Travel

Hit the slopes and the casino in Mont Tremblant, Quebec

POLE POSITION: Hit the slopes at this charming Quebec resort with a stay at the ski-in, ski-out Fairmont Tremblant hotel (right), situated at the base of the mountain. (
)

You have two things you want to do today: ski and gamble. At Mont Tremblant, you don’t have to change out of your ski clothing and drop off your gear at the hotel to do both. Take a zippy gondola ride to the 2,871-foot summit, schuss down your choice of green, blue or black trails, and at the base, it’s a short walk to the Casino de Mont-Tremblant, where they’ll check your jacket and ski boots and outfit you with a comfy pair of Crocs before you head inside to drop a few loonies at the blackjack table (casinosduquebec.com/mont-tremblant).

Even if slot machines and roulette aren’t really your thing, the casino’s restaurant, Altitude Seafood and Grill, makes it worth a visit. Under a soaring peaked ceiling, with enormous windows looking out at pristine snow-covered scenery, you can feast on well-executed fish and meat dishes. Nothing here is too fussy, which is just how we wanted it after a day of skiing in some rather frigid temperatures.

This is, after all, northeastern Canada, where highs average around 25 degrees and nighttime temps regularly dip below zero. But if you can overlook the chilly conditions, Mont Tremblant, in Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains, makes an ideal winter getaway. From Newark, it’s a direct, 90-minute flight on the adorable Porter Airlines (free snacks, free booze, jaunty hats on the attendants) for as little as $94 each way (flyporter.com). And the mountain gets plenty of consistent, natural snowfall across its 654 skiable acres, which includes four different terrain faces and great variety among its 95 trails. (Full-day adult lift tickets, $76, and there’s a 20 percent discount if you buy multiple days.)

And if you’re skied out? Hit up the Activity Center, where everything from sleigh rides to dog-sledding to snowmobiling can be arranged. We opted for the Fireman Snowshoe Tour led by consummate outdoorsman Yves Kirouac, somehow related to Jack Kerouac (whose parents were French-Canadian). Flakes whirled around us as we headed deep into the snowy woods, catching sight of a family of deer, a woodpecker and wild-animal prints galore: fox, wolf, fortunately no bears. The fire part? Kirouac picks a chaga mushroom (basically a birch tree fungus), rolls up some tree bark, and uses a piece of flint and lung power to set it all alight. It’s a grand trick and a good way to get warm on a wintry afternoon (two-hour tour, $53, tremblantactivities.com).

An even better way to warm up? Eating fondue and drinking red wine. The best place in town (really a small, easily walkable village) is La Savoie. The smell of cheese — bubbling fondue, oozing tabletop raclette — permeates the cozy restaurant, outfitted with wood furniture and traditional alpine decor. It isn’t cheap, but all that melting Gruyère and bread hits the spot (from $35 per person, restaurantlasavoie.com).

If a nightcap is in order, you’ll get an excellent martini at Lounge Ryan’s, the more grown-up of the village bars. The recently opened duel-level lounge, named after Mont Tremblant’s founder, Joseph Bondurant Ryan, features DJs and a great cocktail menu (loungeryans.com). Fancy a beer instead? La Diable Microbrewery makes seven varieties right on-site, including an unfiltered red ale served in the traditional English style, by hand-operated pump (microladiable.com).

To soothe sore muscles (or sweat out all that booze), book a bath circuit at the Scandinave Spa, in a gorgeous woodland setting alongside the Diable River. Swathed in a robe (bring your own bathing suit and flip-flops), you’ll wander among the outdoor baths, which range from hot, to really hot to teeth-chattering cold. (The truly brave can take a dip in the icy river.) Then pop into the Finnish sauna, lounge in the warm relaxation rooms or chill in front of the outdoor fireplace (Scandinavian bath circuit, $48; scandinave.com).

As with most Canadian resort towns, Fairmont has staked out the prime slopeside locale, and with the five-star Fairmont Tremblant, that’s no different. It’s a true ski-in, ski-out hotel, with a good restaurant, Windigo, to boot, and multiple heated outdoor pools with drink service (an ideal après-ski spot). Our favorite perk? The chance to walk Umi, the hotel’s “canine ambassador,” a friendly black lab who once worked as a guide dog. He responds to commands in both English and French — “bon chien, Umi!” (rooms from $181, fairmont.com/tremblant).