Conditions Report
Report for January 13, 2026
This past week marked my first resort visit of the season. I like to start snowboarding as soon as the snow flies and the first chair spins in the Northeast—usually late November or December if we’re lucky. 2025-26, however, started with some hiccups: stolen passports and then the flu. Not exactly the ideal warm-up. C’est la vie.
I’m beyond excited watching the incredible conditions stacking up just south of the border at Vermont’s Jay Peak Resort, which has populated the industry news for several weeks now. Jay is my adopted home from home, an Indy gem with early-season snow totals that are nothing short of legendary. I am patiently waiting for the Government of Canada to reissue our new passports so I can travel south to Vermont, New York, Maine, and New Hampshire.
Gratefully, Indy Pass has continued to expand here on our home turf in southern Quebec. This season, Mont Sutton and Owl’s Head in the Eastern Townships, along with many resorts across Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, have joined the Indy Pass roster—adding even more alpine terrain in eastern Canada to explore. I am lucky to have friends scattered across this vast country, and I want to experience all these places with my snowboard. Indy Pass makes that dream a tangible possibility.
In 2024–25, Ski Mont Rigaud joined Indy Pass. Despite having driven this stretch of the Trans-Canada countless times, last year was our first opportunity to check out Rigaud, a stone’s throw from Montreal, off exit 12. A popular family-friendly resort, with trails for beginners through advanced riders, it felt like the obvious place to start my season.
I wasn’t going into my first day entirely rusty. When there’s no snow on the ground, I bike all over greater Montreal, on and off the island, and have made some early-season turns in the riverside park near my home in Brossard. I’ve carved out my own little oasis there for whenever I need to play in the snow, but it hardly compares to being in the nature and mountains that surround this city.
Mont Rigaud’s ski history goes back farther than many know. The first lift was installed there in 1962. Operations paused in the politically volatile late 1970s but were revived in the mid-1980s. The resort has continued to evolve ever since. Today, it’s recognised for its ski school, approachable terrain, and welcoming, family-oriented vibe. For a small mountain, it offers a good mix of terrain across fifteen trails with a vertical drop of about 394 feet. For an old head like myself, it’s the place to reset the season and get dialed, to practice switch riding, tricks, and airs on a mild Tuesday morning, with few distractions.
The forecast lined up perfectly for my mini adventure, the day after my birthday—a little birthday party for one. With milder temperatures hovering above zero, fresh snow, and softening conditions, I couldn’t have asked for a better first day. It was also the first time doing school drop-off and pick-up while snowboarding in between, and it went seamlessly. When I arrived at the resort around 10:30 a.m., the lot was busy with quite a few skiers and riders enjoying the mountain—not surprising given the weather window.
I warmed up with some winding blue tree runs skier’s left. Energized by a quick hot chocolate break, I lapped fast black runs on skier’s right to close out my day. I usually start my season with a focus on progression and a desire to keep at the top of my game as a middle-aged rider and busy single mom. Mindset is everything, really, and this season my focus is mindfulness, living in the moment, joy. I went hard on day one, but not so much that I wore myself out. I felt revived and happy, and was back in Montreal by late afternoon, in time to pick up my two daughters from opposite sides of the city.
After a brief respite, brisk temperatures have returned to southern Quebec. It has also been snowing—a lot. Current conditions at Rigaud are excellent, with a reported base depth of roughly twenty inches. All 15 trails and 2 of 3 lifts were fully operational at the time of my visit, and snow is forecast across the province and neighboring states this week to keep conditions fresh.
It’s official. I have the stoke. Winter is here, and I cannot wait to get back out there. Plans are in motion for some Sunday turns with my friend Véronique and her daughter Abby—maybe at Mont Habitant or Vallée Bleue in the Laurentians, two more fabulous local Indy Pass options this year.
My plan is to hit as many Indy Pass resorts as I can through January and February. From my base in Brossard, that means day and overnight trips across Quebec, and a longer road trip west to Muskoka. I also want to get out to Vernon to make some Spring turns in the Okanagan with my friend Karen, who moved back to her home province a couple of years back. Trips south to Jay Peak and Burke in Vermont, Titus in New York, and resorts in Maine and New Hampshire will have to wait until our new passports arrive, but the Indy east coast list is deliciously long, and the season is just getting started. Pinch me.
À bientôt.
Environment Canada Forecast
Current Snow Conditions
