two surface lifts. There are 12 lit runs for night skiing and boarding. The ski resort also boasts a terrain park with 12 hits that include rails, boxes and a wall. Find seniors on the slopes weekday mornings and busloads of students later in the day, while evenings attract adult skiers and weekends find the hill busy with families. Ski enthusiasts in the capital know that Heggtveit, named after Olympic gold medallist Anne Heggtveit, is a Camp Fortune rite of passage for the expert skier.
EDELWEISS Less than 40 minutes from Ottawa, Edelweiss is known for its snow parks, expert runs and high-speed lift. There is a youthful vibe to the hill with steep expert trails attracting students and younger adults at night, while families gather at the hill on the weekends. Both skiers and snowboarders embrace the 20 trails, with three quad chairs and two carpetstyle lifts, two snow parks and an eight-trail tubing section. Edelweiss is owned by MSSI, a company started by two pioneers of the ski industry, Louis Dufour and Jacques G. Hébert, who co- founded of Mont Saint-Sauveur. Daily operations, meanwhile, are entrusted to outdoor enthusiast Jean-Sébastien Saia to run the daily operations.
GETTING TO KNOW JEAN- SÉBASTIEN SAIA: General manager at Ski Edelweiss.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH THE SKI HILL AND WHAT DRIVES YOUR PASSION FOR SKIING? I have been running the facility for the past six seasons and have been in the industry for 20 years. What makes every day exciting is seeing the results of our team’s efforts through the screams of joy and the smiles on skiers’ faces as they slide on the perfectly groomed white snow that was prepared since the first fall frosts. I was born on skis in the Laurentians and have been a winter lover since as long as I remember.
BOARDER OR SKIER? Both, but ski 90 per cent of the time.
RICK HUNTER, MONT CASCADES
WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE RUN? Strief. WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO SKI IN THE WORLD? I really enjoy the Canadian Rockies and the quality of the snow in the West.
WHERE ARE PEOPLE LIKELY TO FIND YOU OFF THE SKI HILL? I ride my motorcycle to remote areas in the summer and enjoy being on the water as often as I can.
MONT CASCADES There is a soulful feeling to Cascades that clearly devotes itself to the fun side of outdoor activity. Vivacious owner Rick Hunter purchased Mont Cascades in 1990 and hints at further
expansion for the area. The hill is open seven days and nights of the week with four beginner runs, 11 intermediate, four expert and one double-diamond run. Diversity is a strong feature of this resort, which prides itself on its snow park and event-filled, night-skiing activities to offer a little more for fun seekers. To help beginners turn into experts, the ski school starts with a one-on-one tots program for three to six-year-olds. And, to keep the fun going long after the snow has melted, the Mont Cascades summer water park is world-class.
GETTING TO KNOW RICK HUNTER: Owner of Mont Cascades, president and CEO of ProSlide Technology Inc. WINTER 2014 ottawaathome.ca 29