IM Mont-Tremblant or IM Louisville for first IM?

I have done this race (70.3) twice and it is a fantastic race (course and venue) . I signed up for the 70.3 in 2018 again. I am bilingual but you have nothing to worry about as there is lots of english spoken in the village (by the organizers, restaurants and hotels). My wife doesn't speak french and she has never found it an issue. The athlete briefing will be in both languages. Hope this helps.

I have done both. I have done 8 full Ironman races. After IM Whistler, Louisville would be the next one I would do again.

If you are American there is the added perk of getting a 35% discount on all your purchases because of our poor Canadian dollar. But, things are more expensive because you are staying in a ski resort. You will have to fly into Montreal and rent a car and drive up to Mont Tremblant. It is beautiful drive and Montreal is a world class city. It is like a bit of Europe right here in Canada. The athletes briefing and other materials will be in French, but it will also be in English. The ski resorts caters to tourists so you will have no problem outside the resort. I know basic elementary school French and I didn't even need that.

The swim is better in MT than Louisville. I am still trying to get the sewage and chemical taste out of my mouth from swimming in that river. But, in Louisville it is a current aided swim so your swim will be faster than MT. I set an Ironman swim PB for myself at Louisville.

The bike in Mont Tremblant is much more difficult than in Louisville. The bike in MT (scenery wise) is also not as nice as in Louisville. They have paved the entire bike course and it is clearly marked separate from the car lanes in MT. The road conditions are great in MT. I did set an Ironman bike PB for myself at Louisville.

The run courses are pretty much equal. There is a very steep uphill right at the start of the run (and the second lap) of MT, but the rest is along a river path and it is nice and flat and shaded. Great fan support. The run in Louisville is through town, but the main part of it is along a beautifully treed road with big old houses. The finish line at Louisville is really cool. But so is the finish line at MT in the village. Like I said, it is a toss up run wise. I did set an Ironman run PB for myself at MT.

So, I know that didn't help all that much. But, personally I enjoyed Louisville a bit better than Mont Tremblant. It might have something to do with the fact that I did MT last year and it was cold and rainy on the bike and that sucked the fun out of the day. But, all things being equal I just liked Louisville better.

Louisville is a great race. A lot of community support and great volunteers. Great for family as well. My family wants to go back because they had such a great time. One of the better finish lines in IM races.

Go to Youtube and watch some of the race videos that IM did for Louisville. I still get goose bumps watching. I'm actually in the 2015 video.

Don't let language be any part of the decision making process.
You don't need any French if doing MT. Did the 70.3 there and loved it, they really roll out the red carpet for the triathletes and tons of other outdoorsy things to do in the area if you are into it.

Don't worry about language... it's a non-issue. Louisville was my first last year and I just finished up Mont-Tremblant this year and there really is no comparison. Mont-Tremblant wins easily. In fact, we had such a great time we plan on going back in 2019. The entire town has gotten behind this race and it shows. I mean they even give the their equivalent of a road commissioner an awesome reward and a standing ovation at the banquet! The roads are so nice you can channel your inner Chris Froome and just stare at your stem all day if you want. If I tried that at home I would be on the ground within 50 ft from potholes!

Swim - Mont-Tremblant no contest. The lake is cleaner and watching the sun come up over the mountain while heading out is something I will remember for the rest of my life. The self seeded swim start worked great and contact was minimal.

Bike - Louisville was a nice ride through horse country, but I still give the nod to Mont-Tremblant. It's essentially 3 out and backs as opposed to a lollipop course so you are always seeing other people and the scenery and road type change throughout the day. You ride on a closed highway and have time to admire some stunning views. Crowd support is a bit sparse on both and it's tough for family to spectate the bike at Louisville. In Tremblant they can hang out in the village all day and see you multiple times. MT was more difficult.

Run - Again, I give the nod to Mont-Tremblant but will say that it was a hillier course. Louisville is almost pancake flat except for where you go under a bridge. I didn't care for much of the scenery at Louisville and if you don't know what you're looking for you won't even notice Churchill Downs. It did have better crowd support. It's hard to compete with drunk college kids when it comes to cheering. Mont-Tremblant features a long out and back on a paved rail trail. There is no crowd support, but I found this to be incredibly peaceful and like the bike course, it's an out and back so there are always people coming in the other direction. Again, some beautiful scenery in Tremblant, not so much in Louisville.

Venue/Spectating/Stuff to Do - no contest. Mont Tremblant. My family wasn't overly impressed with Louisville but spent the entire car ride back talking about what they wanted to do next time we got on Tremblant. Everyone talks about the 4th Street Live finish at Louisville, and it was awesome and probably the biggest thing going for that course, but the finish at Mont-Tremblant was just as good... plus beer and poutine at the finish!

I am on my phone as I type this and can't see your original post. I believe you said you were in Ohio, correct? We are in West Michigan and the drive wasn't bad at all. Right around 12 hours and very scenic once you get closer to Tremblant. Just be sure to plan it so you miss Toronto around rush hour. I wanted to avoid it on the first day (we stopped in Toronto as it was a good halfway point) but forgot about the next morning. 7am traffic on the 401 is no joke!

Feel free to hit me up with any specific questions!