Every ski resort in Canada was once a small, local, community ski area. A handful proved to be so popular, ambitious and fortunate, that they grew up to become provincial, national or international ski destinations. Somehow Quebec’s Mont Orford achieved all that and more, though not quite in that order.
Mont Orford, Quebec
A True Community Ski Area
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY SKI AREAS SERIES: If our children are the lifeblood of skiing, then community ski areas are its heart and soul. Often small and remote, they’re where most of us once learned to ski. Community Ski Areas examines the past, present and future of Canada’s community ski areas. Writer: Dave Fonda | Editor & Creative Director: Gordie Bowles
Just What the Doctor Ordered
In 1892, when Dr. George Austin Bowen opened his practice in Magog he was immediately overwhelmed by the area’s stunning natural beauty. Being a civic-minded soul, he served as a municipal councillor. Twice. Inspired by U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt’s national parks initiative, the good doctor wondered: ‘Why can’t we do the same thing here?’ In the 1920s, he resolved to have the land surrounding Mount Orford declared a national park. Bowen reasoned that the new designation would help to conserve nature, provide year-round recreation and ensure the economic development and prosperity of Magog and, by extension, Quebec’s Eastern Townships.
Left: Dr. George Austin Bowen, medical doctor and municipal councillor. Right: Dr. George Austin Bowen, back row left, with family in an undated family portrait. Images courtesy of the Magog Historical Society.
The Best of Plans, The Worst of Times
In 1938, as the clouds of war began gathering over Europe, the Quebec government bowed to the Doctor’s good judgement and officially opened Mont Orford Provincial Park. The original plans included a golf course, tennis courts, skiing and nature conservation. The following year, students in the provincial forestry program began surveying Orford’s three peaks for likely ski trails. In 1940, the legendary Herman ‘Jackrabbit’ Johanssen was invited to assess their handiwork and, if necessary, design new trails. That same year, the Club de Ski du Mont Orford was formed and Mr. A. W. Ling was named its president. By December, work crews began cutting and clearing the ski trails.
Skiing During Wartime
Despite wartime shortages of supplies, workers and tools, Mont Orford opened on February 5, 1941. Since there was no access road in place, skiers had to hike in from Route 112 and then ski up in their heavy, itchy woollens, low-cut leather boots and 210+ centimetre-long, wooden skis. That everyone survived opening day intact is a testament to their desire, strength and overall physical conditioning.
By 1943, the club had scrounged enough scraps together to build a rudimentary chalet with a fully functioning restaurant. Thus inspired, some skiers began packing violins and accordions to provide a lively dose of après-ski entertainment until everyone trekked back home before sunset.
By the 1950s, Mont Orford was THE place to ski in the Quebec’s Eastern Townships. Image courtesy of the Magog Historical Society.
Skiing’s Post-war Boom
Mont Orford’s closing in 1949 was the proverbial calm before the coming maelstrom of activity. In 1952, Paul Légaré was named club president. In short order, he oversaw the installation of a chairlift and a T-bar on adjoining Mont Giroux. Next, he reinstituted the legendary La Classique open slalom race. And then he opened la 4km, a gentle, meandering run down from the top of Mont Orford’s lofty peak. Meanwhile Mme Arlène Whittier organized the Mont Orford Ski Patrol and the hill acquired a Bombardier Muskeg to groom the snow and ferry skiers up to the summit.
In 1960, Légaré hired the Austrian ski racing legend Christian Pravda to run Mont Orford’s nascent ski school. Then on January 22, 1961 Mont Orford opened the longest chairlift in Canada. It ran from the base area—5,500 feet—up to the summit. The chalet was then expanded to accommodate up to 1,250 guests and a new chair was erected on Mont Alfred-Desrochers next door.
Mont Orford Hosts the World Cup
In 1967, the world’s best men and women ski racers tackled Orford’s legendary les Trois Ruisseaux run in hopes of winning the prestigious duMaurier Cup. The legendary Canadian skier Nancy Greene won the women’s World Cup trophy. Over the next few decades, Mont Orford would open its slopes to the world’s best ski racers and freestyle skiers. In 1994, after finally lifting its snowboarding ban, the hill hosted a three-day snowboard competition with slalom, GS and halfpipe events. Three years later, the Quebec Air Force dropped in and staged a nighttime aerial display for the ages. The legendary freestyle group included three local lads: Lloyd Langlois and brothers Nicolas and David Fontaine. In total, five Canadian national ski team members have hailed from Mont Orford (Micah Fontaine and Jean-Marc Rozon are the other two).
Jean-Marc Rozon (left), Lloyd Langlois and Nicolas Fontaine. Photo courtesy La Tribune Numérique.
A History of Innovation
Equally remarkable is Orford’s penchant for introducing game-changing innovations. The hill’s judicious embrace of snowmaking earned it the prestigious Flocon d’Or award for producing the best snow cover in the province. To groom all that white stuff, club members Claude Langlois and Charles Leblanc worked closely with M. Joseph-Armand Bombardier to replace the hill’s trusty Muskeg all-track and all its assorted rollers, attachments and inserts with Bombardier’s very first dedicated snow-grooming machine. Which, not surprisingly, also made its global debut here.
In addition to opening Canada’s longest chairlift in 1961, Orford inaugurated the nation’s very first “chondola” in 2003. The chairlift/gondola hybrid meant that disabled visitors could finally access the 850-metre summit and enjoy the slopes or the views.
A True Community Ski Area, at Last!
Though Mont Orford ‘officially’ started out as a provincial park, both the hill and base area have been managed and run by a succession of private owners. The last was M. André l’Espérance, who installed the innovative chondola as well as the Yurts that grace Orford’s summit. His ultimate dream was to transform the base area into a year-round, self-sustaining village with shops, restaurants, boutiques and condos.
When alarmed environmentalists and local businesses effectively killed his project, the provincial government moved to privatize the hill and base area. Four days before foreclosing the ski area and selling everything off, piecemeal, the Municipal Regional Council (MRC) of Memphremagog stepped in. Seven local municipalities united to form a not-for-profit organization called the Mont-Orford Ski and Golf Corporation. Initially, a mayor from seven of those municipalities sat on the governing board.
The good doctor would be pleased. Plus ça change, the more things remain the same.
Today, professionals and industry leaders who reside in the Municipal Regional Council sit on the board which is responsible for ensuring Mont Orford’s future growth and prosperity, conserving nature and providing year-round recreation. Photo courtesy of Mont-Orford Resort.