The Eastern Townships of Quebec offer a wide range of outstanding winter recreation opportunities, from world-class downhill skiing and miles of winding Nordic skiing trails; to snowshoeing the mountain summits and ice skating on the lakes, rivers and frozen pathways, all set amid an incredible bounty of natural beauty. Never mind the great food, good beer and wine, excellent accommodations and friendly local people.

This traveler visited the Eastern Townships last winter for the better part of a week to sample the many fine aspects—both outdoors and indoors—of this wonderful corner of Canada, which lies just north of Vermont and New Hampshire and west of the Maine border. Montreal is to the west of the townships, the St. Lawrence River is to the north, and further northwest is Quebec City. Sherbrooke is the major urban center of the townships.

Billed as “New England charm with a Quebec flair,” suffice it to know for traveling purposes that the Eastern Townships are within striking distance of many of us here in Maine and New England, whether you live in Portland, Manchester or Boston, quick and easy like in a just few hours via good highways and roads. So, with our geography squared away now, let’s get on with it.

“The Eastern Townships of Quebec is a land of astonishing beauty, a kingdom of mountains, lakes, farms and picturesque villages,” said Danie Beliveau, media relations representative with Tourisme Cantons-de-L’Est, a wonderfully enthusiastic and uber-friendly townships denizen who simply loves this understated part of the world.

“Winter lovers will appreciate the four major ski resorts and the four national parks for enjoying snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and winter camping, plus tube sledding and skating,” Beliveau said when we visited in late January. “But just being here induces a feeling of relaxation and well-being.”

Amen to that! And to the great ski resorts of Ski Bromont, Mont Orford, Owl’s Head and Mont Sutton, which comprised the big winter draw to the Eastern Townships for this skier. Looking for consistently good snow and lots of it, great grooming and not much for crowds on the lifts or trails? The Eastern Townships have it. What’s better, the four mountains are all within an hour’s drive of each other.

Just be sure to come prepared for cold weather, which Canada produces in abundance. Bundle up and go for it is what I say. We did and had an absolute blast despite the frosty January temperatures. Hand and toe warmers are your friends, a small price to pay for the other-worldly skiing.

Here’s an overview of the four ski resorts we visited on our trip. A more in-depth profile of each mountain will follow in future stories here, along with my thoughts on accommodations, eats and drinks, other fun stuff to do along the way, and summer activities in the Eastern Townships.

Oh, and if you’re worried about any language barrier, don’t be. English is spoken pretty much everywhere in these parts, and even where it’s not, these warm and lovely locals will make sure you’re taken care of. That said, a little French is easy to learn and goes a long way toward making your stay all the more enjoyable.

By the way, did I mention that the exchange rate is pretty favorable for us Yankee travelers right now. One US dollar buys $1.14CAD. Getting packed already are you?!

SKI BROMONT

Located an hour east of Montreal in the town of Bromont in the Brome-Missisqoui Region of the Eastern Townships, Ski Bromont is the largest night ski facility in North America. Yes, that’s right, the largest. The resort features skiing on seven different “versants” or slopes on every side of the mountain, which is comprised of three peaks—Mont Brome, Mont Spruce and Pic du Chevreuil.

This sprawling ski mountain is home to 113 trails, 42 glades and nine lifts on 450 skiable acres with a fine mix of terrain. What’s incredible is that you can ski here almost around-the-clock, until 2 a.m. The place is lit up like a Christmas tree at night—you can see the lights of Ski Bromont for miles traveling from the east, and from Montreal in the west—as are 103 trails for skiing with the moon. Amazing.

We skied all day at Ski Bromont and I even went back out after dinner for a crack at the night skiing (brrr!) and still couldn’t visit the entire mountain. Next time for sure. By the way, an 8-hour day ticket is $56CAD; eight hours of night skiing is $39CAD. Half days and nights are even less.

MONT ORFORD

Situated in the Memphremagog Region just northwest of the town of Magog, Mont Orford tops out at 2,789 feet in elevation. This striking mountain in the heart of Parc national du Mont Orford consists of three high summits: Mont Orford, Mont Giroux and Mont Alfred-Desrosiers.

Mont Orford proper is where the big action is, with plenty of excellent expert and intermediate terrain. Perhaps the finest run on the mountain is Grand Coulee, a blue cruiser that makes a sweeping semi-circuit of the peak before plunging down to the base lodge. Mont Giroux sports a combination of groomers and tree runs, while Mont Alfred-Desrosiers is all natural snow for the hard-core.

In all, Orford offers 56 trails and glades and an impressive vertical drop of 1,933 feet. Sweet. Plenty of fun for not a lot of money (a lift ticket is $57CAD).

For après ski, hit the homey local pub at the Four Seasons Hotel just down the road from the mountain. I can’t recall the name and the website doesn’t show it. Go and enjoy and have a beer for me; you’ll love it.

OWL’S HEAD

This distinctive mountain rises sharply above the southwest shores of Lake Memphremagog, just a hop-skip north of the Vermont border. In fact, you can look right over the border at Jay Peak while spiraling down several of the ski slopes on Owl’s Head, a 2,480-foot peak.

The big vista is north, however, far up the length of Lake Memphremagog all the way to the town of Magog miles to the north. Quite magnificent, especially when viewed from the grand run named Lilly’s Leap, as well as Panorama, Chouette and Upward Trail. At times you feel like you’re going to ski down and out onto the lake. Wonderful!

Owl’s Head boasts 50 trails and glades, 8 lifts and a solid 1,772 feet of vertical. And a quaint base lodge that is as homey as it gets, complete with a fun bar, a great snack bar, dining room, and a small hotel right upstairs where the stay is simple and inexpensive and puts you right on the hill first thing in the morning before all other comers (provided you haven’t spent too much time in the bar!).

One-day lift tickets purchased online start at $18.99CAD (yep, you read that right). Ask for the “Don’t Tell Fred” special and get skiing, lodging and a full breakfast for $90CAD (Fred Korman is the owner; he founded the place 50 years ago and is still there).

MONT SUTTON

This gem of a ski mountain is found in the southeast corner of the Brome-Missisqoui Region, just north of Richford, Vermont. Mont Sutton rises unassumingly to 3,175 feet and offers a vertical drop of 1,500 feet.

Nine lifts serve 60 trails, 45 of which are glades. Yes, if you want to ski the trees, try your luck at Sutton, where they groom through the trees. Uh huh, they do indeed. It’s a hoot. Long, sweeping, fun forested runs characterize your time on this beautiful mountainside of 230 skiable acres.

Most of the blue and green cruisers and tree runs are found on the lower slopes to the west, while higher up to the east are the black diamond glades and more expert trails. The throw back base lodge serves a tasty hot lunch and sports a lively little pub.

A full day lift ticket is just $60CAD.