Mont Tremblant, Quebec: Where European Charm & Natural Beauty Unite
The peaks of Quebec offer a beautiful escape for warm or cold weather
Situated in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec some 80 miles north of Montreal, Mont Tremblant is a dreamy locale with snowy peaks, a picturesque lake and a nearby national park.
Part of its beauty and charm lies at the base of the mountain in the European-style pedestrian village where no cars are allowed and buildings are crafted in traditional Quebec farmhouse-inspired designs bearing vibrant hues.
Its storybook quality is not only embodied in the architecture, but also in its French-speaking tones, the over 75 boutiques, restaurants, art galleries and inns, and the open-air cabriolet gondolas, which transport you from one part of the town to another.
While the resort is best known for its skiing, the destination really affords bounties that inspire every sense throughout the year. “In summer the lake at the foot of the mountain offers fishing, sailing, and waterskiing. In spring and fall you could hike, bike, or take in the beauty of Parc Nationale with its 400 lakes and streams and abundant wildlife,” said Steven Lafave, senior director of real estate, Engel & Völkers Tremblant.
“It has all the amenities one can desire—golf, lakes, rivers, a provincial park, spas, restaurants,” said Herbert Ratsch of Sotheby’s International Realty Québec, Mont-Tremblant.
Located some 30 minutes by car from Mont-Tremblant Airport, which has direct flights from Toronto, and 90 minutes from Montreal airport, the resort is a quick trip from most places on the East Coast of the U.S.
History
The Weskarini Algonquin were the first settlers of the Rivière du Diable Valley in the 1600s. They named the mountain Manitonga Soutana or “Trembling Mountain” because they believed it was inhabited by the Gitche Manitou, a spirit who made the mountain tremble when nature was disturbed.
The resort itself was born in the 1930s, when Philadelphia businessman Joe Ryan saw the mountain and had the dream of climbing it. Once at the top, he fell in love with the view and wanted to ski down.
Two years later, he purchased land and opened the resort in 1939, with the first functioning aerial chairlift in North America, and a village took life at the bottom of the hill. Intrawest took over in the 1990's and they kept the authentic feel as well as a few of the original buildings when they designed the pedestrian village.
Today, Tremblant is owned by Alterra Mountain Co., which also owns major ski resorts such as Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows in California and Deer Valley Resort in Utah.
What You’ll Pay
Tremblant is truly a four seasons destination. “What is great about it is that you can take
advantage of your ski home throughout the whole year,” said Annick Marseille, who handles public relations for the mountain. “During the winter, there is obviously skiing—we have 102 trails for all levels and tastes, should you prefer large groomers or tree skiing—but also, all sorts of other winter sports, such as snowshoeing, fat biking, cross-country skiing, alpine touring, ice climbing and so on,” Ms. Marseille said.
In summer, the lake at the base of the mountain offers fishing, sailing and waterskiing. In spring and fall you could hike, bike or take in the beauty of Parc Nationale with its 400 lakes and streams and abundant wildlife.
“People recognize when you arrive in Tremblant, you feel like you’ve been transported to a little European hamlet because of the language and the joie de vivre,” Mr. Lafave said.
“It’s a place where anyone can feel at home, from middle income to top end of the market. Celebrities with properties here include Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, Formula One racing champion Jacques Villeneuve, and hockey great Mario Lemieux, who all love the area because they can be themselves here,” Mr. Lafave said.
Ski-on, ski-off slope-side properties range from three-bedroom condos for C$600,000 to C$700,000 (US$460,318 to US$537,038) and luxury townhomes for C$1 million to C$2.5 million to massive 10,000-square-foot condos with multiple floors and elevators running upward of C$6 million. Single-family lakefront homes, where properties are scarce, range from C$9 million to C$10 million.
“Home amnesties are built around the owners’ personal lifestyles and include everything from refrigerated hockey rinks and pools to tennis courts, wine cellars and spas,” Mr. Ratsch said.
Trends To Watch
Due to “the fact that the Canadian dollar is equivalent to $0.76 U.S. dollars, Americans are enjoying a 25% discount, so the market is hot for state-siders; it’s the best we've seen it since 2008,” Mr. Ratsch said.
That said, “inventory is at an all-time low in the last 15 years since Alterra Mountain Company purchased Tremblant and brought buyer confidence by investing in the resort,” Mr. Lafave said.
Come spring, some sellers try to catch a buyer before the skiers leave again, affecting price points, which tend to drop at th“Not to mention the influx of baby boomers in urban areas of Canada such as Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal who’re downsizing their primary city homes for smaller pied-à-terres and making Tremblant their primary residences for a better quality of life,” he said. “You get more lifestyle for the money.”
