December is always an exciting time for our family. It’s a month full of holiday celebrations, the kids are off school for winter break, and we always go on a family ski trip to Tremblant (Quebec). We’ve been to Tremeblant with our kids five times. The experience is always different, but always fun. Having tried both on-the-hill and off-the-hill activities, stayed in a variety of accommodations and tried out the food at the various restaurants on the hill, I feel confident in narrowing down the TOP 6 experiences that you need to do with your kids in Tremblant.
Skiing
This might be the obvious one, but it’s truly my favourite thing to do in Tremblant in the winter. The first time we were there with all three boys Nathan was just 2 years old (Ryan and Kyle were 4 and 6). Nathan just loved skiing and naturally got into it immediately. Since he was young, he probably only lasted on the hill for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. He spent that first year on the beginner hills, but by the second year, he came up with us on the gondola to ski from the top of the mountain (attached to a harness). All three boys love skiing and it’s such a great winter activity. You’re outdoors and it’s a full body workout.
Not to mention, Tremblant has been named the #1 eastern ski destination 19 times! It provides you with 2,116 vertical feet to ski down, which is much more than you’ll find at any other area ski resorts.
One of my favourite and most beautiful runs from this year was the blue run ‘Axel’ on the North side. Here is a video of the boys going down:
In fact, this past year Tremblant invested $17 million into their ski hills including renovating the chalet at the summit, new chairlifts and new glades!
Enjoy an off-hill activity
There are seriously so many fun activities for your family to enjoy off the hill. We’ve probably tried them all and loved them all. We created shirts at T-bar, painted ceramics at Le STudio Creati and made stuffies at Univers Toutou.
Last year we went dog sledding which was always a bucket-list item for me. The boys found it a bit too cold (it was freezing that day), but I loved it! However, our favourite off-hill activity has to be laser tag at Mission Laser. We played three 10 minute games, and the boys wanted to keep going. I honestly think it was their favourite part of our entire trip. You can play individual games or team games. We did both, but my favourite was parents vs. kids – can you guess who won?
Explore the village
The first time we went to Tremblant with kids, Kyle was just a newborn. That means, neither one of us really skied. Instead, I put him in his stroller and we explored the village. Walking up and down the main strip and popping into the various shops along the way was the perfect way to get outside, exercise a little and warm up when needed.
There are also several coffee shops throughout the village and several fire pits, making it a perfect spot to sit down and people watch. Now that the boys are older, we still enjoying doing these activities. There’s nothing better than sipping on some hot chocolate by a warm fire outdoors, surrounded by snowy mountains.
Enjoy dining together
How do you reward yourself after a full day of skiing? By going to après ski of course. Beer or wine for the adults and some hot chocolate for the kids. Enjoy with a side of poutine, and you’ll pretty much never want to leave. Après ski is a favourite activity for people of all ages and there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy this or a good meal at Tremblant. Our personal favourites are Le Shack at the base of the mountain and La Diable.
Or for a special treat, take the family to enjoy Beaver Tails for dessert! If you prefer to stay on the hill all day, I highly recommend grabbing lunch at the top of the mountain in the newly renovated lodge – Le Grand Manitou.
Go tubing
While we only got to experience this activity three years ago (since it’s weather dependent and we go early in the season), it’s definitely a family favourite. In the evening, when the slopes are closed, get your family going again by enjoying some night tubing! The tubing hills open at 6PM and you can choose between a single or double tube or individual toboggans. It’s a really fun family activity! The kids were having so much fun that we literally had to drag them off the hill.
Go swimming at AquaClub La Source
This is the perfect activity if you want to take a break from skiing (or if your kids don’t ski yet). You can pretty much spend all day inside here! The Aquaclub includes both shallow and deep pools, hot tubs, slides, a rope swing, water floats and toys. The pool area is enclosed by glass which allows you to have a peak outside at people skiing while you’re in your bathing suite inside. There’s also a little area with tables and chairs where you can bring and enjoy snacks or a meal.
We’re already excited and looking forward to our return visit next year. Tremblant in December has become our new family tradition. Even the boys’ grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles have started joining us.
If you’ve been to Tremblant with your kids, what were some of your favourite family activities?
If you want to read more about our previous adventures at Tremblant, check out these blog posts:
Multi-Generational Ski Trip to Tremblant
Visiting Tremblant with young kids