The Massif du Sud is a ski mountain about 90 km southeast of Quebec City

Quebec City

Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is part of the park of the same name, the Parc du Massif du Sud.

Description

The Massif du Sud is located between the village of Saint-Damien-de-Buckland

Saint-Damien-de-Buckland, Quebec

Saint-Damien-de-Buckland is a small village of 2,100 people in the Bellechasse Regional County Municipality, part of the Chaudière-Appalaches administrative region. IPL, a manufacturer of plastic related products, is located in Saint-Damien and is the biggest employer in the immediate area....

 and the village of Saint-Philémon

Saint-Philémon, Quebec

Saint-Philémon is a small village of 850 people in the Bellechasse Regional County Municipality, part of the Chaudière-Appalaches administrative region....

 in Bellechasse, Québec, Canada.

Often confounded with Le Massif

Le Massif

Le Massif is a ski mountain northeast of Quebec City, Canada, overlooking the St. Lawrence river.- Description :Le Massif de Charlevoix ski area is located in Petite-Rivière-Saint François, Charlevoix, Québec, Canada, a 75 minute drive from Quebec City...

, the Massif du Sud is renowned for its natural snow and its glades. Although it is the highest ski mountain in the Quebec City region, it doesn't boast the biggest vertical because of its base already at 515 meters. The Massif du Sud also offers 30 km of cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

 and 20 km of snowshoe

Snowshoe

A snowshoe is footwear for walking over the snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation"....

ing trails.

In summer it is possible to do hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

 with more than 92 km of trails and 46 km of multifunctional trails (bike, horse).

History

The Massif du Sud was first opened in 1989 but has since changed owner many times.

As of 2007, there is a wind power

Wind power

Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....

 project in the area of the mountain which is contested by the main shareholder, Alain Contant.

Building on its fame in backcountry glades, the resort has a snowcat-skiing operation in the backcountry region and will introduce heliskiing

Heliskiing

Heliskiing is off-trail, downhill skiing that is accessed by a helicopter, not a ski lift. Heliskiing is essentially about skiing in a natural—albeit highly selected—environment without the effort or gear compromise required for hiking into these areas as in ski touring or ski mountaineering.Most...

 in 2011 season. It is the only resort in eastern north America to have heliskiing.

Trivia

• The Massif du Sud slogan is "Le secret le mieux gardé" which translates as "The Best Kept Secret".
• During January and February the mountain is closed Monday to Thursday. Therefore, on Fridays, the snow conditions are usually incredible.
• The Massif du Sud closest neighbor is Mont Orignal
  Mont Orignal
  Mont Orignal is a ski mountain about 100 km south of Quebec City, Canada in the region of Bellechasse near the village of Lac-Etchemin.- Description :...
  
  .

See also

• Le Massif de Charlevoix
• Mont-Sainte-Anne
  Mont-Sainte-Anne
  Mont-Sainte-Anne is a ski resort in the city of Beaupré, Quebec, Canada, located about northeast of Quebec City. The mountain has a summit elevation of 800 metres above sea level and a vertical drop of 625 m . There are 66 trails covering on three different sides of the mountain...
  
  
• Stoneham
• List of ski areas and resorts in Canada

External links

Parc du Massif du Sud - Québec