The last two Mondays we featured two lost Quebec ski areas from the Eastern Townships. This week we decided to head North into the heartland of Canadian skiing. Mont Christie was only one of many small family own and local ski areas in the Laurentians. Located 40 minutes from Montreal in Christieville between St-Sauveur and Morin Heights, the ski area had modest statistics with 12 ski runs, 3 T-bars on a 560ft (171 meters) vertical hill.
As skiing was becoming increasingly popular, a rope tow was installed on the slope in 1945. Soon after the Elder family took over the operations. The ski area was up to five T-bars in 1963 and had a new type of lift in 1967 called a Snow-Tram.
source: Laurentian Ski Museum
This was essentially a sled pulled by a cable powered by a diesel motor and equipped with a speed control, brake and steering mechanism. The unusual lift could carry 12 people up the hill at a time and operated until 1970.
Mont Christie had to compete with many ski areas in St-Sauveur and immediate vicinity; ski areas like Bellevue, La Marquise, Morin Heights, Mont Habitant, Mont Olympia, Mont Gabriel, Mont Avalanche and Mont St-Sauveur. Mont Christie is being developed into a residential area, the ski operated ceased in the early 1990s. Bellevue and La Marquise are also part of the long list of lost Laurentians ski areas.
This week brochure is from circa 1979-80. Adults lift ticket were $8 and a family season pass was $275 and $70 for each additional junior. Their was a sealing price for family at $500. A friend of mine in Grade School back in the 1970s was a regular at Mont Christie; maximum price for a family might have been one reason. William was part of a big Montreal Irish family that had 13 kids.
One of many elements that were geared to families like comfortable box lunch facilities, beginners slopes with own lift and family ski chalets to rent. Mont Christie was slogan seemed appropriate: Where Skiing Families Rendez-Vous.
Sources:
Laurentian Heritage: DOWNHILL SKIING IN THE LAURENTIANS, PART 2: MOVING NORTH by Sandra Stock
Laurentian Ski Museum: History of skiing in the Laurentians – Mont Christie
Mont Christie was were i learned to ski when I was 6 years old. Now 31, sorry to see it closed down 😦
Many Laurentians ski areas have closed in the last 20-30 years. Gray Rocks, Mont Alouette, Mont Ste-Agathe, Côte 40-80, Sun Valley, Mont Sauvage, Cochand/Auberge Yvan Coutu et plusieurs autres.
It’s also where i learned to ski, I’m 15 now and it is now being developed for houses 😦
J’y ai travailler 5 ou 6 saisons! autour des années 80. Quel bon temps!
Je me crois pas avoir déjà skié le Mont Christie. Dans mes premières années de ski, ma mère aimait se promener suivant d’un centre de ski à l’autre avec l’aide du livret de Ski-Ami, celui autrait été au début des années 70. Nous avons fait la majorité de notre ski à Tremblant à partir de 1973 comme ma mère venait d’y acheter un chalet dans son village natal.
I was a member in the 60’s and had many happy times skiing there all rope tows then . I try and go back evert 2 or 3 years and look around .What happy memories.
Bob Bryant
Thanks Bob,
I just noticed your comment. I’ve driven a few past it when I go to MSS from Ottawa. I vaguely remember the place as a kid; not sure if we ever skied there? They were so many local hills back in the early 1970s and they looked similar when I was that age.
Hay Bob it’s Jeff Campbell if I’m right about who you are you were ski patrol and it was me and some others that made a mess of the lunch trailer one night opps we was bad.
Mont Christie, just the other side of La Marquise, is where I started my first Nancy Green Ski Race, manual timing and flag waving to signal racers start! It was exactly 40 years ago… We are still quite a bunch of racing enthusiasts from La Marquise ski club that are still involved in ski racing.
Bruno Cipelletti
I believe that I raced in university with someone with the same or similar last name as yours; are you related to Hugo or Ugo?
I did raced university myself, in Québec. There are very few people with my name in North America, all are members of my close family, no Hugo among them…
Just curious, what year did you race and with which university? I raced from Winter 1985 to 1992 for UdeM.
I Raced for UQAM, from 1984 to 88 so yes, we crossed path. I was team captain last 2 years. We were coached by Michel Huot for a few years, then Mario Riel. I remember your team’s coach Jiri Richesky, was a good one.
That might be why your name is familiar? I noticed I wrote Winter 85, my first season was 1985-86. My 1st season was at the same time as Jiri – I lasted 7 seasons. I did the 1st race in 1987 as I broke my collarbone a few days later.
Jiri was a great coach and is still a great guy.
I started ski school at Christie when I was 3, I’m now 32. Me and my family have lots of found memories of the hill. When the ski-day was over, my parents would hang out in the bar upstairs whiles the kids would entertain ourselves outside. We would race sleds, build ski jumps, and have epic snowball fights. The hill had a very lax attitude towards these things. New jumps were always sprouting up around the hill. What a blast!
I have similar vague memories of ski week at Sun Valley near Val-Morin when I was fairly young. It was probably my first ski vacation memory I have.
I also learned to ski here, I thought of it immediately when wanting to bring my girlfriend out for her first time. What a shame it is now housing. Do any of you have any ideas for a small hill with a similar atmosphere to introduce a beginner?
They are a few places in the Laurentians that I can think of with a great laid back atmosphere and not overly commercialized : Vallée Bleue, Mont Avalanche and Belle Neige.
My family rented the green cottage on the right hand side of the T-bar, about half way up. We were there from 77-80, I think. We felt like we ran that place when I was 7-10. What memories, looking at that old trail map. Thanks for posting that.
Thanks for sharing those memories. Unfortunately there are that many hills left in the Laurentians where you still that small uncommercial hill where kids can feel like they run the place. Mont Avalanche in St-Adolphe d’Howard might be the closest thing to Mt. Christie close to Montreal.
WE have fond memories of the Elder Family and skiing at Mont Christie.
Easy access to the hill as we rented the houses on the hill for several years.
Lots of good times during the early sixties!
Lorna & Robin Walsh
the hill is only just now starting to develop…they are very large lots so no, it
will never be a condo ville…we are still enjoying Xcountry to La Marquise
etc…remember Mr. Chocolat or Bowser and Blue entertaining in the bar
or trailer….glad u all have such good memories..Connie Eldefr.
Skied, amongst other places,at Christieville in the late 1940’s and 1950’s staying at the YMCA Lodge. Mr.
McgGerrigle (Mr. Mac) as he was known, was in charge. A very kind but strict man. Some of you might remember him He also ran Camp Otoreke in Saint Adolphe de Howard, Que. What wonderful memories I have of both and of Mr. Mac and his wife who worked together to run both operations. “Those were the days my friend…”