Until quite recently, I was firmly in the “I hate winter” camp. The slush, the freezing rain and ice, the cold, rising earlier to de-ice the car, shovelling, more de-icing, more shovelling. In other words, while I’ve also always liked playing outdoors, the charms of winter completely escaped me.

Upon venturing into the Parc national du Mont-Tremblant, the backyard of many locals, I realized that to like winter, you just have to play in the snow, contemplate the landscape and take deep breaths. And all that started with an outing of cross-country skiing.

I’ll never forget just how demanding it was. Every muscle in my body ached after that first time out, but I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the scenery under its coat of white, and that was truly priceless.

The park trails wander between hardwood and coniferous trees, between lakes and rivers, between rises and descents and white-covered mountains. Combine that with a lunch stop or a starry night in a hut, put the logs on the fire and after an hour…pure happiness.

Beginner to expert, everyone can find the trail that’s right for their skis. It’s just a matter of daring to take on the adventure and letting the magic do its work. Besides, the snow is amazing!

Mont-Tremblant National Park has 43 km of trails and more than 110 km of Nordic ski trails. Eleven huts are accessible when you tackle the long or short treks on foot, snowshoes or skis. Some trails run alongside a lake.

Information: 819 688-2281

sepaq.com/tremblant

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