The Ski and Snowboard Club took 51 students to Canada this past weekend. They left for Mont Tremblant in Quebec from the Maxcy parking lot at 6 a.m.
Students were given free rental equipment from Action Sports Branford, transportation to and from the mountain in a coach bus, as well as suite style lodging with full kitchens, fireplaces and spacious living rooms for only $120 per person thanks to the Undergraduate Student Government Association’s support and club fundraising events.
The trip also included First Track lift tickets and activity passes that allowed students to go ice skating with free skate rentals, night tubing and gave them access to the mountain 45 minutes before everyone else in the morning. La Montagne Lodge was connected to the mountain so people could ski right into the lodge from the slopes.
Restaurants and boutiques fill the French village surrounding the hotel with all varieties of cuisine including Asian, French, Italian, steakhouses and other take-out options. Coffee and sweet shops like The Candy Shop, Oh la Vache! and Chocolate Factory were also available to the students.
Sugar Shack specializes in maple products, like maple taffy on snow and soft ice cream with maple butter. Bistro Au Grain de Café has warm soups created daily, homemade hot cinnamon cider wine, and sandwiches that could be taken to-go or enjoyed in their bar lounge. Coco Pazzo Restaurant uses local and organic ingredients but still offers gluten-free and vegetarian dishes. Fat Mardis is a sports bar-pub with largest screen TVs and a large selection of draft beers on the mountain. A typical Québec dish made with fries, cheese curds and gravy Smoke’s Poutinerie Tremblant has more than 20 varieties of poutine.
There were many place to go after the ice skating and tubing ended. Places like Café d’Époque, Le Lounge and Le P’tit Caribou are open until 2 a.m. with electric colors and loud beats.
The mountain had even more to offer with Brûlerie St-Denis, Bullseye Saloon & Grill, California Grill, Altitude Seafood and Grill, Gypsy, Le Grill Express, La Fourchette du Diable, Ô Wok, Pita Express, Ya’ooo Pizza Bar, Samurai Sushi PUB, Wigwam Café but since the trip is only three days, not all were visited.
Temperatures and trails were in peak condition, with a temperature around 20 degrees.
After a long day of boarding many of the students relaxed in the outdoor hot tub that overlooked the village, a perfect scene when the snow is falling gently. After everyone got in a few last runs, the bus headed back to UNH on Sunday at 3 p.m.
