The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Le Massif's summit reaches 806 metres, dropping 770 vertical metres to a base at just 36 metres above the St Lawrence River, across 53 runs spread over roughly 164 hectares in Charlevoix, Quebec. Terrain splits 35 per cent intermediate, 32 per cent advanced, 23 per cent beginner and 10 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 3.5 metres. The resort carries Mountain Collective affiliation. Seven lifts, including three quad chairs and two gondolas, serve the mountain alongside two surface lifts.
Le Massif holds a genuinely distinctive place among Eastern Canadian resorts, marketed as having the highest vertical drop east of the Rockies and offering a summit-to-river skiing experience with genuine views over the St Lawrence. Its considerable vertical for the region, combined with the Charlevoix landscape, has built the resort's reputation as one of Quebec's more dramatic ski settings.
Skiing at Le Massif began informally in the late 1970s, with snowmobiles towing groups of skiers up the mountain, before commercial operations started in the early 1980s. By 1983-84, school buses were pressed into service to drive skiers from the base to the top, and two chairlifts were finally installed in 1992.
Daniel Gauthier, co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, purchased the resort, then known as Le Massif de la Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, on 23 September 2002 for 9 million Canadian dollars after selling his stake in Cirque. He invested more than 25 million Canadian dollars immediately, adding a second and third high-speed quad chair, and the resort has since partnered with Club Med, which opened its first North American mountain village at Le Massif in December 2021. Adult daily tickets run from 135 to 166 Canadian dollars.
770m
Vertical
53
Runs
406 acres
Skiable
4m
Annual snow
Mountain Collective
Pass
The Terrain
53 runs across 406 acres skiable
Le Massif spreads 53 runs across 406 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 35%, with 12 beginner runs to find your feet and 22 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
53
runs
53 runs across 4 grades
Beginner12 runs · 23%
Intermediate19 runs · 35%
Advanced17 runs · 32%
Expert5 runs · 10%
Time it right
When to visit Le Massif
The 2025-26 season at Le Massif ran from 4 December 2025 to 12 April 2026, a roughly nineteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 3.5 metres. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather in the Charlevoix region.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Le Massif's advanced-and-intermediate-weighted terrain. As a Mountain Collective resort, Le Massif draws pass-holding visitors alongside destination travellers seeking the resort's considerable vertical and river views.
Le Massif's partnership with Club Med, which brought a dedicated mountain village to the resort in December 2021, continues to support strong destination visitation throughout the season. School holiday periods bring family visitation to the resort's more moderate terrain sections.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since Daniel Gauthier's 2002 acquisition, Le Massif has continued building on more than four decades of history since informal skiing began there in the late 1970s. The resort's considerable vertical and Charlevoix setting remain central to its enduring appeal.
Season 2025 - 2026
4 Dec 2025
Opens
12 Apr 2026
Closes
129
Days open
4 m
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Le Massif, and where to stay
Le Massif sits in Charlevoix, Quebec, with a base elevation of just 36 metres above the St Lawrence River and a summit at 806 metres across a 770-metre vertical drop over roughly 164 hectares. This setting gives the resort a genuinely distinctive summit-to-river skiing experience uncommon among Eastern Canadian resorts.
The village of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François and the broader Charlevoix region offer lodging and dining within a short drive of the resort, while the on-site Club Med mountain village provides considerable accommodation directly at the base.
Route 138 provides direct access to the resort along the St Lawrence River. Winter driving conditions on this scenic route can include snow and ice, and travellers should carry appropriate equipment given the region's coastal exposure.
Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport, roughly a one-hour drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying into the region, with Le Massif's considerable distance from Quebec City drawing a genuinely dedicated destination visitor base.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Le Massif, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026
Le Massif Lift System
Le Massif runs seven lifts: three quad chairs and two gondolas, serving 53 runs across roughly 164 hectares, alongside two surface lifts. This network stands in considerable contrast to the resort's origins, when snowmobiles towed skiers up the mountain in the late 1970s.
The two chairlifts installed in 1992 marked the resort's first genuine lift infrastructure, well before Daniel Gauthier's 2002 purchase brought more than 25 million Canadian dollars in immediate investment, adding a second and third high-speed quad chair.
The gondolas and quad chairs now provide efficient access across Le Massif's considerable 770-metre vertical drop, supporting the resort's marketed status as having the highest vertical east of the Rockies.
Since the Club Med partnership brought a mountain village to the resort in December 2021, continued investment has supported this seven-lift network as part of the Mountain Collective system. Specific recent individual lift replacement projects are not confirmed in available resort information. Le Massif's efficient lift network remains well matched to its considerable vertical and St Lawrence River setting.
7lifts across 3 types
2
Gondolas
3
Quad Chairs
2
Surface Lifts
Le Massif lift system
Le Massif is served by 7 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More Le Massif intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.