Ski Season Recap

Spring is just about here, and that means the 2025 ski season has come to a close for us.  We were fortunate to have lots of snow this year, and cold temperatures for pretty perfect conditions most days.  We safely made it back and forth to the hill each weekend, spending about every other weekend at a local hotel.

Here is a quick recap of the season:

Q participated in five races this year as a first year U10.  He ended up about mid-pack each time but has the potential to go faster.  His downfall is that he thinks he's pretty fast already, so he needs to focus a bit more and ask his coaches on how he can improve.  Next year he will be a second year U10 and that will be a big difference, the kids change so much at this age in terms of size and awareness.  Most importantly he has a great time each week at training and never complains (okay maybe slightly) when we get him up early to get to the hill.  He has a great attitude and is building a strong foundation for his skills and race "career". 

Results 

- Icebreaker Race at Mount St. Louis-Moonstone - 22nd out of 35 racers

- The Heights - 17th out of 46 racers

- Skidaddle at Mount St. Louis-Moonstone - 11th out of 24 racers

- Mansfield - 68th out of 101 racers 

- Club Championships - DSQ (spun out at the top after hitting a gate)

First day, new Glacier Race Team jacket!

He wore a speed suit for the first practice race but then we found out U10s aren't allowed to wear them for real competition. 

Tough day at Mansfield with over 200 racers (girls and boys), fresh powder, and getting the hang of the T-bar).

E was in his second year of U14 SOD this season. He participated in four races with solid finishes each time.  He is a great technical skier and loves being part of the team.  Next year he will move up to U16 and be reunited with some kids he knows from school.  SOD is the less competitive level for this age group (the other option is OCUP) but it creates a really cool group of kids who just want to race and have a good time. The coaches put on amazing training each week and on a number of occasions mentioned how they appreciated E's efforts and attitude.  He will have these ski skills and memories for life and you can't ask for much more.

Results

- Glen Eden - 23rd out of 51 racers

- Hidden Valley - 23rd out of 41 racers

- The Heights - 14th out of 48 racers

- Club Championships - 6th out of 13 U14 SOD racers (94th overall) 

Looking good in his new race suit.

His core group of buddies, chair lift at Hidden Valley.

We did a good job of meeting new people this year and expanding our social circle, while of course still hanging with the OGs.  It helped to stay overnight more often at a hotel as we would always see other families to have a meal or drink with.  We finally got ourselves to Quayle's Brewery for après ski a few times.  

Quebec Trip Recap

We set out for our annual ski trip last Friday, the 7th, after school let out.  We decided to go back to Mont Tremblant Quebec for a few days of skiing, but did not plan to spend the full week.  We went back to Le Grand Lodge, where several other families that we know were staying.  The last bit of our drive was on country roads and it was dark and icy in some spots.  I happened to be the one driving and I did fine, but it was not my favourite drive.  We got settled into our room and got to bed before 11:00.  

As is our practice, we aim to be on the first shuttle to the hill at 8:00.  We made some breakfast in our room and went down to wait.  Dave sitting in the lobby for a few minutes. 

On the bus.

We got our tickets at the base.  M bravely wore this Maple Leafs jersey on the slopes.  Being in Quebec, and surrounded by Montreal Canadien fans, he got a few comments, but they were all good natured and ultimately we could all agree we were on one team - Team Canada :)

In the Cabriolet on the way up to get the gondola.

It was going to be a chilly day, as usual for Tremblant, the wind was brutal.

We were all quite cold in the morning and decided to eat lunch in the village.  Q was a bit upset by how cold his hands were. After lunch Dave bought him some new mittens, we re-bundled, and were ready for the afternoon.  It was a bit hectic at this time and we didn't get any photos of our lunch.

Luckily the sun came out and that helped with our spirits as well. 

A little après at the summit.

Beer by the fire, yes please!

Q actually fell asleep on the table, he was worn out!  It looks like Dave is sleeping here too but he was just looking down when I took the photo.

Views for days!

It was the best part of the day, but it was time to head back home.

Our room was situated in such a way that it made more sense to walk outside to get to the hot tub and sauna.  It was refreshing. 

We had these nice cozy robes to use.

On Sunday morning was rinse and repeat to get back out for the first shuttle - we were first in line.

We were in a snow globe for most of the morning which made for great conditions, and there was less wind than the day before.

We met up with the rest of our friends that morning, as they had all arrived on Saturday.

Best lunch - chili with all the toppings, a few bites of E's poutine, and a beer.

The sun came out in the afternoon for a group shot.

We had dinner reservations in the village that night, at Le Q.G.

Attempt at a group photo.

We walked around the village after dinner before heading back to the hotel.

Monday was a bit warmer, but sort of grey. There had been some fresh snow overnight.

Mid-morning we found the Refuge du Trappeur, a little cabin that serves food, including hot soup.   It's one of those "if you know, you know" places, and last year we didn't know.  You have to go a bit uphill to get there from a blue run, or go down a black run.

The beef stew was perfection.

We coordinated to meet with most of our group at the same time.

We went over to The Edge which is all black diamond trails, but I was fine there, and did some of the blue glades.  They were so fun. 

We didn't want to leave but had to make sure we got on the hotel shuttle before 5:00.  

Fun in the sauna.

That night we ordered pizza and invited people to our room to watch some of the Go Pro videos we took.

The next day we were checking out of the hotel.  We weren't sure if we would ski that day, and the forecast was calling for rain and a temperature of plus 9 degrees.  I decided not to go skiing so I could pack up the room, but Dave and the boys went out.  I checked the webcam to see if I could see them in the gondola line and I did!  Dave is right in the middle with an orange stripe on his hood, and E is to the right of him beside the kids in the orange jacket.

They did Expo, which is a pretty tough one.  Good work dads!

Meanwhile I was able to have a slow morning, got the car packed, got gas and then headed to the village to meet them for lunch. 

They went up to finish their day, and I did some shopping in the village and had a coffee. 

A successful ski holiday!!

We got on the road by 2:00 and were driving into the city before 9:00.

Our original plan was to come home on Tuesday, work for two days, and then go up to Huntsville for the weekend so Q could participate in a ski race at Hidden Valley.  However we decided to cancel because it was going to be warm and rain all weekend and it didn't seem like it would be great skiing.  It was the right decision, we got a lot done at home instead.