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Are you thinking of snowshoeing Mont Tremblant’s mountainous plains? One way to experience the traditions of a Canadian Winter is by taking The Fire Man Snowshoe Tour.
Winter in Mont Tremblant isn’t only for skiers. Snowshoeing is an alternative activity to get you in the thick of the sweeping snow-capped forests that line the 70 slopes and fill the 18-acre park.
Once an essential tool for hunter-gatherers, snowshoeing remains a popular recreational activity for runners and avid hikers to continue their hobby during the season of heavy snowfall.
During the winter in Mont Tremblant, I combined trekking with nature survival skills in the great outdoors on the Fire Man Snowshoe Tour – a two-hour journey through the quiet forest surrounding the ski runs.
Snowshoeing in Mont Tremblant? Take the Fire Man Snowshoe Tour!
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What is Snowshoeing in Mont Tremblant Like?
Mont Tremblant is a prime region for winter activities – a canvas in the Laurentian Mountains that spans so much wider than a ski resort. When you snowshoe Tremblant, you get off-track and into pristine nature where no trails have been carved by machines or man.
Even if you are a beginner, you are taught the basic skills to enjoy the adventure. When you first strap on your snowshoes, it feels odd to have large aluminium frames attached to your feet, making you immediately waddle like a duck. You lift your feet slightly, roll your feet more than usual and emphasise the stepping action on your toes.
Within minutes you soon realise it’s easy to pick up a stride and your adventurous spirit as you pass the snowy roads and hit the powder-drenched forests.
The forest snowshoe trails in Mont Tremblant, accessible on a guided tour.
The Fire Man snowshoe tour guide, leading the way.
The untouched forest of Mont Tremblant in winter.
Snowshoes work by distributing weight over a larger surface area so that your foot does not sink into the snow, with gaps or woven grid patterns to cut through and flatten it rather than absorbing it.
You quickly make easily traversable trails in a group – the strongest trekkers are asked to help lead the way and form a makeshift path.
And while it’s easy to fall, those minor stumbles aid the experience. We giggled as people fell into a mass of soft snow and soon learnt how to laugh at ourselves for tripping over our own feet!
Learning about basic survival snowshoeing in Mont Tremblant.
Snowshoeing Tremblant’s deep forest powder.
For those who have never seen such levels of snowfall, it’s otherworldly and exhilarating. We passed roaming deer as we climbed deeper in the forest slopes and stumbled across ice glaciers that had formed around the rock walls. Nature without interruption.
Spotting wild deer as we ventured further in the forest.
Finding glaciers in the woodland Mont Tremblant’s snowshoe trails.
The Fire Man Tour – Winter Traditions and Survival Skills
And like hunter-gathers of old, minus the traditional latticed snowshoes made of animal skins and other natural materials, we listened as our leader, the Fire Man, who stopped to play his flute in the still air of the wilderness and watched in awe as we gathered around him while he made a fire from tree bark and other materials.
It was a perfect winter adventure and an opportunity to understand the endurance of those who live in this region.
The Fire Man strips bark from a tree with an axe.
Setting up the tool to make a fire in the snow.
Stoking the fire.
The Fire Man demonstrates how to create a fire in the harsh winter conditions. The ultimate survival skill.
Easy to learn, safe and inexpensive, snowshoeing is an ideal way to experience the exhilaration of the great outdoors in a Canadian Winter. A snowshoeing trip in Mont Tremblant is unique if you are not from a country that experiences harsh winters.
Even if you are experienced in these climates, this is still a memorable opportunity to sample a tradition that goes back thousands of years. And in a country where no adventurous escapades are off-limits because of the weather.
How to Book the Mont Tremblant Snowshoe Tour
Want to learn about culture, tradition and the great outdoors with the famed Fire Man of Quebec? Snowshoe Mont Tremblant on a guided tour. Reserve your space here.
Spending Winter in Quebec
Is Mont Tremblant one of many stops on your winter trip? Then Quebec province has a lot to offer this season, from winter carnivals and festivals to ice hotels and sugar shacks.
READ MORE: Where and How to Spend Winter in Quebec Province, Canada
My visit to Mont Tremblant was created in partnership with the Canadian Tourism Commission, Tourism Montreal and Tourism Quebec. I maintain all editorial control over the content produced from this trip.
Delise says
We have friends who live in VT and the first time we vitsied them when hubs and I were dating, we went snow shoeing except that I am quite a bit heavier than my husband and apparently anyone else from the family we were visiting so the snow shoes I had on did NOT allow me to float effortlessly above the snow. Sigh it was one of many Bridget Jones-esque’ moments in my life.
Laura says
This sounds like a really fun trek! I have yet to try snowshoeing but I absolutely love hiking in the winter and snow. It’s great to have the woods to yourself and I love spotting wildlife and looking at their tracks!
Lauren says
This looks like so much fun! I’m glad you got to experience a true Canadian winter. I would love to try this sometime. I have memories of when I was really young that we got to go snowshoeing in gym class in elementary school! I haven’t been since but would love to go hiking in nature.
Lauren Meshkin says
This looks like a blast!! Thanks for sharing, Becki!
Happy travels 🙂