It hasn't stopped snowing since I got to Quebec on Christmas day - literally - but the varying intensities haven't added up to much. An inch or two each night, and barely any accumulating snows during the day. The Massif du Sud snow report didn't seem that bad - 2 trails out of 16, and 1 lift. The snow was increasingly intense as we drove southeast from Quebec City, so my hopes were high, only to be squashed upon arrival when learning that the two slopes were the beginner hill "L'ecoliere" and the adjacent lowermost portion of "La grand allee." The lift? The novice poma. <BR> <BR>However, making lemonade out of lemons, the snow surface was the best that we'd skied all week - soft, fluffy natural about an inch or two deep atop a nicely groomed base which was a mix of manmade and natural. Just practiced turns for the day, relaxing and enjoying being outside as the snowfall ebbed and flowed throughout the day. If there were 50 cars in the parking lot, there were 1,000. <BR> <BR>Tomorrow, however, they'll be open from the summit on "La grande allee." We'll go back in the a.m. <BR> <BR>A photo of "L'ecoliere" today (th-th-th-th-that's all, folks!): <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1300.jpg" ALT="Massif du Sud - 12/28/01"> <BR> <BR>To learn more about Massif du Sud, see <A HREF="http://www.FirstTracksOnline.com/massifdusud.htm" TARGET="_blank">our feature story at <FONT FACE="comic sans ms">First Tracks!! Online</FONT></A>.