Michaël Côté has been skiing since he was four and racked up 800 days as a skier and guide in the Chic-Chocs. Now, with his company Ski hors-piste Rouge-Matawin, he is bringing the joy of powder to our own area.

Michaël has laid out a skiable terrain of 70 runs on seven slopes with an average vertical drop of 200 metres. The maple glade is full of light and each run is skied only every two weeks. “You feel like you have the mountain to yourself,” says he enthusiastically.

The meeting point is the Mont-Tremblant airport at La Macaza. From the parking area, a crawler-tracked vehicle takes the group the 13 kilometres to the mountain-top chalet. The excited customers have declared themselves “experts” thanks to their glade-skiing experience in ski centres. “Here,” Michael says, “when you plant your pole it sinks into the snow up to the grip.”

Off-piste equipment has to be adapted, and Michael often lends customers wider skis. His top goal is the quality of the experience and he wants his customers to arrive at the bottom with sparkling eyes.

The first run is a test, after which skiers are divided according to their level on trails that range from beginner to expert, with slopes ranging from 20 to 50 degrees. A group of 10 heads for four parallel couloirs 10 metres wide. Where there’s a fork, the guide indicates the options and the easier way to go.

At the end of the run, you put on your skins and tackle a climbing trail: 30 to 45 minutes to reach the top. A day consists of four to five descents, and your sleep will be sound!

Cost: $150 per person or group rate. Schedule: check the rules in effect.

Ski hors-piste Rouge-Matawin- 819 808-4444 – horspisterougematawin.com

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