Quebec — It doesn’t get a lot of press from the US ski media, but Quebec is home to a bustling ski industry. The province is home to EIGHTY-ONE ski areas. The question for Quebec’s ski industry is how to get more press and international visitors to places not named Mont Tremblant.
One way of doing that is through capital investments, and one Swiss businessman is trying to do just that. The leader of La Compagnie des montagnes de ski du Québec (known in English as Quebec Mountain Ski Company) is Swiss investor Christian Mars and Le Groupe Baelen from France.
In Quebec, the Quebec Mountain Ski Company currently owns two ski resorts: Mont Lac-Vert and Mont Grand-Fonds. Over at Mont Grant-Fonds, workers installed a high-speed six-pack chairlift there last year, leading to praise from the local community. Michel Couturier, the mayor of the municipality that Grand-Fond is situated in (La Malbaie), went as far as to call Mars “Santa Claus.”
Mont Edouard
Back in late July, Radio Canada reported that the Quebec Mountain Ski Company had been chosen as the operator of Mont Edouard. While the municipality of L’Anse-Saint-Jean will still own the ski resort, it will be operated by The Quebec Ski Mountain Company. Negotiations to finalize the deal are expected to take place in the months ahead.
Significant investments are planned at the ski resort, with $44.1 CAD million planned over a three-year timespan. First, there will be the construction of a chalet with 50 rooms by 2026, with 20 additional rooms planned for 2027. A new high-speed six-pack chairlift, enhancements to the snowmaking system, and an upgrade to Lift B are also planned.
While the locals had doubts about this pick due to an equally competitive bid from the Mont-Édouard Collective, which consisted of a group of local residents, it’s clear that the new group is aiming to invest.
Future Acquisitions
Even with all these investment plans, Mars is still eyeing more mountains.
In an interview with Le Journal de Quebec, Mars detailed his next targets. The first is Mont Adstock, which recently filed for bankruptcy. However, no developments have emerged since that August interview, so it’s unclear whether they’re still interested.
He is also interested in Mont-Sainte-Anne and Stoneham Mountain Resort, which are currently operated by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR). They’ve faced pushback over their operational issues, especially at Mont-Sainte-Anne. The group reportedly made an offer for the two ski resorts. While this offer was rejected, Mars says that his proposal to RCR still stands.
Reportedly, their plan is to create a season pass that offers access to various Quebec mountains. In the years ahead, I’m curious to see if Santa Claus can pull it off.
Image/Video Credits: Mont Edouard, Doppelmayr Group
Update 9/22: We previously referenced the Quebec Mountain Ski Company as being a subsidiary of E-Liberty Services, but we have received word that’s not the case. That has been corrected.
