The year 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the first plastic ski boot invented in the United States. This boot was developed by Lange Canada, under the supervision of David Jacobs in Saint-Jérôme in the Laurentians. Lange Canada
Builder, Theo Harb has been involved at every level in the Canadian alpine ski community, both for ski center management and for mechanization of ski lifts. Today, his passion for skiing and the mountains is still present even as he approaches his 97th birthday. Theo Harb
Athlete (Freestyle skiing/Slopestyle). This Laurentian athlete was one of the first freestyle skiers along with Vincent Dorion, J.P. Auclair and Jean-Francois Cusson to break from traditional freestyle and form a new branch which allowed freedom to develop more exciting new tricks and jumps. Free skiing (Slopestyle) was introduced to the Olympics in Sotchi in 2014. […]
Builder, alpine skiing. This jack-of-all-trades is credited with inventing and building one of the first ever ski lifts, the ropetow. This invention was a turning point for skiing and the eventual development of ski resorts. No longer did skiers need to climb back up to the top of the hill, the ropetow allowed them to […]
Builder, alpine skiing. Ghislain made a name for himself as a pioneer lift builder and installer from the late 30s through the early 60s. He ran Mont-Gabriel in Sainte-Adele and developed and ran Mont-Olympia in Piedmont. He was also an important collaborator to Doppelmayr ski lifts in Eastern Canada. Ghislain de Bassecourt*
Ski instructor, builder, alpine skiing. A career policeman, Gilles’ heart was really on skiing and ski teaching which he was exposed to in his teens at Sun Valley ski area North of Sainte-Adele in 1962. All in all, he will have taught skiing for more than 55 years, 40 of which at Mont Saint-Sauveur now […]
Ski instructor and passionate skier who has greatly contributed to the promotion of his sport through ski area management, ski school direction, organization of ski trips and through a long career of ski teaching in Morin-Heights. In 2016, he became at 84 the oldest active ski instructor in Canada. Ross Cole*
Instructor and builder, alpine skiing. Eddy, a level 4 of the Canadian Ski Instructor’s Alliance (CSIA) spent the major part of his 23 years teaching at Gray Rocks where he became the Snow Eagle Ski School director for 7 years, from 1981 to 1988. In those days, the ski school played an important part in […]
Gerard and his father Max were the builders and operators of one of the Laurentians most popular alpine resorts in the 1960s and 70s, Sun Valley in Sainte-Adele. Over the years the resort became well known for its gastronomy as well as for the vivacity of its bar during after-ski hours. It was simply “the […]
This Canadian born ski journalist began his skiing career as ski instructor in the Laurentians, at the famous Snow Eagle Ski School at Gray Rocks. In the early 50s he immigrated to the US where he taught at Squaw Valley under Emile Allais. Doug has had several careers sequentially as well as concurrently. For over […]