Mont Sutton

Mont Sutton has the rustic feel of a small, family owned mountain. And then you start exploring. Many of the runs, and not only the advanced ones, are gladed from top to near-bottom and weave their way across and down the mountain. Most of the runs were cut by Hercule Belanger, the patriarche of the family who first owned Mont Sutton and who is still involved in all aspects of running the resort. His runs feel different than most at other resorts; there are few fall line runs, most taking twists and turns, canted and gnarled all the way to the bottom. Although the really steep parts of the mountain are fairly short, the runs get their challenge from the terrain, the diversity, the bumps studding virtually every run and the natural obstacles that Mont Sutton leaves largely untouched. Clearly not the steepest, the longest or the biggest, it leaves other bigger and better known resorts in the dust in terms of how interesting, challenging and fun the runs can be. Not a boarder but the terrain park, with it's requisite jumps and rails seems a bit lame. On the downside, some of the lifts look -and run- like they're out of an Warren Miller archival film. I guess it's the price you pay for not having your resort "Intrawested". Also, don't miss the summit restaurant at the top of Chairs IV and V for lunch and great views. And on your way home, don't forget to stop in town for fresh artisanal bread at La Rumeur Affamee.