makes it one of the tallest peaks in the Laurentians.
The mountain and resort are part of the Mont-Tremblant National Park
Mont-Tremblant National Park
Mont-Tremblant National Park is a 1,510.10 km² provincial park located north of the town of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, and the village of Saint-Donat and Saint-Côme...
and are located near the village of Mont-Tremblant.
Development
In 1938 an explorer from Philadelphia named Joe Ryan came to the region prospecting gold. Accompanied by Harry Wheeler and by Lowell Thomas, an American journalist, they climbed to the summit. It is documented that Joe Ryan had vowed to transform the landscape into a world-class alpine village. It was only one year later than his dream was realized. In February 1939, Joe Ryan opened the Mont Tremblant Lodge, which remains part of the Pedestrian Village today. With architecture reminiscent of traditional Quebec, the mountain hosted visitors from around the world.In its early years, Lowell Thomas
Lowell Thomas
Lowell Jackson Thomas was an American writer, broadcaster, and traveler, best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous...
, the American radio broadcaster, was an avid skier who helped popularize the resort by broadcasting shows from the site. The resort named a ski lift and trails after him and after other early devotees.
The resort operated independently until 1991, when it was purchased by Intrawest
Intrawest
Intrawest ULC is a developer and operator of destination resorts and a luxury adventure travel company. The company was founded in 1976 as a privately funded real estate development company...
, which immediately expanded the pedestrian resort village and built new ski lift
Ski lift
The term ski lift generally refers to any transport device that carries skiers up a hill. A ski lift may fall into one of the following three main classes:-Lift systems and networks:...
s, including a gondola
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
. Other changes included building the Grand Manitou summit lodge.
In 2009 a casino located at the base of the soleil trails was opened. The casino is serviced by a new 8 passenger gondola that runs from the main resort to the casino.
December 2005 labour disruption
On December 15, 2005, the union representing most resort staff staged a temporary work stoppage, starting at 10:00 am and ending at 11:30 am.Two days later the union staged a general strike, workers setting up a picket line between the gondola and the pedestrian village. A small number of lifts remained in operation.
While the strike was only supposed to last 24 hours, it did not end until January 2, 2006.
Controversy
On 16 March 2009, actress Natasha RichardsonNatasha Richardson
Natasha Jane Richardson was an English actress of stage and screen. A member of the Redgrave family, she was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director/producer Tony Richardson and the granddaughter of Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson...
sustained a head injury when she fell while taking a beginner skiing lesson at the resort. The injury was followed by a lucid interval
Lucid interval
In emergency medicine, a lucid interval is a temporary improvement in a patient's condition after a traumatic brain injury, after which the condition deteriorates. A lucid interval is especially indicative of an epidural hematoma...
, when Richardson seemed to be fine and was able to talk and act normally. Paramedics and an ambulance which initially responded to the accident were told they were not needed and left. Refusing medical attention twice, she returned to her hotel room and about three hours later was taken to a local hospital in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts after complaining of a headache.. She was transferred from there by ambulance to Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur, Montreal, in critical condition and was admitted about seven hours after the fall. The following day she was flown to Lenox Hill Hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital, on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York City, is a 652-bed, acute care hospital and a major teaching affiliate of New York University Medical Center. Founded in 1857 as the German Dispensary, today's 10-building Lenox Hill Hospital complex has occupied its present site since...
in New York City, where she died on 18 March. An autopsy conducted by the New York City Medical Examiners Office on 19 March revealed the cause of death was an "epidural hematoma
Epidural hematoma
Epidural or extradural hematoma is a type of traumatic brain injury in which a buildup of blood occurs between the dura mater and the skull. The dura mater also covers the spine, so epidural bleeds may also occur in the spinal column...
due to blunt impact to the head", and her death was ruled an accident..
Resort facilities
As of 2005, Mont Tremblant had been recognized by Ski Magazine as the #1 ski resort in Eastern North America for 8 consecutive years. The main resort has more than 600 acres (2.4 km²) of ski and snowboardSnowboard
Snowboards are boards, usually with a width the length of one's foot, with the ability to glide on snow. Snowboards are differentiated from monoskis by the stance of the user...
ing trails in four distinct areas: North Side (Versant Nord), South Side (Versant Sud), Sunny Side (Versant Soleil) and The Edge (Versant Edge).
As of the 2005 winter season, the resort had 94 marked downhill trails, the longest 6 km (3.7 mi), 16 designated easy, 31 intermediate, 37 difficult and 10 expert.
The resort features 13 ski lifts, including 1 gondola
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
, 5 detachable chairlift
Detachable chairlift
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...
s, 3 regular chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
s and 3 magic carpets
Magic carpet (ski lift)
A magic carpet is a type of surface lift installed at ski areas to transport skiers and snowboarders up the hill...
. Total lift capacity is 27,230 skiers per hour.
The top of the mountain has a chalet and restaurant, Le Grand Manitou, open winter and summer.
Pedestrian Village
There is an open gondola-style lift called The Cabriolet which connects the upper and lower parts of the village. From the top of this lift, the main gondola is available to take skiers to the summit of the mountain. There is also a ski trail running through the village for skiers to access the lower level of the village and transportation.It is important to note that Mont Tremblant Resort and the municipal village of Mont-Tremblant are separate entities.
Activities
Mont Tremblant has year-round activities which take advantage of the surrounding environment (mountains, forest, lakes and rivers); most are set up on daily schedules and usually take the form of tours in small groups and are accessible to families; most are run by independent operators or specialized guides.Summer activities include airplane tours, all-terrain vehicle tours, croisieres, boating, caleche rides, canoeing trips, cycling, dune buggy tours, fishing tours, golf, helicopter tours, hiking, horse back riding, lake cruises, mountain biking, paintball games, rafting, rock climbing school, spas, via-ferratta, waterskiing and wakeboarding, white-water rafting, and zip-lines.
Winter activities include cross-country skiing, dogsledding, downhill skiing and ski schools, helicopter tours, horseback riding, ice-climbing, paintball, sleigh rides, snomobiling, snowshoeing, and spas.
Lodging
Mont Tremblant has a wide variety of hotelHotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
and condo
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
accommodations, many of which are situated in the pedestrian village at the foot of the mountain.
There are additional condo and chalet accommodations located adjacent to the pedestrian village which are managed by the resort's rental agency or other private rental agencies. These accommodations feature shuttle bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service which provides guests some of the same convenience afforded to people staying in the pedestrian village.
Most condo accommodations at the resort area are privately owned. The resort or rental agencies act as a rental broker for these properties by handling maintenance, reservations and other guest-related tasks on behalf of owners.
There are also many privately owned chalets of all levels (from budget to luxury) in the immediate area.
Surrounding area
The surrounding hills and valleys are filled with trails for cross-country skiingCross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
and hiking. The ski trails connect with other ski trails in neighboring towns, making it possible for nature lovers to undertake ski excursions lasting several days going (or coming from) as far south as Blainville, Quebec
Blainville, Quebec
Blainville is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec and is located northwest of downtown Montreal.The idyllic setting and small town environment makes for a sharp contrast with the booming urban centre next door. Blainville sits right at the foot of the Laurentians, an ancient...
on the outskirts of Montreal. The network of cross-country ski trails consists of over 100 km of terrain, much of which follows the Diable river and its adjacent coniferous forest.
The surrounding valleys of the Mont-Tremblant National Park
Mont-Tremblant National Park
Mont-Tremblant National Park is a 1,510.10 km² provincial park located north of the town of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, and the village of Saint-Donat and Saint-Côme...
have small lakes, dense boreal forests and thousands of vacation cottages. There are also world-class golf courses, hiking trails and small rivers suitable for canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
and swimming.
There are many trails for mountain bikes and a special "route verte" rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
paved for road bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
use. The cycling/multifunctional path was built on an abandoned right-of-way of the Montreal-Mont Laurier railway; so cyclists do not have to share a path with motorized vehicles.
External links
- Mont Tremblant Resort Official Website
- Hotel Hilton Tremblant - Homewood Suites by Hilton Mont-Tremblant
- Hotel Mont-Tremblant - Marriott Tremblant