Tremblant is investing 42.5 million Canadian dollars in one of the most far-reaching transformations of its ski area in recent years. A new learning area will open in winter 2026–2027, ahead of the arrival, a year later, of Timber Summit, eight new runs and a detachable chairlift. But behind the expansion of the ski area lies a broader ambition: to make Versant Soleil a new hub for the destination’s development, just a few months ahead of the scheduled opening of Club Med Tremblant.
Tremblant is now one of the leading ski resorts in Eastern Canada. The Quebec resort boasts 102 runs spread across four slopes, 14 ski lifts and 308.6 hectares, or nearly 763 acres, of skiable terrain. Its highest point is 875 metres, with a maximum vertical drop of 645 metres on the Versant Sud. The ski area comprises 81.9 kilometres of runs, including the Nansen, the longest run, which stretches six kilometres from the summit.
Tremblant is now set to add a new area to its already substantial infrastructure. The project, announced on 1 September, represents a $42.5 million investment and is set to increase the resort’s hourly lift capacity by 10 per cent. It will be rolled out in two phases: an initial development focused on beginners from next winter, followed by the opening of Timber Summit in 2027–2028.
$42.5 million to expand the ski area
On paper, the expansion appears relatively modest: an additional 62 acres, or around 25 hectares. However, compared with the 762.6 acres currently open for skiing, it represents an increase of just over 8 per cent of the ski area’s total surface area.
Above all, Timber is set to add eight runs to the existing 102. Based on the figures currently published by the resort, Tremblant is therefore expected to reach around 110 runs and 334 hectares of skiable terrain once the new sector is operational. These two figures are calculated by adding the current official figures to those for the project; Tremblant has not yet officially presented them as the resort’s new definitive dimensions.
The investment is being made in a resort that is already very well equipped. Tremblant currently boasts a total lift capacity of 27,830 skiers per hour, with two gondola lifts, six detachable four-seater chairlifts, one fixed four-seater chairlift, one triple chairlift, three magic carpets and the village Cabriolet. It also has 1,286 snow guns, covering 213 hectares, or 527 acres. Artificial snow now covers around 69 per cent of the skiable terrain.
Timber will be fully equipped with snow-making facilities. This is a key element of the project, given that Tremblant itself explains that the opening of its ski area now depends largely on the cold spells available for snow production. The resort claims an annual average of around 400 cm of natural snow, but has also significantly expanded its snowmaking network in recent years.
This approach is, in fact, nothing new. As early as 2018, Tremblant had announced $17 million in investment, including the replacement of the Lowell Thomas lift with a detachable chairlift and the opening of five new tree-run runs covering 50 acres. In 2019, a further 14.1 million was spent, notably on enhancing snowmaking capacity on the Versant Soleil with the addition of around 90 snow guns. In 2023, nearly $2.78 million was further allocated to infrastructure and snowmaking at Flying Mile as part of the preparations for the World Cup.
Timber: eight new runs and a new summit
However, Timber remains at the heart of the system.
The 62 acres of new skiable terrain will be deliberately geared towards accessible skiing: 35 per cent of the runs will be green, 60 per cent blue and only 5 per cent black. In other words, 95 per cent of the new area will be aimed at beginner or intermediate skiers. Seven of the eight new runs will descend towards the Versant Soleil, whilst one will lead to the Versant Nord. The vertical drop will reach 428 metres on the Versant Soleil side.
Access will be via the Timber Express, a high-speed detachable four-seater chairlift. Measuring 1,800 metres in length, it will cover a vertical rise of 423 metres with 125 seats and will be able to carry 2,400 people per hour. Tremblant states that its technology will be comparable to that of the Lowell Thomas Express, located on the North Slope.
The desired effect is therefore not measured solely by the number of additional runs. The resort has announced that the scheme as a whole will increase its hourly lift capacity by 10 per cent, with obvious implications for traffic flow and the distribution of skiers across the various sectors.
The project also has a longer history than it might seem. Timber had already been announced in March 2020, with an opening then planned for the winter of 2021–2022. At the time, Tremblant featured eight runs, a high-speed quad chairlift, a snowmaking system and a new beginners’ area at Versant Soleil. However, the announced budget of $8.8 million for 2020–2021 covered several projects: $5.4 million for maintenance work, $1.4 million for the beginners’ area and $2 million earmarked for the installation of preparatory infrastructure for Timber.
Six years on, the concept is therefore returning in a much more fully developed form. Tremblant states that the project has “evolved and been enhanced” since 2020 and that investment has been increased. However, the resort does not specify the detailed reasons for the delay.
Ahead of Timber, Tremblant is focusing on new skiers
The other aspect of the project is less visually striking, but perhaps just as strategic.
From the winter of 2026–2027, a new learning area will open at the foot of the Versant Soleil, near the Casino Express gondola lift. It will be designed for beginners as well as for the École sur Neige programmes and will be open at weekends and during busy periods.
The site will cover 1.1 acres, or approximately 4,450 m². The terrain will have an average gradient of around 13 degrees and will have its own snowmaking system. An indoor moving walkway will allow novice skiers and snowboarders to get back up the slope without having to use a chairlift straight away.
This decision is worth highlighting. Even before opening its eight new slopes, Tremblant is investing in the first stage of the customer journey: learning to ski.
This is not entirely new, incidentally. In its initial announcement in 2020, the resort had already cited ‘growing demand’ for easy slopes as the reason for its future beginners’ area. The project was budgeted at $1.4 million at the time.
Timber’s final layout is a direct extension of this approach: the new area is not built around a single spectacular, expert-level run, but around a ski area comprising 95 per cent green and blue runs.
Across the resort as a whole, the contrast is striking. Tremblant currently classifies its 102 runs as 22 easy, 31 difficult and 49 very difficult or extreme. Timber will therefore specifically strengthen the most accessible part of the resort’s offering.
For a major ski resort, the challenge is no longer simply to retain regular skiers: it is also to make it easier for people to take up the sport, to support families and to ensure that those first few days on the slopes are a positive enough experience to attract new skiers.
The Versant Soleil is becoming a strategic hub
It is, however, when you look at the base of the slopes that the project takes on a whole new dimension.
Tremblant itself explicitly links Timber to the growth of the Versant Soleil and the now confirmed presence of Club Med Tremblant.
The hotel group officially announced the project in December 2025. Scheduled to open in December 2028, it will be the second Club Med resort in Canada after Québec Charlevoix, which opened in 2021. The future resort will offer around 300 rooms, with a high-end, four-season experience and ski-in, ski-out access. Club Med plans to include ski passes and lessons, kids’ clubs for children aged 4 months to 17 years, dining, a spa, as well as hiking, cycling and kayaking during the summer season.
The project is expected to create 300 direct jobs and a comparable number of indirect jobs; Club Med plans to house around 50 per cent of its staff on site. The group is also aiming for LEED certification for the construction and Green Globe certification for the operation.
The hotel project forms part of a wider property development in the Versant Soleil area. The L’Hymne des Trembles site, initially developed by Groupe Brivia over 14 hectares, combined residential properties, townhouses and ski-in/ski-out flats from the very first phases. The first two phases comprised 64 and 15 units respectively.
It is therefore easier to understand the logic behind the timetable: the beginners’ area in 2026–2027, Timber and its new facilities in 2027–2028, followed by Club Med Tremblant in late 2028.
It would be an exaggeration to speak at this stage of a shift in Tremblant’s centre of gravity: the pedestrianised village of Versant Sud remains the historic and commercial heart of the resort. However, the Versant Soleil is gradually acquiring the attributes of a genuine second hub for accommodation and skiing: accommodation, property, ski schools, new slopes, ski lifts and, in the future, an international hotel brand.
Tremblant remains committed to skiing
Ultimately, that is what makes this announcement interesting beyond the Quebec market.
Tremblant is a fully-fledged four-season destination, with 1,900 accommodation units across 13 hotels, around 70 restaurants and shops, and a casino. Its programme of events extends well beyond the winter season, ranging from trail running events and triathlon competitions to festivals and autumnal scenery. In 2026, the resort was also included by Travel + Leisure in its selection of the 20 best ski resorts in the world.
Nevertheless, his next major investment remains very clearly focused on skiing.
This strategy is consistent with that of its parent company, Alterra Mountain Company, which owns Tremblant and operates numerous major North American resorts. In March 2026, Alterra reported that it had invested more than 2 billion dollars over eight years in its portfolio of resorts. The strategy combines resort expansions, new ski lifts, improvements to snowmaking facilities, accommodation and the enhancement of the customer experience.
With its $42.5 million investment, Tremblant is therefore not simply aiming to gain eight runs and 62 acres. The resort is simultaneously working on attracting beginners, increasing lift capacity, ensuring reliable snow cover, providing premium accommodation and developing a new hub at Versant Soleil.
The expansion of the resort is the visible part of the project. Its real significance may lie elsewhere: preparing Tremblant to welcome more skiers and holidaymakers, and organising the next stage of its development around the Versant Soleil area, which is set to play a much greater role in the destination’s overall balance.
