Skiing
Skiing is very popular here, whether it's downhill on one of the mountains surrounding the city or cross-country in an urban park. A dynamic landscape, top-notch ski resorts, and lots of fresh powder have helped make this a major training area for some of Canada's top athletes.
Québec City Tourism. General information about ski centers in Québec is available from Québec City Tourism. Québec City, Québec. 877/783–1608; 418/641–6290; www.quebecregion.com.
Cross-Country
Regroupement des Stations de Ski de Fond. Thirty-seven cross-country ski centers in the Québec area have 2,000 km (1,240 miles) of groomed trails and heated shelters between them; contact this group for more information. Many also offer snowshoeing trails. Québec City, Québec. www.skidefondraquette.com.
Ski Centers
Le Centre Touristique Duchesnay. Located west of Québec City, this center has 150 km (93 miles) of marked trails, which can be used for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter. There's a wonderful lakeside auberge on-site. 140 Montée de l'Auberge, Ste-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, Québec, G3N 0J5. 418/875–2122.
Les Sentiers du Moulin. This center is 19 km (12 miles) north of the city and has more than 20 marked trails covering 48 km (28 miles), overall, with 28 km (17 miles) multitrack. 99 chemin du Moulin, Lac-Beauport, Québec, G3B 0E1. 418/849–9652.
Parc des Champs-de-Bataille. You can reach this park from Place Montcalm. It has more than 10 km (6 miles) of scenic, marked, cross-country skiing trails. Skis and snowshoes can be rented at the Musée des Plaines. 835 av. Wilfrid-Laurier, Montcalm, Québec City, Québec, G1R 5H8.
Downhill
Multiple downhill ski resorts are nearby, and some are barely 30 minutes away from downtown Québec City. Most have night skiing.
Le Relais. There are 28 trails and a vertical drop of 734 feet at this relatively small, family-friendly ski center, where you can buy lift tickets by the hour. Le Relais is about 20 minutes from downtown Québec City. 1084 boul. du Lac, Lac-Beauport, Québec, G3B 0X5. 418/849–1851; www.skirelais.com.
Station Touristique Stoneham. Stoneham is 20 minutes north of Old Québec. The hill has a vertical drop of 1,380 feet, with a number of long, easy slopes and some more challenging runs. It has 42 downhill runs and seven lifts, plus three terrain parks and one super-half-pipe. 1420 av. du Hibou, Stoneham, Québec, G3C 1T3. 418/848–2411; 800/463–6888; www.ski-stoneham.com.
