Vacations don’t usually have 7:15 am wake-ups, but we’ll have to make an exception this time around.
It’s our first time trying out Club Med Charlevoix’s mountain biking program, and we want to make sure we have everything we need. Nothing’s worse than rushing out the door, still slathering sunscreen as we charge down the hall on our way to an about-to-be-missed lesson.
It was an early start yesterday, so the kids were early to bed and early to rise. Club Med Kiroro had been slammed during breakfast, while it seems all-but-empty here this morning. Perhaps not everyone is quite as keen on mountain biking.
No matter. We find our little secluded island once more, and enjoy a ham-and-cheese omelette, home fries and sausages:
The home fries are a bit stale. I think next time I’ll toast up some of the fresh Charlevoix baguette instead.
Back to the room to gather our gear, sunscreen and so on – and it becomes clear that we’ve seriously over-estimated how much time we’ll need. No matter – it gives the kids some time to chill, while I attempt to further level the mountain of life and household administration that piled up during our recent trips.
8:50 am rolls around, and we head outside where a fleet of mountain bikes await. I check to see whether we’re in the right spot – we are, but equipment handout doens’t begin until 9:15 am. Club Med’s FAQ said to be 15 minutes early, but I suppose that’s what 9:15 am represents – the early arrival for a 9:30 am departure.
Ah, well. It gives us some time to check over our gear and run back to the room to pick up a missing water bottle. It also gives us time to admire Club Med Charlevoix’s newest water feature:
Water volleyball, anyone?
Then the lesson itself begins. The staff calls everyone around, and then we form a line to draw equipment. We all need helmets, kneepads and elbow guards. Once those are donned, we are once more called round and assigned to our groups. The first group (Plus Rapide) is for one man – a silver-haired Montrealer named Claude who is in a league of his own.
Next are the Level 3 riders – I seem to recall there is only one such group – and then the two Level 2 groups, which include my son and myself. There’s another group of Level 1 guests and our daughter joins the 11 – 13 group, which consists of her and one other girl. Groups are capped at 10 guests each, though ours has 8 guests and 2 guides.
We follow our groups and are assigned our bikes based on height. Each bike has controls to raise and lower the seat, to brake, and change gears.
We start with a simple loop around a flat gravel lot, and then move on to some very mild overland riding over the nearby mini-golf course. Riders are to lower their seats when descending – so they can effectively use their legs as shock absorbers – and to stand with the pedals roughly equal distance off the ground and not like a flamingo with one leg raised and another lowered.
Having done some minor ascents and descents over grass, we then move on to the pump track. This gives us the chance to ride along banked trail and go over some minor obstacles. Some Level 2 groups might never get past the pump track, but we seem to be off to a solid start – so we ride down to the bottom of the mountain and board the gondola.
We each attach our mountain bikes to the outside of the gondola. To do so, we pull the bike up in a wheelie and then lift it up just a little bit higher to catch it on the hook. The end result looks something like this:
You want to be careful not to put the tire’s valve stem next to the hook, as that can have some nasty unintended consequences!
It takes roughly 15 minutes to ascend via gondola, and there’s a lovely view along the way:
Unsurprisingly lush given the recent rain
There’s the chance for a brief bio break in case anyone needs one, and then we head off to a larger pump track where we can hone some technical skills – decelerating when coming up to corner, banking higher on turns, and so on. It’s a definite challenge – particularly the ascent back to the start.
Photo Credit LeMassif.com
From here we head off on a scenic loop:
With quite the lookout to top it all off:
And what a view! We lucked out with the weather – not a drop fell this morning, though some is expected this afternoon
Unfortunately, there’s also the ride back up afterwards – while Level 3 cyclists descend the entire mountain, that same option is not offered to Level 2 riders. So it’s back up to the start so we can move on to the next element – a practice drop.
Essentially you ride the bike out along a boardwalk with a sudden end, and drop the bike about a foot before landing on a dirt ramp. (And this poor description will have to do until such time as I actually remember to take a photo.)
We are then at the end of our two-hour lesson, and it’s time to take the gondola back down again:
This idyllic moment is shattered when one of the guardrails on the gondola station knocks two of the bikes off the gondola cabins, mine included. (This is the opening day of the season, however, so I expect they’ll work through these little issues as time goes on.)
Back at the bottom of the hill, we are told that we could move up to Level 3 if we wish but that it won’t hurt to do an extra lesson at Level 2 just to solidify the skills we’ve learned thus far. Makes sense to us. Poor weather aside, we’re planning to get in another lesson or two during this trip – though I’d love to fully descend the mountain at some point.
Our daughter also loved her lesson – and had a blast on the pump track.
Meanwhile, my wife went to beginner yoga. Once again it was conducted in both English and French. The instructor was good about suggesting modifications and ways to challenge the postures. A few people showed up late and grabbed extra mats so 14 people attended this class and that’s defintely the maximum for this space.
My son dashes off once we clear the gondola, while I have to walk my damaged bike back up to the shop. Truth be told, it does not look much worse for wear but they want to inspect it out of an abundance of caution. Meanwhile, the kids have already gone inside and linked up with Passworld (Teens’ Club).
Perhaps we will see them before the end of the trip, perhaps not. You never can tell with Passworld.
My wife and I then head for an adults-only lunch – with tacos:
And a strawberry cream tarte:
The food here has been excellent thus far.
Back to the room for a bit of reading and writing – and to bask in the shifting moods of the St Lawrence:
Teens’ Club is supposed to take a break at 1 pm, but the kids go closer to 2 pm. They also take some time to read and relax, and then head back to Teens’ Club for a 3 pm start.
Meanwhile, my wife heads off for Yin yoga. This is described by Club Med as a gentle, meditative practice that promotes deep relaxation and inner balance. It felt like a cross between beginner yoga and a meditation session.
Seeking a change of scene, we then head to Le Chalet:
Here we enjoy a glass of proscco and a mid-afternoon snack:
One of the changes we’ve noticed this trip is just how accessible food seems to be relative to previous visits, and to our trip to Kiroro. It always seems that there is some kind of full meal available in one venue or another.
4:15 pm rolls around, and I wait until the crowd around the Excursions desk clears out so that we can book mountain biking for tomorrow. (Unlike Le Massif’s ski lessons, mountain biking classes need to be booked daily.) After some further discussions with the instructors, I decide I’m ready to continue on to Level 3 – which should get me the chance to bike all the way down the mountain.
We also learn that we actually have a CAD$300 resort credit, not the CAD$150 we initially expected. Beyond a dress for my wife and sweater for our daughter, that should be enough to cover my wife’s spa treatment tomorrow too. Not bad!
Back to the room to piece together my camera for tonight’s ‘ElementA’ show, and take a few test photos:
The St Lawrence just keeps changing, and changing, and changing. I never tire of looking at it.
My wife soon returns from another meditation class. The kids are still at Teens’ Club, so my wife and I again head to an early dinner on our own. We start with lamb shoulder served with some kind of mushroom-like starch:
The lamb’s a little on the fatty side, and the starch isn’t really my thing. I move on some shrimp and Korean chicken:
It’s better, but still not quite as good as some of the other recent meals. The drawback of this Club Med being sparsely attended – there are only 480 guests out of capacity for 1,000 – is that some of the dishes seem slow to change over.
I also try some of the the always-excellent chocolate ice cream and a slice banana caramel cheesecake – though the banana flavour verges on overpowering:
Back to Le Chalet, where my wife orders chicken and mushroom stew atop potato wedges with poutine cheese croquettes:
We relax, read, and watch the sun set:
Who says we don’t know how to take a vacation?
Time marches on, and it’s soon time to head off to the ElementA show. To quote Club Med Charlevoix:
“ElementA is a story set in the heart of Le Massif at Charlevoix, where the natural balance is held by the four elements: air, water, earth and fire. When Malgadon and his dark forces tear through the harmony, the elements rise to resist.
“Experience the battle up close through aerial, combat, and acrobatic acts that take you through a journey of chaos, beauty, and rebellion – to help restore the balance of Le Massif before it’s too late.”
One of our favourite aspects of Club Med – particularly Charlevoix – is that their entertainment is just a little bit bonkers. We’re hoping that’s the case tonight, too.
But first – drinks and seats. They are serving a specialty drink called swing la bacaisse that consists of vodka, triple sec, lime, and lychee syrup:
Delicious!
Having attended several events at Club Med previously, we grab some seats off to the side to minimize the risk of children charging through our space.
Teens’ Club wraps up, and the kids join us – we pick them each up a blue shaved ice to go with the show.
ElementA is soon underway. The elements take to the air:
But are soon threatened by Malgadon:
Each of the elements rise in response.
Air:
Water:
Earth:
And fire:
The elements stand united:
But Malgadon won’t be defeated so easily:
A showdown ensues:
It seems like all is lost – but then:
The elements triumph over the forces of darkness:
It’s not quite as bonkers as last year’s mind-control robots, but still a fantastic show with some of the best aerial performances we’ve ever seen. We rarely get to more than one of these shows – they run until 10 pm, well past our bedtime – so we’re glad we chose this one.
And with that, it’s time to call it a night. We’ll be up early tomorrow for another round of mountain biking!