Qualla: Mont-Sainte-Anne

Mont-Sainte-Anne: Introduction

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0. In the fall of 1943, a group of volunteers from Beaupre and Quebec City hiked into the Laurentian forest with axes and saws. There was no chairlift, no lodge, no grooming equipment. They were cutting a ski trail by hand on a mountain that had no name in the sport, carving a single run through spruce and birch on sheer determination. Three years later, the first competition was held on that trail, competitors climbing the mountain on foot carrying all their gear, the only grooming done by volunteers sidestepping uphill on their skis. Mont-Sainte-Anne opened as a proper resort on January 16, 1966, with ten trails, four lifts, and a gondola. It has never stopped growing since. Today it stands as one of eastern Canada's premier ski destinations, a mountain that earned its reputation the hard way: one hand-cut trail at a time.

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Image: Cephas | CC BY-SA 3.0

Mont-Sainte-Anne: Seventy-One Ways Down

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0. Mont-Sainte-Anne spreads its 71 downhill trails across three faces of the mountain: south, north, and west. The southern face catches the most sun and hosts the night skiing operation, 19 illuminated trails that give Mont-Sainte-Anne the highest vertical drop for night skiing any...

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Image: Jeangagnon | CC BY-SA 3.0

Mont-Sainte-Anne: A World Cup Stage

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Guillaume666, CC BY-SA 3.0. Mont-Sainte-Anne entered the international spotlight almost immediately. In its opening year of 1966, the Du Maurier International brought world-class competitors to the mountain. The following year, the resort hosted events during the first Canadian Winter Games. Numerous FIS Al...

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Image: Guillaume666 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Mont-Sainte-Anne: The Cross-Country Kingdom

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit File:Mont Sainte-Anne.jpg : Cephas derivative work : Barbe-sauvage, CC BY 3.0. While the downhill trails draw the headlines, Mont-Sainte-Anne's Cross-Country Ski Centre holds a quieter distinction: it is the largest cross-country ski network in Canada and the second largest in North America, behind only Royal Gorge in California. The trail system includes a...

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Image: File:Mont Sainte-Anne.jpg : Cephas derivative work : Barbe-sauvage | CC BY 3.0

Mont-Sainte-Anne: Four Seasons on the Laurentians

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0. Mont-Sainte-Anne refuses to be a one-season mountain. When the snow melts, the ski trails transform into a network of hiking paths and one of North America's most respected mountain biking venues, its technical descents challenging enough to host the UCI World Cup finale. Paragli...

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Image: Cephas | CC BY-SA 3.0