Posh 'n' québecks

Wintertime and the livin' is easy. At least, that is what I always feel in Canada, where the first snows bring with them a feeling of national invigoration. In Britain, winter can be a time of drizzle and blues. But in the real north, cold days are filled with exciting things to do: skiing and skating on outdoor rinks, tobogganing and snowshoeing, dogsledding and snowmobiling. I love the way Canadians do winter properly; how the season gets people going as they wrap up warm against a steely cold, and just have fun.

Nowhere is this truer than in the Eastern province of Québec, that chunk of North America that feels apart from anywhere else on the continent. We found that we are barely off the plane before the Frenchness grabbed us: 'Passeport, soil vous plait, Mosieur; Bienvenue Mosieur; Taxi Mosieur? - all said with the rather muffled Québecois accent.

Historic Québec City comes over all zestful in winter. Kids of all ages can zip up fleece jackets, pull down woolly hats, and dive headfirst into the annual winter carnival. There are sledge races, toboggan routes weaving between ice sculptures, night parades, fireworks, music and boogying on skates. For sheer exuberance played out on the streets, think Rio (de Janeiro, not Ferdinand!) in the snow.

If you still feel you haven't 'broken the ice' sufficiently, try a swim in a frozen pool, pitting endurance against fellow masochists. There's no shame in ducking this one, of course, but do at least consider a night in the Ice Hotel Québec. Since, for obvious reasons, it has to be rebuilt each season, this is one hotel that does change a bit every year. But yes, it is a hotel built entirely of ice - the walls, the bars, the beds, the nightclub, you name it. Even the light bulbs (OK, I am kidding now!). You get to sleep on reindeer skins, and snuggle down in huge sleeping bags - a real family bonding experience - before heading for the slopes.

I can't think of anywhere else in the world, where you can stay in a buzzing city like this, and also be in reach of three different mountains to ski or snowboard. It is just half an hour to Mont-Ste-Anne, which has everything from beginners' magic carpets, to rolling terrain for intermediates and some macho-challenging black double and diamond trails.

But what is the best kept secret anywhere in Eastern North America? According to my colleagues in the North American Snow sports Journalists Association, it is Le Massif. They gave it this accolade for its consistent and excellent snow record, and because it has the biggest vertical drop east of the Rockies. But my lasting memory is of gazing out from the mountain summit, over the frozen St Lawrence river and its awesome ice floes.

Stoneham, set in a sunny, sheltered valley, is even closer to Québec City and has four awesome terrain parks, and also the largest night skiing network in Canada. There are 10 miles of illumined trails, which stay open till 10.30pm. After that, you can head back to the city and party with the locals on into the night...