Michel (Mike) Dehouck

For almost 70-years from 1921 to 1976, Mike Dehouck’s contribution to Canadian skiing in general and skiing in the Quebec City region in particular was outstanding. Born in 1884, he arrived in Canada from France in 1910. Two years later he took up skiing cross-country on the Plains of Abraham and in 1920 founded the Club de Ski Orleans, becoming its first president.

He is best remembered, however, for his involvement in interscholastic skiing and the organization of weekly Nordic and Alpine events which began in about 1932 and held at Lac Beauport. So successful were his training methods that five of his students represented Canada in the 1948 Olympic Games in St Moritz, Switzerland, 1952 Oslo, Norway, and 1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

In 1958, he founded an interscholastic meet for girls funded by the Quebec government with a grant for transportation to and from Lac Beauport. In 1967, his ski club was dissolved and the interscholastic program suspended. This situation was reversed in 1968 when, at the age of 84 years, he was persuaded to re-start the program.

Earlier, in 1937, with the assistance of Herman (Jackrabbit) Smith-Johannsen, and $1,000 to purchase the land, Dehouck opened a ski area on Murphy Mountain (St-Castin, Quebec). He pioneered the opening of yet another ski area in Quebec in 1943, which was to evolve as one of Canada’s most outstanding resorts, Mont-Ste Anne. Five skiers including Dehouck borrowed $700 from a bank to pay for local farmers to clear the first trails. In 1946, the fledgling resort held its first race which was a great success.

Please Note: The ski information gathered here is compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments.
Copyright © 2021, Canadian Ski Museum. For Personal/Educational use only. All Rights Reserved.