West of the gondola on the South Face is an expert’s playground, with serious single- and double-black trails and glades. This is steep terrain with a continuous fall line. La Super S is long and smooth and steep; its evil twin, La S, is the same, but with bumps. For even more challenge, head into the woods on La Brunelle or try La Triumph in the new Black Forest glade. Two lifts, Le Trip, a triple, and La Sainte-Paix, a double, service this area. For a backcountry experience, head to the West Side.

On the South Side, take La Crete to La Beauregard for a long, steep, fast cruise. These are two of the 10 FIS-certified race trails on the mountain. La Pionniere, just east of the gondola, twists its way down the upper third of the mountain. On the North Side, L’Archipel and La Surprenante are good choices. To escape the crowds, take L’Amarok on the West Side, served by a T-bar.

While experts and advanced riders head west off the gondola, intermediates should head east (on the South Side), or over the top to the North Side. Warm up on Le Gros Vallon or La Beaupre on the South Side. Be sure to take at least one run on La Pichard to stop by the sugar shack for a maple-syrup treat. On cold days, ride either the gondola, L’Etoile-Filante, or L’Express du Sud, a high-speed quad with a bubble cover to shield the wind. Don’t miss the North Side’s great cruising trails and the intermediate-level glades, La Vital-Roy and La Sidney-Dawes. The snow is often softer here.

The eastern edge of the mountain on both the South and the North sides is where you’ll find the easiest trails. Take the gondola up, then work your way down La Familale on the South Side, L’Escapade and La Ferreolaise on the North Side. Then return to the South Side on Le Chemin Du Roy, which wraps slowly and gently from the North Side summit to the South Side base. La Foret Enchantee, off La Ferrelolaise, is a fun trail through the trees for children.

Parks and Pipes
Mont-Sainte-Anne’s 282,500-square-foot, mountain-top terrain park, La Grande Allee, is perfectly situated under the La Tortue quad chair on the South Side. This is a fun park, with numerous jumps of varying types and difficulty, a few rails and a funbox. It’s a good idea to take a run-through to check the jumps before hitting them full speed, as many are not what they first appear. The park has a fairly mellow pitch, so you’ll want to maintain speed; expect to miss some hits if you fall, as you’ll need time to build speed again. The park is also home to Dragon’s Cradle, a beginners’ halfpipe. The halfpipe and the terrain park are open at night.