Read skier and snowboarder-submitted reviews on Mont Sainte Anne that rank the ski resort and mountain town on a scale of one to five stars for attributes such as terrain, nightlife and family friendliness. See how Mont Sainte Anne stacks up in the reviews, on and off the slopes, from skiing and family activities to the après scene. Read up on pros, cons and other comments in reviews left by fellow skiers and riders. Don't forget to submit your own Mont Sainte Anne review! Scroll to the bottom of this page to let other travelers know about your skiing and resort experience.
Reviews for Mont Sainte Anne
Total (3.4)
A ski resort's overall star rating displayed here is not calculated based on a simple average but takes several factors, including the age of a review, into account.
Great mountain, trails, view is majestic. Great infrastructure!
Ted K
Had great weather and spring skiing conditions. Early morning was brutal skiing poorly groomed runs. When snow softened up the skiing was good. Having MAX pass made shorter ski days OK. North side skied better than south. Disappointed to find out several runs closed when website reported everything open. La Crete was very nice with great views of St Lawrence.
Andrea
We spent Family day and the next 3 days skiing at Mont Ste. Anne. I put the kids in a four day ski adventure camp run by the ski school and they had a fantastic time. The instructors were excellent and I saw real improvement over the time we were there. Instructors were bilingual and friendly. My daughter practiced some of her French when she felt comfortable to do so. Lunches were included and they were good, large meals.
I took a couple of lessons myself during the week and my instructor was great! Lessons are a bit expensive ($100 for 1.5 hour group lesson) but I ended up solo in one lesson and with my spouse on the second lesson, so I got a great deal in the end. Because Quebec does not celebrate Family Day, the hills were not busy. We didn't line up once the entire time were were there. Some Americans were up for President's Day and spring Break, but I expected there to be many more with the low Canadian dollar.
The Gondola is fast and gives you a great view of the area. I just wish the green or easier blues ended at the Gondola. The other lifts were fast too. One has a cover you can pull down to keep the wind down.
I found the greens to be "green", but some of the blues on the south side were very steep and I would consider them closer to black at other hills. The north side was a bit more steady in pitch. I have skied at Gore and Bristol mountains and are more comfortable on the blues there than on the south side of Mt. Ste. Anne. The kids enjoyed the green and blue glades runs on the north side.
The layout at MSA is well thought out and you can be on the hill quickly. Sleds are around if you need to move a bunch of gear. Guides are very friendly and helpful and everywhere. My French is not good, but everyone was bilingual, so we never had a issue.
Ski Patrol was quick to respond to a fall on the hill and other staff helped out where they could.
The cafeterias are expensive, but you can bring a boxed lunch. Microwaves are available for heating up food at the base and summit chalets.
Accommodations are available right at the hill or close by. The village of Beaupre is 2-3 km away and it has regular grocery stores, liquor stores, restaurants etc. to make the stay comfortable.
Quebec city is about a half hour away. We took in some sights, including the Aquarium and had a few nice meals in Old Quebec.
We took in Stoneham on the last day of our trip for a little variety. It is run by the same company as MSA and only a half hour away. We bought the Cannon Card at MSA and we could use it at Stoneham as well.
We didn't do any night skiing because of the kids, but it looked beautiful from our condo.
Mike R
I spent only 3 days skiing at Mont Saint Anne and decided to cut my vacation short and go back home. Skiing conditions are terrible this week: hard packed snow with icy patches everywhere, groomers do poor job here as the snow is bad even early in the morning. I've been at Saint Anne 8 times in the past 15 years, but I don't recall such terrible skiing conditions. On a plus side, the mountain is nearly empty now as very few people brave to ski when the snow is so bad. Yesterday, half of the runs were closed (they lied on a website that almost all of the runs are open - you see red tape everywhere. I felt bad for beginners, many of them were walking down yesterday... They also lie to you about fresh snow, there was no fresh snow for a while. With frost wave coming this weekend it will be all ice, so I decided not to take my chances and leave. Looks like there is no good skiing on the East Coast anywhere this year :(
Dave
Are you a U.S. east coast skier looking to head further north to find snow and ski cheaply given the weak Canadian $? (And randomly on this website?) If so, know that Mont Sainte Anne is definitely worth skiing and don't just go only to Le Massif. Here's what no one has said: the double black trails (on the upper left of the trail map) and their glades are as outstanding as Stowe's or anywhere else. It is truly excellent skiing so go for it. Particularly the glades to skier's right off La Saint-Laurent. Oh and zero lift line on Panorama Express. Honestly. Drive the additional 1/2 hour to Le Massif and check out the views and awesome blacks/double blacks that are well-advertised. But these Mont Saint Anne trails are the east's untold story. Ski the East!
(PS the crowd is on the north side skiing those blues etc. The lift lines are way too long - don't waste time there...)
Rob
Our family came for a week in December after Christmas. The lines were relatively short and the people friendly. The trails are well designed and have great views. There is a beginner gladed trail which we really enjoyed. Stayed at the on-site resort which is convenient and steps from the lift. Our only complaint is that the north side only has 1 lift. The other is a bar. The lines on the north side were thus long, but still went by fast.
Lee
Came up here on Wednesday Feb 18 to avoid the New England president's day crush. Decent snow on Wednesday, but a few icy spots. Noticed very poor attention to detail on the lifts. On the northside quad, the unloading ramp on top was solid ice, at a level about six inches below where it should be so you had to hop off the lift. Not a super big issue, but indicative of a lack of staffing and lack of attention to detail that abounds here. Every other ski area I've ever visited in the last thirty years manages to have a lift attendant to toss fresh snow on the unloading ramp and the loading ramps, Not Mt. Saint Anne. On Thursday the 19th, fresh snow, but still a solid ice ramp. Took friday off for some sight seeing in Quebec City. On Saturday, big crowds, 20 minute wait on the south side gondola. Finally made it to the summit and decided to ski the North Side. Big mistake. Got to the bottom, near 25 minute wait for the quad, made it three quarters of the way up..... and lift dead. Sat there for over a half hour before any ski patrol showed up. then nearly another hour for rope evacuation. Dit I mention it was about 8 degrees F? When they finally got us to the ground. They gave us a coupon to hand in at the lodge good for...... Wait for it......... One tea or coffee.Totally Insulting. I've been stuck on lifts before, but this was simply the worst handled one ever. At dear valley I was stuck on a gondola for 45 minutes, they had ski patrol climbing up to every car, then got the lift fixed and gave us a full refund + had a thermos filled with hot chocolate for every car. Deer Valley tickets are about 90 adult if you buy them in SLC and $50 for kids $230 for 2 adults and a child.. Mt Sainte Anne charges $75 and about $57 plus an insane amount of tax. $234 for the same. Totally not worth it. Will never go here again.
manoparerakis
A great ski resort with great people that has night skiing and is relatively affordable.... what more could you ask for.
instyleLive
Visited during Christmas week right after two big snow storms, so plenty of snow. Noticed icy conditions after 2pm, especially on difficult trails - staff reliance on natural snow, perhaps...Some trail rating is not reflective of a trail complexity - I went on Diamonds that were more as Squares, and the opposite was also true. So, it is trials and errors, to a large extent. So trails were closed that force my kids into longer and more complex trails, which I really did not anticipate. There were multiple repeated problems with gondola on several days and it was closed for entire day on Dec.25. The other lift, le tortue, had a mechanical issue on its last run, people were hanging for almost 30 mins...
Overall, a good opportunity for skiing in December, but not without its pitfalls.
Derek
I was here during a great snow weekend so the conditions were superb. Hardly any of the icy conditions that I had heard of. Thank you mother Nature! Mont St-Anne has a fantastic array of beautiful blue groomers, some of the nicest anywhere (I've been all through the east and the west). Shhhh..... don't tell too many people, but the runs off the backside that are only serviced by a T-bar are sooooo quiet and undisturbed for quite some time after a snowfall are really quite nice. La Crete has a great pitch and spectacular views but ski it early because even on a great snow weekend it did get icy. The Black forest is nice but if you are a glade skier do La Brunelle! A little tough for intermediates at the beginning but if you can make the first few minutes you're in for a real treat further down as the slope is fantastic. The town of Beaupre and the village at the hill are disturbingly quiet. I'm not a partier but a little sign of life would be nice. As nice as Mont St-Anne is I'd much rather go out west. If you are in Quebec however, drive 30 minutes more to Le Massif. Oh, one more thing....how is it possible that a Quebec resort can ruin poutine??? I don't know but the cafeteria at St-Anne did! Absolutely horrible. But it did come with a rubber puck cheeseburger though.
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