Mont Edouard, Québec
People usually go on strike over things like fair wages, proper working conditions and decent pensions. In 1990, folks in Québec’s Lower Saguenay region went on strike to finance a ski hill that they hoped would save a dying lumber town. And that’s just the first chapter in the story of Mont Edouard.
Hard Times Call For Sound Measures
The 1980s were especially hard on L’Anse-Saint-Jean a small town in the Saguenay’s majestic Fjord region, northeast of Québec City. The forestry industry, which had always been the town’s bread and butter, was in a state of acute decline. Machinery was replacing and fast outpacing skilled woodworkers. Unemployment had hit a staggering 40%. Logging operations were moving onto greener forests. And interest rates here had hit a crushing 20%. What was a blue-collar town, where lumberjacks once ruled supreme, to do? The answer proved surprisingly simple: Skiing!
Public Demand For A Local Ski Hill Grows
The idea of building a local ski hill first surfaced during a Town Hall meeting when the citizens of L’Anse Saint-Jean were asked how they would save their ailing town. A keen and thoughtful observer named Claude Boudreault pointed out that, with so many surrounding mountains, they should build a ski hill that could become the town’s new economic engine. While the community immediately coalesced around Claude’s idea, then-Mayor Yves Laurent Simard demurred. The provincial government had placed a moratorium on all ski area investments. It was also committed to selling off Mont Saint-Anne. Any government assistance was a non-starter. A follow-up meeting, open to the entire region, raised $33,000 on the spot to finance a feasibility study. Long story short: Three sites were proposed and Mont Edouard won hands down for its close proximity, impressive vertical, immediate accessibility and abundant snow.
All Aboard!
The provincial government later announced it was planning to invest $10 million in the Parc du Saguenay region. If L’Anse Saint‑Jean wanted its share, the town would have to raise $1.5 million. The pro-Mont Edouard community promptly sprang into action. They formed the Corporation du Mont Edouard, made Lucien Martel its president, and raised the money straight away. Even though the people were hurting financially, everyone was glad to share more than just their opinions. When the provincial government began dragging its feet, Mont Edouard’s supporters went on strike. In January 1990, they blocked Highway 170 to all east-west traffic in the Saguenay. Local merchants shut their doors. And unemployed lumberjacks went to work cutting trails on Mont Edouard. On February 16th, the Québec provincial government delivered the $6.1 million it had earmarked for the project.
“When we saw that the government wasn’t going to help us, we said fine. We’ll do it ourselves. Whether it was legal or not wasn’t even an issue. We were all in. It was all or nothing. We decided to win.”
— Claude Boudreault, visionary and former General Manager, Mont Edouard
We’re Open! But Now What?
In short order, the land was purchased. Hydro Québec installed a power line. Two Doppelmayr quad chairs were acquired. A chalet was built. And Mont Edouard officially opened, just eight months later, on December 8, 1990. It wasn’t long before the community discovered that opening a new ski area is one thing. Running it profitably is something else again. By 1995, Mont Edouard had run up so many deficits, it was ready to sell off its two quads to the Laurentian juggernaut, Mont Saint-Sauveur. The ski area was being dismantled, and its largest creditor was handed the keys. Then, in November 1996, Mayor Yves Laurent Simard suggested that if local blue-collar workers created a co‑op that would manage the hill, the Town would buy back all its assets.
“We’ve always lived off the mountain and the forest. When we went looking for something to replace the lumber we harvested from the forest, we found our economic well-being on the mountain.”
— Lucien Martel, former president of la Corporation du Mont Edouard and former mayor of L’Anse Saint-Jean
Let The Good Times Roll
The partnership between the co-op and the town worked as long as everyone stayed on the same page. Legions of volunteers worked hand-in-hand with paid staff. Mont Edouard hosted a World Telemark Championship and an Ukatak Extreme adventure racing challenge. Snowshoeing trails were cut. National mountain biking and cross-country skiing competitions were held. And everything was going so well, that the town once again took over the entire operation. When mountain real estate became a hot commodity, the Mont Edouard community was all in. Everything seemed to be just fine. Then, in 2010, Claude Boudreault—the man who’d gotten the entire snowball rolling twenty years prior—was hired to run the hill. One month later, he informed the community that their beloved ski area was, in fact, bankrupt.
A Steady, Old Hand Drives A Bold New Vision
Over the next five years, Claude deftly guided Mont Edouard until it became financially viable. In 2015, he drew up a Master Plan that called for the ski area to become a backcountry skiing paradise. The new area, which now spans several peaks, also boasts four cabins where skiers can warm up, meet kindred spirits, eat and relax during the day. Or bunk down and stay overnight. Says current General Manager, Marc-André Busque, “The conditions are always ‘premium’ and people can enjoy a unique powder day knowing that they’ll be found and rescued if anything should happen.” But backcountry skiing was only one element in Boudreault’s masterful plan.
“To our knowledge, it is the largest patrolled and marked haute-route sector, east of the Rockies.”
— Marc-André Busque, General Manager, Mont Edouard
Racers Get Ready!
Thanks to its northern location, Mont Edouard has avoided the dispiriting freeze/thaw cycles that increasingly plague ski areas throughout much of eastern North America. Not only have winters here remained consistently colder and snowier, the ski season still starts in mid-November and runs until the end of April. Claude Boudreault sought to take advantage the situation by making Mont Edouard the pre-season training camp of choice for racing and freestyle ski teams throughout Eastern Canada and New England. Talented young skiers can now get a jump on their competition by coming here to train weeks before most other hills even open. Plus, they have the slopes all to themselves because the rest of the mountain is closed to the public until December.
The Future Is Now
Today, Mont Edouard is serving a variety of disparate skiing communities. In addition to the locals, backcountry skiers and aspiring champions, it draws scholastic groups from throughout the region, as well as powder hounds, mogul skiers and savvy regulars from Québec City, Montreal and the Eastern Townships. They all come for Mont Edouard’s bountiful snow, its impressive steeps, incredible bumps and beautiful backcountry terrain. They also get to enjoy winter—the way it once was—in the bargain. Marc-André suggests that newcomers, “Talk to the employees about where to ski or ask a local to show you some hidden gems.” At Mont Edouard it seems that the locals are always willing to volunteer information and that the volunteers are always ready to lend a helping hand. There’s something very old‑fashioned about that. To think it all began when one man had an idea that drove an entire community to go on strike and build a ski hill.
Writer: Dave Fonda
Web designer & integrator: Dominique Paquette
Photos: Courtesy of Mont Edouard
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