As the presidential race heats up and looks more and more like a Hollywood comedy, we’re headed to Canada. If it gets much worse, we may go back and stay.

It is a welcoming country with a lot to offer the outdoor enthusiast. Our destination for this foray was Chateau Mont Sainte Anne, namesake to the majestic mountain overlooking the vast and ice choked St. Lawrence Seaway.

The weather was forecast to be bitterly cold and, unfortunately, the meteorologists were right this time. Luckily we were well prepared and had gear to spare.

The Chateau is located right at the base of the mountain with ski in, ski out right to the eight passenger tram, allowing us to get in a lot of runs each day and stay a bit warmer going up. The advantage of the biting cold was that less hardy folks opted to stay indoors and we had a lot of mountain to ourselves. The trails were well covered and maintained even though they were having below average snowfall.

We enjoyed the welcoming three inches of fresh snow that fell our first morning out. The mountain has a 2,000 vertical with three different sides of the mountain to choose from, and 71 different trails with a great mix of beginning, intermediate and expert slopes. Mont Sainte Anne offers many top to bottom runs, which could wear out even the most ardent skier/boarder.

We also spent half a day enjoying their cross country trails. It is the largest Nordic ski center in North America with several miles of trails perfectly groomed for both classical and freestyle crosscountry skiing and conveniently located at the base of the mountain.

One of the many advantages of this area of Canada is that from any of the hotels or bed and breakfasts in the Quebec

City region you can ski not only Mont Sainte Anne but also Le Massif further east or Stoneham, which is just north of the city.

We took advantage of that on the way home and spent half a day at Stoneham, where we found the grooming to be excellent and the mountain a pleasure to ski. Both Stoneham and Mont Sainte Anne also offer extensive night skiing if you have any energy left to burn.

The Chateau Monte Sainte Anne, which is going through a $20 million refurbish project, has been a prime resort in the area for 35 years. They are in the process of making major improvements to their recreational facilities, including a heated indoor pool and outdoor fire pits. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful, and most were fluent in English which, as our French is limited, was most appreciated.

Near by Quebec City has a wonderfully European feel with charming architecture in the “old city” and delightful eateries. We, however, have to admit to staying cocooned in our little slice of heaven for the whole trip as we were most comfortable and had no desire to venture back out in the cold at day’s end.`

When not on the trails, we played a sort of round-robin ping pong game with an enthusiastic group of young teens from England, played some billiards, basked in the warmth and camaraderie in the outside stone whirlpool, and treated our tired muscles to a steamy sauna. We also listened to a very talented singer and guitarist in the lobby, with our feet resting on hassocks in front of the wood fire.

We prepared our own morning meals in the kitchenette included in our studio condo and enjoyed the fine fare at the resort restaurant for dinners. It was not easy to pack up and leave when the time came.

A good reason to visit Mont Sainte Anne this season is the exchange rate. All prices are quoted in Canadian dollars, which you can then discount a whopping 37-percent. The Chateau is offering ski weekends for two starting at $544, which includes two nights lodging and two days of skiing at any of the three ski areas. I would tack on an extra day and night of skiing and lodging, as it is nearly a six-hour drive from our region of the coast. Easy drive and well worth visiting our Northern neighbors … for the alpine skiing, with an incredible view of the St. Lawrence, the groomed Nordic skiing and its miles of trails and/or a visit to beautiful Quebec City.

Get out and enjoy this wonderful season!