Shredding pow never felt as good as it did the weekend of February 25, when several hundred HBSers headed to the Great White North of Quebec, to partake in the annual HBS Mont Tremblant Trek.
A contingency of Canadian HBSers were eager to serve as gracious hosts for the weekend and enlightened fellow HBSers about what is fact and what is fiction when it comes to perceptions of Canada and its inhabitants.
For one, my suspicion that Canada is indeed a really, really cold place was confirmed (with temps hovering around 0 degrees Fahrenheit most of the weekend). And yes, there surely are more Tim Horton’s restaurants in Canada than there are people.
But other myths were quickly dispelled: for example, I found out that no, houses are not made of candy and people do not bath in yummy maple syrup instead of water. Regardless, Mt. Tremblant was a great way to not only experience some of what Canada has to offer, but also to kick back and relax with fellow HBSers.
The weekend started off with the long ride North. Some traveled by car, but most hopped on the buses arranged for by the diligent Tremblant organizers. Most appreciated the comfy conditions on the bus, but a few complained that the bus smiled too much (see photo).
Alas, awaiting us in Tremblant was not only a weekend full of shredding, but also cozy condos and plenty of aprŠs-ski.
But first, and as I’m sure you’ve been eagerly anticipating, let me offer a brief review of my performance on the slopes: although only my second time on a snowboard, I surely impressed, making short work of the weak and fragile on the intimidating and often unforgiving bunny hills (see crybaby in photo below). Don’t be fooled: these weren’t your everyday bunny hills-more like insanely rabid, foamy-mouthed bunny hills. Never fear. I readily advanced on the snowboard probably faster than anyone in the history of snowboarding, my progress knowing few bounds. Being so good, people took lots of pictures of me, one of which I included here.
Boy, did all that shredding work up a thirst! Thankfully, Tremblant suffered no shortage of booze pops. My beverage of choice was the auspicious 950ml Keystone Light tall boys. For those of you not familiar with the metric system, 950ml is a lot of liquid (see photo for proof). I’m not sure if a Canadian invented the 950ml can, but if he or she did, then that would be pretty cool. Despite prospects of a rousing game of Edward 950ml-hands spontaneously erupting at any point throughout the weekend, most of the time off the slopes was spent in the spirited drinking and eating establishments of Tremblant’s ski village.
What a great way to kick back and relax before a stressful 3-day week back at school! (And to think, some people actually have to work 5-day weeks.) Mix in a great group of friends and you have the complete Tremblant experience-one I highly recommend for those first-years who have the opportunity to visit Mt. Tremblant next year.
