1944-1945 Year Book - the Gatineau Valley Historical Society

Ottawa Ski Club Year Book 1944-45 . 29
Your President and my old
ski friend "Mort", invites me to
write something about our Laurel).tians
that might be useful or
instructive to those of you visiting
our lovely ski country. It
starts at the little town of Shawbridge,
the foothills of the
mountains, 42 miles north of
Montreal on the C.P.R. and
C.N.R. and extends some 40
miles no'rth-west to Mont Tremblant.
Its eastern boundary is a
line bisecting Lac Masson and
its western boundary a line
through Morin Heights to Lac
Tremblant, and its approximate
-The Laurentiansby
H. P. Douglas
total area of 600 square miles.
And when you look at it on the
map, you are struck by the
smallness of the terrain, in fact
it is now becoming so crowded
in the skiing season that our
principal concern is how, after
the war, we are going to take
care of the increasing throngs
of enthusiasts. The Laurentian
Division of the C.P.R. is a single
track line, sharply twisting
through the valleys, with
grades so stiff that only light
equipment can be used, and the
year before the war it had just
about reached its capacity. We
are hoping that the line will be
double tracked, regraded and
straightened out and if this is
done the service will be much
improved. The North Road ha:;
been rebuilt, and we will have
by next winter a modern highway
from the city right through
to· Tremblant; with normal motor
and bus service in operation,
this will be a popular travel
route to the ski country.
I used to ·pride myself that I
knew every resort in the Laurentians,
but even with a war
. on, new places are opening up
so fast it is quite impossible to
keep track of them, and you
now find ski tows everywhere, .
and countless little inns giving
excellent accommodation. Prices
have gone up sharply, and it is
no longer possible to expect a
'five spot' will see you tlirough
over the week-end as it did in
the good old days. However, we
might look over some of our best
known resorts, starting at Tremblant
which has become the lead-