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Les Glissades de la Terrace, located on Dufferin Terrace, is open only from mid-December through late March, so make time to take advantage of it if you’re in town in winter. A maximum of four persons to a toboggan are allowed, but there’s no minimum age, height, or weight, so it’s great family entertainment. The low cost ($2 for one) also keeps it family-friendly. You must rent toboggans on site that are specifically designed to fit this run. Be sure to stop by the miniature sugar shack at the base of the run to purchase little cake cones filled with maple syrup.

When you’re not coursing downhill at top speed, there’s plenty else to keep you busy. Travelers who love winter sports and festivals will enjoy Quebec City in the cold season. For 2 weeks every winter, Carnaval de Quebec (the largest winter carnival in the world) turns the city into a cold-weather version of Mardi Gras. Parades, the canoe race on the St. Lawrence (where participants paddle in open areas, then push their canoe across the ice to the next open area), and dog sled races are great spectator events. You can keep warm by staying active with snowtubing, snowrafting, and even riding a zipline across the Plains of Abraham in the heart of the city. Quebec City also attracts skiers and snowboarders who want an urban setting after a day on the slopes. Skiing at nearby Mont-Sainte-Anne, with its 56 trails, is a great day outing before returning to Quebec for the vibrant nightlife.

If you’re interested in indoor entertainment, visit the Musée de la Civilisation and in particular the “Memoires” exhibit (85 rue Dalhousie; 418/643-2158;www.mcq.org) that depicts the city’s multi-faceted heritage. Also be sure to indulge in the city’s excellent cuisine—an adrenaline rush in its own right. Don’t miss the locals’ favorite, Poutine: French fries topped with cheese curds and brown gravy. —LF

Quebec City Tourism, 399 Saint-Joseph Est ( 877/783-1608 or 418/641-6654; www.quebecregion.com).

When to Go: Mid-winter.

Quebec City.

$$$ Le Chateau Frontenac, 1 rue des Carrières ( 800/257-7544 or 418/692-3861; www.fairmont.com/frontenac).

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Skeleton & Bobsled Runs

Sliding Downhill, Face Inches from Ice

Lake Placid, New York, U.S. A.

A skeleton sled ride at the race track that hosted the 2009 International Luge Federation World Championships and the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Championships is a heart-stopping, hair-raising experience. Your face is just inches from the ice as you careen downhill reaching speeds of up to 30 to 35 mph (48–56kmph) on an ice-sheathed track that twists, turns, and terrifies during its course of eight curves. You’re wearing a helmet, to be sure, but that’s little consolation as you scream your way along this adrenaline-inducing track.

Too aggressive for you? Try the bobsled ride instead. On this you sit between a pilot who does the steering and a brakeman. The skeleton rides are offered only in the winter when the track is icy, but bobsled rides can be enjoyed year-round. A winter bobsled ride feels something akin to the sensation of riding a roller coaster—you zoom around the track’s corners at speeds of 45 to 52mph (72–84kmph). Winter rides start about halfway up the above-ground track. (It was built in 2000 and now is used for national championships.) In the summer, the bobsleds are on wheels—you’ll reach speeds of about 50 mph (81kmph)—and you’re racing down the lower part of the original track used during the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.

In addition to the skeletoning and bobsledding, the Lake Placid Olympic Sports Complex offers plenty of other activities. In the winter, there’s a Be a Biathlete clinic, where you’ll get a cross country skiing lesson and instruction on the shooting range with a 22-caliber rifle. You can also go downhill skiing or snowboarding on Whiteface Mountain, skating on the oval used during the 1980 Olympics, or cross-country skiing.

In the summer, the Be a Biathlete clinic includes an aerobic exercise to get the sense of cross-country