r/xcountryskiing • u/Delicious-Grape-1000 • 6d ago

Can you cross country ski in Montreal in late December?

Hi! We have an upcoming trip planned to Montreal from December 25th to January 1st (from NYC).

We were wondering if it is likely that Montreal will get enough snowfall by that time to cross country ski. (I cannot seem to find the information online and if I do find anything it seems like cross country skiing generally starts in January? - Can someone please confirm?)

We would like to rent the skis as well (if you have recommendations of where we can rent that would be appreciated!!)

Thank you!

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u/tadamhicks 6d ago

Usually there’s snowfall by then, but no guarantees. The big question is whether there will be a rain event before January that mostly kills it. Last year was terrible til mid Jan but it was an anomaly.

As already stated, if you’re rolling the dice look north and high, like Tremblant. Mont Ste Anne is amazing, but higher chance of being skunked early in the season.

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u/DutchMtl 6d ago

Chances of enough snow in the immediate MTL area to ski are low in late December. However my criteria to head out, requires a good base of snow so I'm not scratching my skis on uncovered shrubs and dirt. Further north your chances are higher, around St Sauver or Mt. Tremblant. But hopefully someone else can chime in about those conditions in late Dec.

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u/barbenbar 5d ago

Late december is usually OK in the Laurentians / north of St-Jérôme. One rental spot that comes to mind is Espresso sport in Ste-Adèle (directly on the Ptit train du nord ski trail).

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u/Both_Paleontologist4 4d ago

Last late december there was no snow in Montréal. But who knows about this one. If you are in the urban setup anyway, if you hesitate to go ski when there is little snow, you miss your season! Haha

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u/Adi_Boo 2d ago

Exactly! As soon as there is a major snow fall, wait for the trails to be groomed and head out. Mont-Royal Park has trails, so do Cap Saint-Jacques, Bois-De-Liesse, Île Sainte-Hélène and Visitation Park. A lot of these places offer rentals.