Le Relais

Le Relais
Lac-Beauport with the ski mountain in the background
Lac-Beauport with the ski mountain in the background
LocationLac-Beauport, Quebec, Canada
Nearest major cityQuebec City, 11 km (6.8 mi)
Coordinates46°56′13″N 71°17′51″W / 46.93694°N 71.29750°W / 46.93694; -71.29750
Vertical224 m (735 ft)
Top elevation429 m (1,407 ft)
Base elevation205 m (672 ft)
Skiable area173 acres (70 ha)
Trails27 total
22% Easy
23% Intermediate
55% Difficult
Longest run2.05 km (1.27 mi)
Lift system7 total
1 detachable six pack
1 detachable quad
2 magic carpets
1 handle tow
2 Poma platter lifts
Lift capacity8,260 skiers/hr
Snowfall342 cm (134 in, 11 feet)
Snowmaking100%
Night skiing100%
WebsiteLe Relais

Le Relais is a ski mountain just 15 minutes from downtown Quebec City, Canada. It is the smallest of the four ski stations located near Quebec City with Mont Sainte-Anne, Stoneham and Le Massif.

Description

Located in Lac-Beauport, Le Relais is a family station of excellence known for the surface quality of its tracks. Although not a destination resort, Le Relais provides a very good ski experience thanks to the skiable field which can be entirely snow-covered artificially. Moreover, all of the tracks are well illuminated attracting a lot of people for night skiing.

Le Relais is also the home of the Centre national acrobatique Yves Laroche (CNAYL), an aerial skiing center. The CNAYL has a water ramp making summer training possible.

In summer Le Relais becomes an adventure center providing five high rope courses better known in the region as arbre en arbre.

History

Le Relais was founded in 1936, but the idea of it came during the 1933-1934 winter. At that time, it was suggested to locate the ski center on the Plains of Abraham but Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen, proposed another location : the Murphy mountain. The mountain of the actual site of Le Relais was then bought for the price of $1000. $8500 was raised to build a small lodge at the bottom of the mountain.

Le Relais is known as the birthplace of skiing in Quebec City.

See also