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Quebec eastern township areas intel?

camberstick

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Thinking of taking the family on a president's week trip to check out Owls head, Mont Sutton and Mont Orford. trying to get off the beaten path and not spend a ton of money. who has been to these areas and any advice? My daughters are solid intermediates who are really starting to enjoy the woods , the wife only skis groomers. lodging recommendations?
 

EPB

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Thinking of taking the family on a president's week trip to check out Owls head, Mont Sutton and Mont Orford. trying to get off the beaten path and not spend a ton of money. who has been to these areas and any advice? My daughters are solid intermediates who are really starting to enjoy the woods , the wife only skis groomers. lodging recommendations?
I day tripped to Orford once and stopped in Magog after. Orford is an awesome mountain. It's not huge, but has train for any type of skier. It would get a lot more attention if it were on the US side of the border.

I picked Orford over Owls Head after hearing on this site that Owl is more for ripping groomers than anything else. Sutton is on my personal short list of new places to try. They seem to get the most snow in the region and have the most trees. From what I can gather, it has less sustained steep train than you'd find at Orford.

Ive looked into Airbnb in Magog. Prices seem reasonable. No personal experience, but it feels most contentent if you're coming from I-91.

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jaytrem

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Thinking of taking the family on a president's week trip to check out Owls head, Mont Sutton and Mont Orford. trying to get off the beaten path and not spend a ton of money. who has been to these areas and any advice? My daughters are solid intermediates who are really starting to enjoy the woods , the wife only skis groomers. lodging recommendations?

President's week is a good time for the Eastern Townships and Canada in general. Really enjoyed Sutton and Orford (Owl's Head too), but Bromont was a really nice surprise. Lots of nice tree skiing there. We stayed in Magog which was nice. At the time the had a cool linear skating path, I assume they still do. So if you have ice skate bring them. Exchange rate is still great.

Possible discounts here, but you might need to ship stuff to Canada, or have a Canadian friend buy....

https://maneige.ski/en/

It's been a while since I purchased from them, so not sure of the current deals.

And there is this on liftopia....

https://www.liftopia.com/ski-dans-l-est

Or buy direct from them (powered by liftopia)...

https://easterntownships.ltibooking.com/en

But depending on your plans you might be better off buying on liftopia for the specific resort.

Owls Head Tues/Wed deal is blacked out that week...

https://owlshead.com/en/budget-priced-tuesdays-and-wednesdays/

Wasn't when I went, guess they wised up (ba dum dum).
 

camberstick

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Thanks for all the info! Looks like the skiing could be really good and the exchange rate and tickets prices are great. Any reason to be concerned about the language barrier for going out in town?
 

jaytrem

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Thanks for all the info! Looks like the skiing could be really good and the exchange rate and tickets prices are great. Any reason to be concerned about the language barrier for going out in town?

Language is no problem in that area. I've had some laguage barrier issues at places more off the beaten path. But a friendly smile goes a long way. Even if the staff doesn't speak english there's a good chance somebody around will translate for. All you really need to know is....

un billet s'il vous plait

aka one lift ticket please
 

VTKilarney

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There are some super cheap midweek deals. Look at the websites for Orford and Owls Head.

Bromont used to offer cheap “Sweet Pass” day tickets to non-Quebec residents. This year I just see an annual pass. It may be worth a call.

Canada for Presidents Day week is an excellent idea.
 

VTKilarney

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Dinner on Thursday: http://www.restaurantpinocchio.com/en/menu-thursday/

Make a reservation.

Sherbrooke has some very good dining, including casual places.

If you want to say you’ve had horse, try here: http://www.antidotefoodlab.com/menus/AFL-ENGLISH-MENU.pdf
It’s actually one of my all-time favorite restaurants.

A fun casual option (very casual) for great poutine: https://restaurantlouis.com/
And a great brew pub (go to the ”depot” location downtown by the river): https://siboire.ca/en/depot/

Fondue in Magog: http://www.fondissimo.ca/
 
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camberstick

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Good info but I think my daughters would not let me try the horse. 3 day tickets good for all mountains available at only $180 Can for adults.
 

BenedictGomez

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I hit Mont Sutton last year for the first time & really enjoyed the place. Limited grooming & decent trees.

My sense is you should only go if the snow is in shape though, as it's family-owned & I think resources are limited, as was the parking.
 

podunk77

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I thought someone from here went on a week long trip and posted a multi part report about it but a quick search comes up empty

You might be thinking of the series of trip reports to the Laurentians that NELSAP posted on Snowjournal 2.0 during the 2018/19 season. They had lots of good information and wonderful pics from some of the smaller areas up there. For anyone interested, search "Quebec Ski Trip" on Snowjournal and you'll find the postings..... I think there were 6 or 7 in total.
 

camberstick

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Great link to Harvey's site, thanks. Not quite sure about Bromont after reading that, however. I want to avoid the crowds.
 

Abominable

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You might be thinking of the series of trip reports to the Laurentians that NELSAP posted on Snowjournal 2.0 during the 2018/19 season. They had lots of good information and wonderful pics from some of the smaller areas up there. For anyone interested, search "Quebec Ski Trip" on Snowjournal and you'll find the postings..... I think there were 6 or 7 in total.

Wow, I think you're correct, good memory.
 

camberstick

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1 week out from heading north, so ready to get away from the Pocono hills! Been hard to find a lot of info on these places. found the 3 pack of tickets for all 4 mountains. planning on Owls head, Orford and Sutton for sure and maybe grab a day somewhere in Vt depending on snow and temps. Seems like the wind may be an issue, any advice? staying in Magog and planning a day of cross country at Orford park. any other good family fun in the area?
 

deadheadskier

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1 week out from heading north, so ready to get away from the Pocono hills! Been hard to find a lot of info on these places. found the 3 pack of tickets for all 4 mountains. planning on Owls head, Orford and Sutton for sure and maybe grab a day somewhere in Vt depending on snow and temps. Seems like the wind may be an issue, any advice? staying in Magog and planning a day of cross country at Orford park. any other good family fun in the area?
No advice, but that sounds like an awesome vacation. I'd like to do the exact same trip one of these winters

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trackbiker

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planning on Owls head, Orford and Sutton for sure and maybe grab a day somewhere in Vt depending on snow and temps. Seems like the wind may be an issue, any advice?
If you want to try a place in VT that week Burke is the best option for lack of crowds and it's a fun mountain if they get the snow they're predicting from this storm.
 

VTKilarney

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The Eastern Townships may not have huge mountains, but it offers some of the best deals in skiing and the mountains are big enough. The mid-week deals are pretty incredible, especially when you factor in the exchange rate. An adult can ski at Mont Orford on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for just $37 CAD, which is $28 USD. Owls Head is $29 CAD ($22 USD) on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mont Orford is only about half an hour farther than Jay Peak if you are coming up I-91. Magog has tons of dining options, supermarkets, etc.

One thing that you won't find at Mont Orford is trailside lodging. Owls Head and Bromont have some, but of those hills Mont Orford is my favorite. I am not as familiar with Sutton.

A friend of mine stayed at Kabin Sutton and really recommended it. These are brand new cabins, each with its own hot tub. Very European.
https://www.kabinsutton.com/en
 
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