Gray Rocks

Last updated
Gray Rocks
Location Mont-Tremblant, Quebec
Coordinates 46°9′30″N74°35′20″W / 46.15833°N 74.58889°W / 46.15833; -74.58889
Vertical189 m (620 ft)
Trails 22
Lift system (closed) 4 chairlifts (1 quad (removed), 3 double)
Lift capacity5300 skiers/hr
Terrain parks 1
Snowfall 420 cm (170 in) per year
Snowmaking 95%
Night skiing no

Gray Rocks was a year-round privately owned resort in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada, first developed as a ski destination on Sugarloaf Hill (French : Le Pain de Sucre). The ski hill had 22 downhill trails: four easy, ten intermediate, eight expert (of which two were "double diamond"). Also available was a snowboarding park and instruction from the Snow Eagle Ski School.

Contents

First opened in 1906, the hotel closed during the Great Recession of 2009; 70 percent of the main building was destroyed by a suspicious fire on the evening of 25 November 2014. [1]

History

Gray Rocks was established in 1905 by George Wheeler, originally of New Hampshire. His granddaughter, Lucille Wheeler, won the bronze medal for alpine skiing at the 1956 Winter Olympics.[ citation needed ]

In 1948, Réal Charette, a former World War II winter warfare instructor, became the first Canadian to be appointed a director of a ski school in Canada, [2] the Snow Eagle Ski School at Gray Rocks.

In warmer seasons, activities included golf with two courses, as well as boating on adjoining Lac Ouimet, swimming (in pool or lake), tennis, horseback riding, bicycling, and hiking. The resort facilities included a 105-room hotel, 56 condominium units, French cuisine restaurant, and spa.[ citation needed ]

At the end of March 2009, Gray Rocks was closed as both a hotel and ski resort. Of the two golf courses, La Belle closed in 2020 after 100 years in operation; the second, La Bête, was taken over by Clublink. [3] Several owners of the condos previously associated with Gray Rocks created a vacation home rental operation, Lac Ouimet Rentals, that now operates under the name Village des Soleils. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portes du Soleil</span> Skisports destination in the Alps

Les Portes du Soleil is a major skisports destination in the Alps, encompassing thirteen resorts between Mont Blanc in France and Lake Geneva in Switzerland. With more than 650 km of marked pistes and about 200 lifts in total, spread over 14 valleys and about 1,036 square kilometres (400 sq mi), Portes du Soleil ranks among the two largest ski areas in the world. Almost all of the pistes are connected by lifts – a few marginal towns can be reached only by the free bus services in the area. The highest elevation accessible on skis is 2260 m and the lowest is 930 m. As with many other Alpine ski resorts, the lower slopes of the Portes du Soleil have snow-making facilities to extend the ski season by keeping the lower slopes open during the warmer months.

Lucile Wheeler is a former alpine ski racer from Canada. She was a double world champion in 1958, the first North American to win a world title in the downhill event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mont Tremblant Resort</span> Year-round resort in Québec, Canada

Mont Tremblant Ski Resort is a year-round resort in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada, located about 130 km (80 mi) northwest of Montreal. It is best known as a ski destination, but also features Lake Tremblant suitable for swimming and two golf courses in the summer months. The name of the mountain, Mont Tremblant, was derived from the Algonquin indigenous people, who called it the "trembling mountain." The summit is at an elevation of 875 m (2,871 ft), which makes it one of the tallest peaks in the Laurentians. One km north of the principal down hill area is the Edge, an area of glade skiing and 2.8 km (1.7 mi) north of that is the true summit, Pic Johanssen, which has a trail over the top and is Black Diamond for skiers and boarders. The resort is owned by Alterra Mountain Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec</span> City in Quebec, Canada

Sainte-Thérèse is an off-island suburb northwest of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Thérèse-De Blainville Regional County Municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain Creek</span> Ski area in New Jersey, United States

Mountain Creek is a ski resort in Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located on New Jersey Route 94 in the New York Metropolitan Area, 47 miles (76 km) from the George Washington Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tignes</span> Commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France, known for the highest skiable area and the longest ski season in Europe. It is located in the Savoie region with good transport links in and out of Lyon, Geneva and Chambéry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flaine</span>

Flaine is a ski area in the Haute Savoie region of the French Alps, and is a part of the linked Grand Massif domain. It is in the territory of the communes of Magland and Arâches-la-Frasse. Flaine is linked to Samoëns, Morillon, Les Carroz and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with 267 km of pistes in total. It featured the first 8-seater high speed chairlift, Les Grands Vans, and the first snow cannons to be installed in Europe. Flaine is often called the "big snowy bowl" due to it having one of the best snow records in the Alps. It is a modern, car-free resort with a wealth of amenities, all in close proximity to the accommodation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mont-Tremblant</span> City in Quebec, Canada

Mont-Tremblant is a city in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada, approximately 130 kilometres (81 mi) northwest of Montreal and 140 kilometres (87 mi) northeast of Ottawa, Ontario. The current municipality with city status was formed in 2000. Mont-Tremblant is most famous for its ski resort, the Mont-Tremblant Ski Resort, which is seven kilometres from the village proper, at the foot of a mountain called Mont Tremblant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Mountain (ski resort)</span> Alpine ski resort in Ontario, Canada

Blue Mountain is an alpine ski resort in Ontario, Canada, 10 km west of Collingwood. It is situated on a section of the Niagara Escarpment about 1 km (0.6 mi.) from Nottawasaga Bay, and is a major destination for skiers from southern Ontario. The local area forms the newly incorporated town of The Blue Mountains, Ontario. On average, Blue Mountain sells more than 750,000 lift tickets per year, making it the third-busiest ski resort in Canada, after Whistler-Blackcomb in British Columbia and Mont Tremblant in Quebec. It is one of the largest resorts in Ontario and has been extensively built out, featuring 42 runs, 16 chairlifts and three freestyle terrains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Château Montebello</span> Building in Canada, JOV

The Fairmont Le Château Montebello, formerly and commonly known as the Château Montebello, is a historic hotel and resort complex in Montebello, Quebec, Canada. The resort complex includes a large game reserve and a large wooden structure. The wooden hotel structure was developed by Victor Nymark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint-Donat, Lanaudière, Quebec</span> Municipality in Quebec, Canada

Saint-Donat is a township municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec, part of the Regional County Municipality of Matawinie, within the larger administrative region of Lanaudière. The main town within the township is also identified as Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm to distinguish it from a parish municipality with the same name in La Mitis RCM. It is located approximately 135 kilometres (84 mi) northwest of Montreal. The town is surrounded by mountains and numerous water basins of the Laurentian Mountains. The nearest natural landmark is the Mont-Tremblant National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Le Massif</span>

Le Massif de Charlevoix, known as just Le Massif, is a ski area in Quebec, Canada, northeast of Quebec City and directly overlooking the St. Lawrence River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avoriaz</span> French mountain resort in Haute-Savoie

Avoriaz is a French mountain resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil. It is located in the territory of the commune of Morzine. It is easily accessible from either Thonon at Lake Geneva or Cluses station on the A40 motorway between Geneva and Chamonix. Either way one follows the D902, Route des Grandes Alpes, to Morzine and then the D338 running from Morzine to Avoriaz. Snow chains are often necessary. Avoriaz is built on a shelf high above the town of Morzine, which is among the pioneering towns of skiing with its first lifts dating back to the early 1930s. Today Avoriaz is one of the major French ski destinations catering for all standards of skiing and ranks among the top snowboarding destinations of the world. Apart from snow-based pursuits, Avoriaz is also a centre for trekking, golf, VTT and other outdoor activities during the summer. Cars are forbidden in Avoriaz. The resort is designed to be fully skiable. Other transport around the resort includes horse-drawn sleighs and snowcats during winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty Mountain Resort</span> Ski area in Pennsylvania, United States

Liberty Mountain Resort is a resort located in southern Pennsylvania. During the winter months the resort offers skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing. The onsite hotel and lodge is open year-round and offers 114 rooms and multiple options for weddings and meetings. During the spring, summer, and fall the 18 hole Carroll Valley Golf Course at Liberty Mountain is open for a round of golf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montgenèvre</span> Commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur, France

Montgenèvre is a commune on the Italian border in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Crosets</span>

Les Crosets is a village and ski resort in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is part of the Val-d'Illiez municipality, and Portes du Soleil ski area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holiday Valley (ski resort)</span> Family-oriented vacation spot and ski resort in Ellicottville, New York

Holiday Valley Resort, known more commonly as just Holiday Valley, is a family-oriented vacation spot and ski resort in Ellicottville, New York. Established in 1957 by Nelson Pauly, John Fisher and Bill Northrup, the facility opened with four runs and one T-bar lift. Currently the resort contains 60 slopes and 13 lifts. Since its opening Holiday Valley has experienced steady growth and has become the main tourist attraction in Cattaraugus County. In 1995 the Inn at Holiday Valley opened, turning the slope into a self-contained ski resort.

The Groupe Plein Air Terrebonne (GPAT) is a not for profit ski resort based in Terrebonne, Quebec. It is accredited by the Quebec Association of Ski Resorts and has received numerous awards recognizing the quality of its facilities and snow school. Apart from being a ski resort, the organization also holds summer and winter day camps and organizes mountain biking competitions. A secondary site near the Rivière des Mille Îles allows rental of aquatic equipment for activities such as kayaking, canoeing, Rabaska, and stand up paddleboarding. Part of their mission is to promote health and physical activity within the community by organizing activities on its various sites in Terrebonne, Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchesnay tourist resort</span> Building in Quebec, Canada

The Station touristique Duchesnay, formerly known as the “Sanctuaire de Duchesnay”, is a resort park located on the edge of Saint-Joseph Lake, in the La Jacques-Cartier Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in Quebec (Canada). The territory of this station extends over several municipalities: Lac-Saint-Joseph, Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, Lac-Sergent and Saint-Raymond (north). Duchesnay is operated by Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (SÉPAQ).

References

  1. "Gray Rocks Inn ravaged by fire". CBC News. November 26, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  2. Réal Charette bio at Skimuseum.ca
  3. "La Bête de Mont Tremblant" . Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  4. "Village des Soleils" . Retrieved June 26, 2022.