Winter is winding down, and while everyone has fully enjoyed the snow, there’s always that feeling of renewal as the days grow longer and some warmth appears… bashful and reluctant, but promising. Spring is springing! After two years of people feeling deprived and being careful, it’s probably a safe bet that spring madness will be even more high-spirited than usual.

To mark the change at Tremblant, the après-ski bar P’tit Caribou, a party and nightlife classic, offers the Coupe Caribou. This famous event is celebrating its twenty-fifth birthday this year after a two-winter pause.

The challenge is to start your run-on skis or board from the top of the last steep pitch of the Johannsen, race down the slope and across a 30 m (100-foot) pool. At the other end, you gather all your equipment and run through the village towards the bar as you swallow several slugs of Caribou. The fastest person wins the Cup.

It’s intrepid, crazy and fun, and laughs are part of the experience. The idea of competing with friends, of going beyond your usual level and being a bit of an exhibitionist, of completing a truly useless feat, of having the “big people” react…. It’s “all of the above” at this party which celebrates winter’s passing into spring. The event is feverishly awaited and is now part of Tremblant’s DNA.

“The night before, from the time the bar closes, potential participants line up at the door to wait for registration the next morning, and by morning there’s an impressive lineup as far as the top of the pedestrian village. For this 25th event, the number will increase from 110 to 160 participants,” says Josh Wilson, organizer and co-owner of the P’tit Caribou bar.

Martin Arseneault has worked at the mountain for several years. He’s been able to watch the huge earth-moving machines push the snow to create a basin 30 m long, 3 m wide and 2.4 m deep (in feet, that’s 100′ x 10′ x 8′). “The water’s cold, but the folks who fall don’t stay in it long because the frogmen get them out in a few seconds,” Martin explains.

“Most participants make it across the basin; it’s not a matter of speed but of stability, and of leaning back a bit. Spectators are shouting and the host is creating this crazy atmosphere. I’ve seen people compete dressed up as a chicken, a gorilla, a giraffe, a hockey player, a dancer, and even very minimally with makeup and a swimsuit. Some do spectacular falls on purpose; there’s a prize for the best spin. It’s thrilling and hilarious.”

This year there’ll be fireworks, and a famous band – whose name was still being kept secret as these lines were being written – will add its talents to the fun at half-time. There will also be some activities for the younger set, such as walking on water with the help of floating mats, or biting with their hands tied at beaver tails hung on a string.

There will be $25,000 in prizes and the party will go on all night at the bar, where there’ll be food from a barbecue and burgers made with famous

. All food will be homemade and food from local producers will be featured.

Philippe, from Mont-Tremblant, has always heard talk of the Coupe Caribou: “For me, it’s a must event and this year I expect to be able to be there to enjoy the show and celebrate this seasonal transition. It marks the start of terrace season.”

April 9, 2022, 18 years and over

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