The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Stoneham's summit reaches 593 metres, dropping 345 vertical metres to a base at 248 metres across 43 runs spread over roughly 135 hectares near Quebec City, Quebec. Terrain splits 39 per cent advanced, 26 per cent intermediate, 19 per cent beginner and 16 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 3.5 metres. The resort carries Epic Pass affiliation. Four quad chairs serve the mountain alongside two surface lifts.
Stoneham holds a genuinely distinctive place among Quebec resorts for its natural horseshoe-shaped valley, chosen specifically because it creates a natural snow-retention pocket where snowfall accumulates and lingers longer than at surrounding sites. Its considerable advanced-and-expert-weighted terrain, spread across three mountain faces, has built Stoneham's reputation as one of the more serious resorts near Quebec City.
More than twenty ski enthusiasts from the Quebec City and Trois-Rivières business communities invested roughly 300,000 Canadian dollars in the early 1960s to build three trails and two lifts. Walter Moisan founded the resort in 1964, selecting the site specifically for its horseshoe-shaped topography and the natural snow-hole effect it created.
Shoe manufacturer Marc Blondeau acquired Stoneham in 1979, and within eight years the resort's development had overtaken nearby Tremblant, Orford and Sutton, with Stoneham gaining ownership of an entire six-mountain, 2,300-acre valley. Resorts of the Canadian Rockies acquired Stoneham by 1998, and the resort remains part of RCR's portfolio alongside Kicking Horse, Fernie, Kimberley, Nakiska and Mont-Sainte-Anne. Adult daily tickets run from 95 to 105 Canadian dollars.
345m
Vertical
43
Runs
333 acres
Skiable
4m
Annual snow
Epic
Pass
The Terrain
43 runs across 333 acres skiable
Stoneham is the closest big hill to Quebec City, a roughly 20-minute drive, with a 345-metre vertical from 248 to 593 metres. Its 43 runs spread over about 135 hectares, and grading skews steep: 19% beginner, 26% intermediate, 39% advanced and 16% expert. Four quad chairs and two surface lifts serve the mountain, which keeps things simple. It is a modest vertical by Alpine standards, but the layout over several peaks gives it more room than the vertical suggests, and the steep sections are a feature rather than an afterthought. It is on the Epic Pass.
Glades are part of the mix, with steep, tight wooded trails off the upper peaks that demand some commitment. Night skiing covers a significant network of trails, which suits locals wanting to ski after work. The groomed runs hold corduroy in the morning but can turn icy and hard after a cold stretch, so check conditions. Beginners and intermediates have a reasonable selection too, although the hill's character leans toward the advanced end. Stoneham suits Quebec City residents, advanced skiers on a short stay and Epic Pass holders wanting a handy hill alongside bigger destinations nearby.
Terrain split
43
runs
43 runs across 4 grades
Beginner8 runs · 19%
Intermediate11 runs · 26%
Advanced17 runs · 39%
Expert7 runs · 16%
Time it right
When to visit Stoneham
The 2025-26 season at Stoneham ran from 5 December 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly seventeen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 3.5 metres, aided by the resort's natural snow-retention valley. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather near Quebec City.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Stoneham's advanced-weighted terrain. As an Epic Pass resort through Resorts of the Canadian Rockies' partnership with Vail Resorts, Stoneham draws considerable visitation from Epic Pass holders and Quebec City residents alike.
Stoneham's extensive night-skiing programme continues to draw strong weekday evening visitation from the Quebec City area 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 Resorts of the Canadian Rockies' 1998 acquisition, Stoneham has continued building on six decades of history since Walter Moisan's 1964 founding. The resort's natural snow-hole valley and considerable night-skiing programme remain central to its enduring popularity near Quebec City.
Season 2026 - 2027
5 Dec 2026
Opens
4 Apr 2027
Closes
120
Days open
4 m
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Stoneham, and where to stay
Stoneham sits near Quebec City, Quebec, within a natural horseshoe-shaped valley, with a base elevation of 248 metres and a summit at 593 metres across a 345-metre vertical drop over roughly 135 hectares spread across three mountain faces. This setting places the resort within a short drive of the provincial capital.
The municipality of Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury and the broader Quebec City region offer lodging and dining within a manageable drive of the resort.
Route 175 provides direct access to the resort from Quebec City. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, though the well-travelled road is regularly maintained given the resort's status as a significant regional destination.
Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport, roughly a 30-minute drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying into the region, with Stoneham's considerable proximity to Quebec City supporting substantial day-trip and evening visitation.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Stoneham, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
California Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Mammoth Leads, Tahoe Follows
Mammoth Mountain is first up in California, targeting Friday 13 November after a dusting of September snow. Heavenly and Northstar follow on 20 November, Palisades Tahoe on Wednesday 25 November and Sugar Bowl on 27 November, with Kirkwood on 4 December and June Mountain on 19 December. Plenty of smaller areas have no date yet. A super El Niño favours the Sierra, but a warmer storm track is the catch.
7 Oct 2026
Colorado Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: A-Basin and Keystone Race to Be First
Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Winter Park are all chasing an October start, though none has a firm date yet. The first dated openers are Breckenridge and Copper on Friday 6 November, then Vail on 13 November, with most of the rest bunched around US Thanksgiving. Hesperus did not open at all last season. A super El Niño offers hope but no guarantee, and forecasters say the southern mountains have the better odds.
5 Oct 2026
Dolomiti Superski 2026-27: Four New Gondolas, New Reservoirs and an €89 Peak Day Pass
Dolomiti Superski is spending around €100 million across its 12 areas before winter. Kronplatz gets a new 10-passenger gondola with a middle station, 3 Zinnen gets Helmissimo, and Val di Fassa swaps a chairlift for a gondola above Col Valvacin. New water-storage basins and upgraded snowmaking follow, and construction has started on the San Martino to Passo Rolle link. A peak adult day pass is €89.
4 Oct 2026
Utah Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Brian Head First, Eagle Point Out
Brian Head is targeting 6 November, though last year it aimed for 7 November and did not open until the 25th. Park City, Alta and Solitude are pencilled in for 20 November, Snowbird and Snowbasin for 27 November, and Deer Valley for 5 December. Eagle Point will stay closed after the Cottonwood Fire. A super El Niño is forecast, but the big snow is not expected until January.
4 Oct 2026
Hintertux Glacier Opens for 2026-27 With 12 Kilometres of Piste
Hintertux became Austria's second glacier to open for 2026-27 on Friday 2 October, after the Pitztal Glacier. Twelve kilometres of piste are running around the Olperer and Gefrorene Wand, served by one gondola and two drag lifts, with the Betterpark also open. Lifts officially run 8:15 am to 4:30 pm, but skiing stops at 2 pm for now.
4 Oct 2026
Vail Resorts Counts the Cost of a Thin Winter as Pass Sales Slide Further
A historically poor western winter cut Vail Resorts' annual net income from $280 million to $147.5 million and skier visits by 13.4 per cent. Now 2026-27 pass units are down 12 per cent as of 18 September, worse than the 10 per cent flagged in spring. Vail blames the weather and thinks some buyers are simply waiting, and it forecasts a rebound if the snow behaves.
3 Oct 2026
Arizona Snowbowl's $1 Lift Tickets Are Hard to Find, but $9 Days Are Not
Arizona Snowbowl advertised eight $1 lift ticket days this winter. Go looking and only three are showing - 10 March, 1 April and 10 April - so the rest may already have gone. The consolation is a calendar full of $9 days, including all but one day in April. Opening day is 20 November, weather permitting, and opening weekend is $19.
2 Oct 2026
Whitewater Brings Its Short Side Inbounds, With Six New Runs for 2026-27
For years, Whitewater's Short Side was where you ducked a rope and hoped for the best: unmapped, ungroomed and unpatrolled. This winter it's inbounds. Six new runs of glades and fall-line skiing add 190 acres (about 77 hectares), taking the resort past 1,400 acres in total. F2 Logging spent a month in the trees to make it happen, and opening day is pencilled in for 4 December. Bonanza now needs less snow to groom, too.
1 Oct 2026
Stoneham Lift System
Stoneham runs four quad chairs and two surface lifts, serving 43 runs across roughly 135 hectares spread over three mountain faces. This lean network reflects the resort's original 1964 infrastructure of just three trails and two lifts, built by local investors for roughly 300,000 Canadian dollars.
The lift network expanded considerably following Marc Blondeau's 1979 acquisition, supporting the growth that saw Stoneham overtake nearby Tremblant, Orford and Sutton in development within eight years.
The four quad chairs now distribute skiers efficiently across Stoneham's heavily advanced-weighted terrain, supporting a considerable night-skiing programme across the resort's three connected mountain faces.
Under ongoing Resorts of the Canadian Rockies ownership since 1998, continued investment has supported this six-lift network as part of the Epic Pass system through RCR's partnership with Vail Resorts. Specific recent individual lift replacement projects are not confirmed in available resort information. Stoneham's efficient lift network remains well matched to its horseshoe-valley terrain and considerable night-skiing focus.
6lifts across 2 types
4
Quad Chairs
2
Surface Lifts
Stoneham lift system
Stoneham is served by 6 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 Stoneham intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.