Québec in winter
Québec is an exhilarating place all year round, but particularly so during the winter. So if you are going on a snow inspired adventure holiday in Québec where should you be heading and what should you be doing? This video reveals all.
Snowboarding in Québec
Located only 20 minutes from Québec City, Stoneham Mountain Resort is a perfect destination for outdoors enthusiasts. Nestled in a horseshoe shaped valley, which protects the resort from the wind, Stoneham features year-round activities, but it is known across North America for its exhilarating skiing.
With 39 trails spread over three mountains and a vertical drop of 1,380 feet (420 meters), Stoneham Mountain Resort caters to every category of skiers. At night, its 19-lighted trails—covering 9,8 miles (15,6 km)—represent one of the largest night skiing network in Canada. Extreme skiing enthusiasts have access to three trails designed especially for them, forming an extreme zone on mountain number 4.
Indeed, the après-ski is fully part of the Stoneham experience! The Artic Spa zone on the Bar Quatre-Foyer's terrace with its outdoor hot tubs promises an even greater time for the white season!
The Hôtel de Glace
Imagine a structure made completely of 15,000 tons of snow and 500 tons of ice. Imagine ceilings over 5.4 metres high (19 feet), walls covered with original artwork, and furniture carved out of ice blocks. Keep that thought in your mind, and you have conjured up an image of The Hôtel de Glace, located just 10 minutes from downtown Québec City in one of the most beautiful natural parks in the area.
It takes approximately five weeks to erect this masterpiece of architecture which now covers more than 3 000 square meters. The Hôtel de Glace artisans amaze everyone by modifying and creating new elements every year. For example, there are 36 wonderful rooms and theme suites, the Ice Café, the magnificent chapel, an immense lobby with a candelabra lit by fibre optics, an interior courtyard, hot tubs and sauna, functional fireplaces, and the majestic reception room named the Ice Bar. The Hôtel de Glace offers a truly unforgettable experience between nature and urbanity.
Ice Climbing in Québec City
At 84 metres, Quebec City’s Montmorency Falls is the highest in the province of Québec. It also stands 30m higher than Niagara Falls. Montmorency Falls is a beautiful site all year round, but particularly in winter. As the temperatures drop, a massive ice ‘sugarloaf’ forms at the bottom of the falls, and the surrounding area is also covered.
Ice Canyoning in Québec
At the foot of Mont Sainte-Anne (about 30 minutes away from downtown Québec City), you can get a fantastic winter experience in the Jean-Larose Falls by simply adapting the summer techniques and knowledge to winter conditions (rappelling on ice with crampons). Ice-canyoning is the perfect activity to easily discover the vertical ice cascade, continuously grown and transformed by small trickles of running water, and decorated with magical stalactites.
Red Bull Crashed Ice circuit in Québec City
A combination of hockey, boardercross, and downhill skiing, Red Bull Crashed Ice sets a thrilling stage for intrepid male and female amateur and pro hockey players from across Canada & beyond. No flat surfaces here – instead daring racers hurtle down a 550m ice track coiling around Quebec City’s urban environment, featuring a ridiculous sequence of razor-sharp turns, ice steps and gap jumps. But how would a mere mortal cope with the track? Watch this video to find out!
Valcartier Snow Centre
Located 20 minutes from Québec City, Valcartier Vacation Village is one of the most appreciated recreation destinations in North America. Renowned as the largest winter playground in North America, it offers various activities enjoyed by its family clientele, which grows every year.
Valcartier Vacation Village opened in 1963 and has never stopped developing and diversifying. Since the summer of 1998, two major divisions have been added to this family attraction: Rafting Valcartier, which offers excursions on the Jacques-Cartier River (whitewater rafting, family river tour, hydrospeed and raft and canoe rental) and an ultramodern 600 site campground next to the waterpark.
Today, with its 50 year-round employees, 500 seasonal jobs, over $50 million investment, and more than 10 million visitors, Valcartier Vacation Village is a major economic generator in the Quebec tourism sector.
It seeks, first and foremost, to remain a must-visit destination for families looking for pleasure and wonder in summer and winter.
