Mont Tremblant December Skiing
Mont Tremblant in December: Overview
Pros:
- There are few places that do the holidays better than Tremblant
- Tremblant's snowmaking system ensures that there is snow across at least 70% of terrain by Christmas
- There's a good chance of significant natural snow, too, during the month of December, that can give the mountain a silkier feel than man-made snow alone
- Unlike western mountains, water needed for snowmaking isn't an issue in Quebec, where water is plentiful and Tremblant can crank its snowmaking up on demand
Cons:
- Lodging during the holidays can be expensive at Tremblant in December. Book early—and check out VRBO rather than hotels (see map below)
- Getting to this corner of Quebec can be difficult, and flights into Quebec City during the holidays are a popular item
Mont Tremblant is a classic December, Christmas and New Year's Eve destination. The village sparkles with holiday charm and the streets and lodging are full of families. The snow in December is dependable, thanks to Mont Tremblant's vaunted snowmaking system, dubbed The Avalanche. Tremblant's northerly latitude helps as well, as it's less likely to receive warm blasts of rain that can disrupt snowmaking, which can be a threat further south in the east.
Mont Tremblant snow in December
- Snow quantity at Mont Tremblant
- Snow quality at Mont Tremblant
- How much snow is required for proper terrain coverage at Mont Tremblant—steeper resorts require more snow to get 100% open.
- Mont Tremblant's snow frequency (standard deviation)
- Mont Tremblant's elevation
- Mont Tremblant's latitude
- Mont Tremblant's slope aspects - more north-facing slopes protect snow later into winter
During this time of the winter, slope aspects at Mont Tremblant's latitude don't matter much as the sun angle is so low. With 156" of average annual snowfall, Tremblant could have seen 2-3 major storms by the Christmas/New Year's holiday, which supplements the thorough snowmaking system already in place. It can be cold at Tremblant around the New Year. If the sun is out, skiers should ski the eastern side (30% of terrain) of the resort in the morning and migrate to the western half (40% of terrain) in the afternoon to stay in the sun. During these deepest weeks of winter, the southern terrain (25% of mountain) is often best bet by late morning.
What matters when it comes to snow for December skiing:
Finding good snow early in the season is often a game of chance. But there are mountains and regions that historically perform better than others. We take these factors into account when grading out our scores for resorts and the given season. That said, it's almost always a better bet, in terms of snow and open terrain, to ski in January or Feburary compared with December.
But skiing during the December holidays is a great tradition and it's also one of the only times many families can get away for extended periods.
Those skiing December should look for ski resorts with high average annual snowfalls and low standard deviations. In addition, steep and rocky ski resorts need more snow to get terrain open compared with ski resorts with more modest terrain.
This is also the time of year when slope aspects—north, east, south, west—matter the least. The sun is at it lowest angles in North America in December and has less effect on the snowpack at this time of year than at any other. So ski resorts that possess lots of south-facing and east-facing terrain will generally ski better—assuming there is enough snow—during these darkest times of winter rather than the spring. More explanation on this topic can be found on our snow rankings page.