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Editor’s Note:
Welcome To Never-Ending Winter on the Tremblant360 Archive
Forum Pages! Raw, Undiluted, Tremblant Ski/Board records in
sequential day-by-day progression lives here!

To experience the Winter 2016/2017 in Chronological Order,
starting from Opening Day on November 24, 2016, goto: http://tinyurl.com/zbab669

Use the “Next Topic” Button(located just below Page Header, Screen-Right Side)
to scroll through, day-by-day.

Otherwise, you can go to any date this season, or any previous season,
by scrolling back through the main Tremblant Conditions Index Pages
@ http://tinyurl.com/yktelmu

Thanks for your visit!

-------------- Post For Seasons Closing Day, April, 17, 2017 ------------------

T360 Apres Ski, Apres Ski Introduction Edit @ 2:07 A.M. 4/18/17
(Please Note: Additional Apres Ski Posted Below in “Reply”.)

First Things First...
Was There Enough Snow?

Oh Yeah...

Tremblant360.com “Proof Of Snow”, for
Closing Day April 17th, 2017.

When there’s still over a Metre, over 4 feet of residual
trail-side snow to be found anywhere beside Open Terrain
on Closing Weekend, you do not have any worries about
adequate Base.

(We had hoped to get to our previous Lowell Thomas Trail-Side
Proof Of Snow Location, but it was closed, so we went to an
alternate location on P’tit Bonheur and quickly found this 110 cm’s
Trail-Side ambient snowpack depth.)


Below: As Far As Predicted Atmospheric Conditions Go...

Almost Hard To Imagine The Weather
Forecast Could Be So Wrong...
Sunny?
Smooth High Performance Carving Surface Award:

Nansen...

From Beginners To Experts, Fast, Easy, and Super Smooth.
Lots more Apres Ski To Follow,
but basically, it was a far more
Winter-Like day than anyone
expected. A dusting of Fresh Snow,
really Quick Surfaces and Excellent
Carving Edge Grip with Tuned Gear
yielded a Very Fine Seasonal Finale.

But No Doubt... The Weather forecast was Wrong.


---------------------- 7:27 A.M. Orig. Post ------------------------

56(*) Open Trails on Versant Sud, South, Nord, North and Soleil Sectors At #Tremblant .

Based on the Forecast:
One Pic. Projection For The Final Day Of A Remarkably Fine Season.
More on Nord, North Side conditions in a moment,
but first off, because it is what it is...

The Heat And Wet of recent weather eroded a considerable
degree of Lower Elevation Trail Surfaces and we would not
be surprised if we were the last people to Ski Nansen Bas,
Lower, yesterday at 3:45 or so. The final short pitch adjacent
to “Tam-Tam”(Trail #96), was becoming very difficult to navigate
and required numerous lateral traverses just to stay on Snow,
and in some cases, thin ice, in order to pick your way down.

Considering that 48 hours earlier, it was almost Flawless,
Wall-to-wall, smooth Carving Performance there, the difference
in that location was almost surreal.This is exactly what we meant
when we wrote yesterday about Matched Snow/Time Remaining.
Having Conditions go from “Useable” to “Gone” on this Trail
example within 24 hours of scheduled Seasonal Closing is
remarkable timing by any standards.

More importantly to remember though, that in terms of the entire season,
to have had all 6 kilometres of Nansen available at these standards of
excellence from it's full opening back in early December, to within a day
of seasons end, is a phenomenal testament to the consistent quality
Tremblant guests have enjoyed on this iconic trail for virtually every
single day.


Thank Goodness For “Nord”, “North”,
as in Versant Nord, the North Side!

The Fact Is... There are Upper Versant Nord, North Side Trails
with over 120cm’s of Trail-side Natural Snow still on the Ground.

We think we can go there today and get a “Proof Of Snow”
photo with a 122cm/48inch Ski Pole submerged to, or below,
the surface, and we consider that to be the “Challenge du Jour”,
just for the record.

Conditions Notes:

If the Weather Forecast Holds True...

There will be a continuation of the
Super-Soft Spring Corn Snow Conditions.

Explore cautiously and be mindful of surface
thickness that can develop additional challenges
in edge sensitivity. There are Icy Substrates in
places that are typical for Mid-April.

The Green Rated Trails have shown Excellent Surface stability
over recent days, despite Warm/Wet Weather and we expect
that to remain similar for today as well.

In the Mean-Time... #1...

The last Sunny day we had was 4/14, and Below is this sample
shot from that date, taken from the Lowell Thomas Upper Pitch
overlooking the Lowell Thomas Triple Chair lift as it passes
over the intersection of “Rope Tow”. The complete coverage
is still there, and it is also still there throughout the surrounding
Trails, so that’s specifically why we’re thankful for “Nord/North”.
In the Mean-Time... #2...

The Kidz Are Still Havin’ Fun!

Here’s another last sunny day 4/14 sample shot of
the Nord, North Rope Tow “Evolution Park” which we
expect should be in good shape today as well.
Mountain Crews at Tremblant have dedicated tremendous
efforts maintaining Park Features and there’s always a
steady stream of talented Kidz of all ages using the line
as it passes under the Lowell Thomas Triple Chair here.

The Main Point on this, and any other Official Closing Day...
Tremblant always has Sweet Spots of Excellence within
the Open Terrain. We are just as Thankful whether they
be Large or Small in number because every season has
it’s conditions relative to the net effect of “Winter” into “Spring”.

It’s time to head out and find what this Seasons Finale holds in store...

Go Skiing If You can!


Weather Notes:

Currently it is still overcast and breezy
so keeping fingers crossed for good luck
that the “Sunny” part is on the way soon...
Technically Speaking... we’d almost like the
conditions to stay under the “Umbrella” in
order to retain the Performance of Cooler
Surfaces, but who could turn down the Sun
for “Closing Day”???, certainly not us.


56(*) Open Trails on the Archival Copy of Official Open Trails,
Grooming, Snowmaking, Lift Status and Mountain Conditions
for April 17th, 2017, Courtesy of Tremblant.ca
Page under Progressive Assembly.
Thanks for your Visit, and we sincerely
hope to see you on the Slopes Today!

Our Sincere Thanks And Appreciation To
Tremblant Mountain Op’s For All Their Efforts!

We Hate to say it, but today is the day when
“Apres Ski” takes on a whole New Meaning...


---------- Web Cam Array Weather Observations ---------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Links and not-so-fine print:

http://www.tremblant.ca

What’s The Use? Research Benefits of this Archive: http://tinyurl.com/gp5vjps

(*) Understanding Trail Counts - http://alturl.com/n54py

http://www.tremblant.ca/mountain/trailmap-e.htm

http://www.tremblant.ca/galleries/webcams/index-e.htm

http://translate.google.com/translate_t ... =fr&tl=en#

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/CAQC0360

Forum Index: http://alturl.com/r4cco

Bring Back The Memories... Research Future Visits...
If you would like to look up dates you visited Tremblant, or you
want to research days/weeks/months to visit, you can sample what
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GoTo: Archive, Search Reports by Date: Index: http://tinyurl.com/yktelmu

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( If you "Bookmark" the link above, it will always take you to the
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.

Our current thought is to do a bit of Apres Season
Apres Ski in the form of an April retrospective because
April is typically a very light traffic period that is not
heavily booked due to either a perception that the Skiing
may not be ideal, or people get diverted to other seasonal
activities?

Consequently, we think April is undervalued as a Ski-destination
month and it deserves more attention focus on Tremblant because
of the overall reliability of conditions as you can find described in
this and the other multiple April’s contained in this Archive.

In a sense, Winter develops a “Momentum” and that carries
over into April virtually every season. So, if you had difficulty
getting out over any given winter, April is a great opportunity
to catch-up on missed Ski days if you can. The easy benefits of
longer daylight, Open hours and warmer temps, all make April
a great option for Last Minute Ski Fans.

This section of T360 Apres Ski is therefore dedicated to
a bit of a chronological April 2017 Review with some pic’s
that we think should be included as recorded observations.

In The Beginning... 4.1.17:

(please Note: All Pic.Files are Date Noted in Mo/D/Yr. format)
Looking at the above pic, you’ll see not one, but two
competition zones. The top one is an Alpine Ski Race
Course set on Flying Mile and the bottom one is the
set up for the Annual “Caribou Cup” novelty race featuring
a long pool of water that needs to be crossed to complete
the course. Below is a zoomed-in closeup shot from the
Government Dock on Lac Tremblant.
With temps close to Zero C, the snow surfaces definitely get
soft and one look at the snow in the air behind this skier makes
that obvious.
At the same time there’s great performance,
there’s also great learning.
Just like any other month, April weather can and does change
with frequency determined only by Mother Nature. The advantage
is it’s unlikely you’ll experience “Cool” the way Mid-Winter has it,
but in the beginning it usually has retained total and complete winter
square area coverages.

The Nord, North Side Park on Trail #68, “Rope Tow”, is situated
just below the Summit and enjoys the highest level of naturally
occurring shade from direct Spring Solar energy so conditions
here are durable and consistent throughout the season. This is
an entry level size module Park and with the Lowell Thomas
fixed Triple Chair for service and a great view riding up and over,
it’s always a popular place to find both safe family fun and
great vantage points for pic’s.
Below: Soft, Spring Mogul Action on Nord, North Expo is a Tremblant Tradition!
April bump skiing on Expo directly benefits from a whole seasons worth
of Snowmaking and repeated Winch Grooming. The result is a uniform
base quality at the beginning of April that draws out very talented local
and regional Bump Fans.

April of 2017 also featured a National Level Board-cross event and the Course
for that can be seen below where it comes off the start from lower Dynamite
and extends all the way to the finish at the foot of the Expo Quad.
The Snow Flies Even On The Sunny Days At Tremblant!

For Experts the soft spring snow offers a high degree of forgiveness
as banked turns into a shock absorbing surface sends the snow flying.
Pictured here on the lower section of Versant Soleil approaching the
base of the Soleil Quad.
Due to Versant Soleil’s Sou-West orientation, the intensity of the
solar energy can often create the first of the true Spring Skiing
Conditions at Tremblant in the long, warm, afternoons of early April.

As a general reference to the sun’s orientation, this pic below provides
a comparatively accurate summary of how mid-day solar energy affects
the Sud, South and Soleil sectors which are all on the Screen-Left side
and the Nord,North and Edge Sectors which are all on the Screen-right side.
The advantage of this specific photo above is that it is taken in a basically
northerly direction and along the Summit ridge that differentiates
Tremblant’s two principle domains Sud, South and Nord, North. Indeed,
if you go left at the trail signs visible you will end up at the South Resort Base
and if you go to the right side out of this frame, you’ll end up at the North
side base and lifts. So, you can quite plainly see the most direct solar exposure
is going to be on everything to the left where the sun is on surfaces virtually
all day. On the right, land and trail contours often create complete shadow
and where ever sunny, the rays hit and a very high angle so they are much
less intense in radiant effect.

These differences allow Skiers/Boarders many options for the characteristics
of Spring Snow performance they can choose from when the degrees of solar
softening can make things slower and/or allow more control on steep’s or
exposed zones with higher levels of moisture, or keep things firm and fast
longer in zones that stay drier due to less daily thaw.

April Advantage... Tremblant.

Below: One of our favourite Spring descent options is Airborne Jump Turns
over rolling topographical contours and Tremblant Excels in high
quality terrain for this Expert technique due to what we can only
describe as a discernible, rhythmic, flow-like characteristic on
many trails. Where a Skiers/Boarders sensitivity to combinations
of speed and variable pitch are at a degree of experience that
allows comfortable low-level Air-Time, it is possible to spend as much
time as you’d like launching off laterally running crest/contours for
as close as you can get to zero-gravity turns in clear air.

Observe the Screen-Left Carved Ski Tracks below this contour from
two opposite Jumped Air-Turns on lower Fuddle Duddle(Trail #78).
This is a focus on one contour in a series of about 8 that can be linked
together with a wee bit of speed(when safe with no other traffic).
The thrills and personal athletic engagement of the physical efforts
and skills of making a full-tilt hard carving descent here can not be really
expressed with words.
One of the totally fun parts of Spring here is the obvious “Banked” effect
that soft, shred-able snow generates when Ski edges reconnect with the
surface.

The amazing part is that this Blue Rated Trail can also be enjoyed by
all skill levels equally because the distance between the crests that
can create lift with Experts “Speed” becomes great enough that when
combined with overall smoothness, facilitates “Easy” for Beginners and
Intermediates with appropriately controlled speed.

As an added Easy April bonus, there's such a large square area that has
these great conditions to select from.

Below: Definitely Experts Only...

Mogul Motion Jump Turns!

4.5.17.Expo.Quad.Views.Expo.Mid.Air.Mogul.Motion.f.jpg
Riding up any lift over a steep mogul field like
Tremblant’s Versant Nord, North Side “Expo”,
and you’ll see Experts using bumps as ramps
for Jump Turns. We happened to riding up at
exactly the right time to capture this Tremblant
local person who routinely uses air-time to avoid
the soft heavy snow that can accumulate between
the moguls.

April temp’s frequently hover around the freezing mark
by one or two degrees and at Tremblant that can mean
when +2C at South Base levels generates rain, -1C at
the North Base levels and cooler Mountain elevations
can mean snow. April 7th was a classic example of that
case. When you could watch the TV weather and see rain from
Virginia to Ottawa, including the south side of Tremblant,
but the Nord/Summit sectors enjoyed Snowfall all day.
We think that “Tipping Point” difference that often makes
Mountain-side natural snow a huge advantage for April Skiers
at Tremblant.

Above we talk about “Summit Sectors” getting snow, and the
next day, that snow is clearly visible below in the trees indicating
a stable, sustained ambient sub-zero at that elevation. If you
put this scene in any January or February reports, the pic
would fit right in but if you take the time to look through previous
April’s in these records, you’ll find numerous examples of this
kind of winter quality in April Tremblant Skiing.




Page under Progressive Post Season Assembly
and will be added to as time permits.



.

Please Note: All pic’s are file annotated with Mo/Day/Yr dated locational data.

For those who enjoy... April Is "Bump” Month!

If you like Expert Mogul Skiing... April might just become
one of your favourite Bump Skiing months because it’s just
so easy to navigate soft spring snow with a little air and
a little momentum to blast through all those great Hors-Piste
lines at Tremblant!
More Bumps...
Below: We call Versant Nord, the North Side’s “Le Tunnel”(#66),
a “Hidden Gem” due to it’s secluded location that is off the main
boulevards, and its very pure Fall-Line descent that is usually left
as a mogul run. When you can’t see Tremblant’s avid Mogul Hounds
showing off under the Expo Quad, you might just find them here
in this beautiful tree lined setting.
A couple of things to note in this Versant Nord, North Side shot below, from
the Duncan Quad as it passes over #62, Saute-Moutons. First, it’s quite
obvious that a bit of outside ski pressure gets you a considerable amount
of easy speed and directional control when the snow is so soft. Secondly,
looking at the top, left side of the frame you’ll see quite a bit of shadow.
Much of the North Side at Tremblant has significant shadow which frequently
retains higher firmness and greater speed due to the reduced thaw from
the direct rays of the sun being blocked, so if you’re looking for a bit more Zip,
the shadow’d side of Versant Nord can often be the place to find it.

Entering into the final week of the Season, the obvious advancement
of Spring weather factors are definitely warming things up, but even
the lower South-Side still shows remarkable snow reserve that Mountain
Crews can maintain very smooth Green, Beginner trail surfaces with.
This example below is on Nansen Bas, Lower, about 15 metres above the
intersection with Trail #5, La Passe, as it joins Nansen from the top of the
Flying Mile Quad.

1 Trail that is 6 Kilometres of easy descent pitch over this basic smoothness
is a major asset for any learning curve, and a perfectly valid reason for
considering April as a good opportunity to start or develop basic skills.
In addition to the completeness of the trail coverage, this
mid-Mountain elevation still shows overall snow accumulations
in the trail-side bush as an indicator of the staying power of
a season with over 500cm’s of total snowfall.

Spring Skiing weather has the full range of above and below zero C
precipitation, sometimes all at the same time. Any form of dampness
is far easier to handle on the trail if you have a warm dry ride up, so
every up-cycle on the Gondola is welcome shelter.
Within 10 minutes of the above, that reference to “Full Range
Of Precipitation” becomes very real as at higher elevations and
on Tremblant’s Versant Nord, the North Side, it is quite nicely Snowing!
24 hours later...

A reminder why Spring Sunshine makes everyone feel so happy
and full of energy!
Spectacular Spring Sunshine Views... over soft, easy to ski snow
and NO Traffic! There are not many places where you can feel as
if you have the whole place, it seems like the whole world, to yourself
quite the way you experience it on the side of the Mountain without
another soul in sight. Private late-season April moments here are a
true privilege and a reminder of how special this place is, not just for
the Skiing, but for the wondrous beauty of this timeless vista.

Even if you do have to occasionally share April Slopes with others,
the vista’s can still be found just as beautiful, and practically around
almost every corner. The common thread amongst all those late
season attenders is the unending passion for another run, one more time
to the Summit, one more line down that favourite little out-of-the-way
Trail, before Apres Ski becomes Apres Season.

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