A Great Weekend of Skiing – Sat at Morin Heights for our annual Ski Clinic & Sun at Mont St Bruno
We finally had a weekend of wonderful ski conditions. On Sat we were north at Morin Heights for the Ski Clinic and on Sun we went south to Mont St Bruno.
SAT AT MORIN HEIGHTS
At Morin Heights, we had an “informal” ski outing at 10 am, for those who wanted to ski before the clinic started at 1 pm. There were six of us who arrived early. Yes, it was -20 C when we walked outside at 10 am. But there was no wind and the sun was shining brightly. 
We all had the same reaction — this feels warmer than -20 C. We split up into three pairs — some went along the aerobic corridor and some on the other trails. Mickey and I set out to do an “abbreviated Triangle”. We set out on trail #2 Triangle, up and over Mt Bellevue. We then took trail #4 Salzbourg. At the point where we would have rejoined trail #2 to do the rest of the triangle, we turned onto trail #37 Bellevue to take us back up and towards the chalet d’accueil. We covered 12 km in 2 hours, and that got us back in time to get ready for the ski clinic. It was the first time this year I had skied on non-flat trails in the woods — and it was just so wonderful!
We gathered in the chalet at 12:30 pm to get ready for the ski clinic. There were 16 of us this year. Glenn K got us sorted into our groups and matched with our instructors. When we went out at 1 pm, it had warmed up to -14 C, under still sunny skies. Each group went off in a different direction and had a lesson that lasted from 1.5 to 2 hours. We gathered back at the chalet and compared notes. Everyone reported having a good time and improving their skiing technique. The first-timers were especially impressed by and appreciative of the experience.
Many thanks to Glenn for again organizing a successful ski clinic!
A word about the Chalet Bellevue at Morin Heights. The impressive-looking older building has been extensively renovated since they first purchased it two years ago. The area for skiers is now in the ground-level area and has great facilities: tables and chairs, ticket booth, waxing room, bathrooms, etc. They don’t have much food, but they have plans to improve that. There is still the small building beside the aerobic corridor, as well as a small booth across the road in the Bellevue parking lot. You can buy a trail ticket at any of the three spots.
Speaking of great things in Morin Heights, after the ski clinic ten of us stopped at Mickey’s Café on chemin du Village. It was the second year we were there and it is a very pleasant spot for an après-ski coffee or snack. It was a perfect cap-off to an enjoyable day!
SUN AT MONT ST BRUNO
On Sun the weather was milder and the snow was falling. The snowy roads may have deterred some of you from venturing to the South Shore. 
There were only five of us at Mont St Bruno — and I was only there to say hello and take some photos before I had to go off to a conflicting appointment. (Look for the photo of me shedding a tear at having to miss out on the great conditions.)
It was -3 C and snowing at 10 am. All the trails were open and rated as “excellent”. The chalet was buzzing with skiers, even if few of them were Beaver Tailers. Our skiers set off for a good day of skiing.
As I drove away at 10:25 am, a long line of cars had formed on the road leading to the ticket booths. Hopefully we will have excellent ski and snowshoeing conditions on the remaining Sundays of the season to make up for a disappointing January.