Follow each week the work of our crew and learn more about the preparations for the ski season.
Week of November 28, 2022
Snow parks
- We open Saturday with the Brome…and there is no park in the Brome. How disappointing. But hey, don’t worry. Because we love you and because we’re as eager as you are to play outside, our team has built a temporary park for the beginning of the season!
Come and enjoy it!
Ski
- We’re still making snow in Coupe du monde, Knowlton, Fullford, Bedford, Brome and Pente-école. But why does the mountain only open with the Brome when we can see that there is snow on the other trails? To preserve our beautiful snow! Read last week’s text to learn more about our whales (we explain it below).
Otherwise, our groomers came into play on Thursday, they will spread the snow and groom it. Friday, it will be the turn of our patrollers to secure the trail.
Enjoy your skiing!
Week of November 21, 2022
Ski
- Crews have been working 24/7 since Sunday, November 13 to take advantage of the cold window for snowmaking. In addition to the Brome, Ste-Julie, Varennes, St-Hubert (Bromont), Fullford, Bedford, Iron hill and Pente-École, snowmaking has begun on the Knowlton and Coupe du monde.
Have you ever seen the huge bumps of snow formed by the snow guns, just before the groomers do their work? These bumps are called “whales” (you don’t have to look far to see that!). The groomers will wait until the last minute before opening to spread them. The snow in these whales becomes super compact and lets the water run off the top when there is a warm spell like the one forecasted this weekend. This allows us to keep the snow much longer!
The countdown is now on. See you next week on the slopes!
Week of November 14, 2022
Ski
- The snow guns started last Sunday and the weather seems to be on our side for the next few days! We have a nice window (or fork, depending on who says it ) of snowmaking from Thursday night to next Tuesday. By the beginning of next week, we should be well into our first phase of snowmaking in preparation for the opening in early December.In Phase 1, we are snowing Brome, Ste-Julie, Varennes, St-Hubert (Bromont), Fullford, Bedford, Iron hill and Pente-École.
Snow parks
- We know that the 3D video of the snow parks is always awaited and well this week, we offer you a preview of a section of one of the parks! The section is for intermediate and advanced levels. In all, we are adding 5 new modules this season. Stay tuned!
Alpine touring
- The snow continues to fall and we are ready for the first big snowfall! Our early season maintenance is now complete.
Week of November 7, 2022
Alpine touring
- Good news! The new alpine trail from Versant du Lac is finished! An additional intermediate trail has been added to the network.
- Those who have climbed the Epicée in the last 2 winters remember the steep section at the end of the trail and the joy of climbing it when it was icy. Well, we double the good news this week, as the trail crew has changed the route of the last section that leads to the top of Mount Spruce.
Snow parks
- This year, we are revamping the parks! We have thought of all the content creation enthusiasts and are developing visual elements to add beauty to the modules. In addition, new structures will be installed at the entrance of the parks with names and safety instructions.
Ski
- Did you know that some sections of the bike trails go through the ski slopes and that these sections must be levelled (read crushed?). For example, the team flattened the turns in the lower part of Celle-Là (59) to avoid breakage on the machinery and to keep a reasonable snow level above the (R.I.P) berms.
Speaking of snow, when are we going to start the Snow Factory? All bets are off.
Week of October 31, 2022
While we wait for the cold weather, we take the opportunity to complete “any other related tasks” on our preparation list.
- New alpine touring trail!
We’ve never been so ready to make snow and we won’t deny it: we’re waiting for the cold! So we’re taking advantage of this interlude to work on a new alpine touring trail. The team has started cutting branches and leveling the trail. From this winter, you will be able to reach the summit by this intermediate trail from the Versant du Lac.
- Did you know that we had to tie up the groomers on the steep slopes?
Yes, we did! We are installing new anchors to which we will attach the groomer winches this winter. The winches allow us to pull up large amounts of snow in the steep sections without sliding the groomers.
- Certification of the Patrol
The Bromont Patrol is recognized for its high level of competence. Each year, team members are required to re-certify. This fall, 110 veteran patrollers completed the 16-hour course and 28 new patrollers completed the 60-hour course to receive their certification. Congratulations to all!
- Last weekend to ride
The mountain bike trails will be open until sunset on Sunday. The ascent is via the Grande douce (21) to the intersection of the Ribambelle (81) and the Rotule (88) which are also open to join the Parc des Sommets network. On the way back, take the Indécise (6 blue and 6 green) to go down to the Versant du Village. This is the last chance to ride before we start preparing the related trails for the ski season!
Week of October 24, 2022
- Testing the snowmaking system
We had planned a good week of work to test the entire transportation system and we only have the Versant du Village left! We are finally at the end of the testing of all the drains and valve houses.
- Snowmaking
In addition to testing the snowmaking transportation system, we are also making sure that the 13 pumps and 15 compressors in our snow factory are ready to go… and they are! See that? 👀
One thing is for sure: we’re ready!
Tests in the upper Knowlton on Friday, October 28, 2022
- Alpine Touring
The team has begun work on the alpine touring trails and is doing some early season maintenance. More details on the modifications and new routes will follow soon!
- Snow Parks
We are also working on the Parks plan and on the new modules. MESSAGE TO ALL: the 3D video will be back this year before the season starts. STAY TUNE!
- Upcoming
The new recruits to the snowmaking team will receive their training next week. It’s not too late to join the coolest team that will play a central role at the mountain in the coming months!
Week of October 17, 2022
- Testing the Snowmaking System
One of the first tasks the team is working on is testing our entire snowmaking system to ensure that there are no air or water leaks in our transport network to our 1,500 snow guns and 67 fans. Did you know that our water lines crisscross our 7 mountainsides? We estimate that it takes 7 to 8 days of work to cover the entire network!
- New at Versant des Épinettes
After the Petawawa snowmaking last year, it will now be the Ottawa slope’s turn! We will also be testing this new snowmaking line over the next few days to ensure that it is not damaged.
- What’s Next
We will continue to plan our snowmaking phases and test our 67 fan guns!
One thing is for sure, we will be ready to launch the machine as soon as the temperatures allow it!