Le Massif

Le Massif is a ski mountain northeast of Quebec City, Canada, overlooking the St. Lawrence river.

Description

Le Massif de Charlevoix ski area is located in Petite-Rivière-Saint François, Charlevoix, Québec, Canada, a 75 minute drive from Quebec City. It has the highest vertical in Eastern Canada.

Apart from a big vertical drop and lots of snow, Le Massif de Charlevoix's main claim to fame is that the area is accessible both from the top and from the base. There are three peaks, two of which are currently developed.

Skiing season usually lasts from early December to late April.

Le Massif de Charlevoix gets a lot of snow, and keeps it, as it also gets little rain for an eastern ski area. The natural snowpack (in the trails) can exceed eight feet at the summit on a typical winter. However, the base is at sea level and can lose its snow quickly once April rolls in.

La Charlevoix, the steepest trail, is home to the only alpine training center east of the Rockies for Canada's athletes. This trail, with a steepest pitch of 64%, is considered by many to be one of the top three most difficult women’s downhill trails in the world.

History

Skiing at Le Massif started at the end of the 1970s, with snowmobiles towing groups of skiers from the main road at the top and a van serving as the lift. In the early 1980s, commercial operations started with la Société de développement du Massif. Starting in 1983-1984, school buses were used to drive skiers from the base to the top...
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