Canada's insider blog

 Is Montréal, Québec the last place you would think of visiting for a surfing holiday? Think again – at Montreal’s Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth a new program takes on “apprentices” in the art of river surfing. Visitors can test out standing river waves by day and explore the festival city during the evening. There are several specific locations along the St. Lawrence River to surf; some are so good that locals might prefer to keep them secret. Instructors at Kayaks sans frontieres (KSF) bundle Fairmont’s surfing trainees into wetsuits and onto 7'2" river boards. Standing waves range from knee-high to head-high at Big Joe, one of the world’s tallest standing waves, although our instructor wouldn’t tell us exactly where it is. “Big Joe,” he said with a taunting smile, “doesn’t exist.” The Surf’s Up package is one of several Apprentice Trips by Fairmont offered in Canada.  Consider golf lessons in Banff, enhancing your culinary skills in Toronto or Vancouver, or mountain hiking plus photography at Lake Louise.

www.tourisme-montreal.org