Mont Orford
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Mount Orford (French: Mont Orford) is a ski resort in the Eastern Townships region of the Canadian province of Quebec, Canada. It is a few minutes away from the town of Magog and one hour from Montreal.
The ski resort consists of three summits: Mont Giroux, Mont Orford and Mont Alfred Desrochers, and four sides. It is the home mountain of Olympic medalist Nicolas Fontaine, and there is a glade named in his honour. The main summit, Orford, is served by a $6.5 million "Hybrid Chairlift" or Telemix. This means that on one single cable, instead of only gondolas or only chairs, there are both 8-person gondolas and 6-person chairs. This system is rather common in Europe, but it was the first of its kind in North America.
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[edit] Mountain details
| Summit Elevation | 850 m (2800 feet) |
|---|---|
| Vertical Drop | 540 m (1772 feet) |
| Skiable acres | 246 |
| Number of trails | 56 |
| Longest Trail | 4 km |
| Nearest Town/City | Magog, Quebec |
| Average Season | November through April |
[edit] Facilities
- Unique in the province Triple yurt summit lodge
- Bas lodge with bar, cafeteria and rooftop terraces
- Summit Snack-Bar
- Telemix
- Natural Snow-only peak
- Ski shop
[edit] Proposed Condo Development project
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The ski resort is located in the Mont Orford national park. Mount Orford Inc rents the ski resort from the Quebec provincial government for a nominal sum of $1,000/month. For many years, the ski center has struggled financially (the owners have provided documents that it has lost an average of 1.2 million dollars per year for the last five years) and the construction of 1000 condominiums at the base of the mountain is seen by the owners as the only way to not only support the resort, but also the whole region which as been largely affected by the closures of many factories in nearby Magog. Since the resort is located in a national park, it is impossible to build condominiums on it. Therefore, the provincial government is proposed to sell off a small part of the park where the golf and mountain is located to private investors. The money the government would make with the sale of the land would be used to purchase additional land which would result in the park doubling its initial area while selling only a fraction of it. Some of this new land has been logged and is of lesser value as parkland but others argue that not only does this land have a better ecological value than the current golf and ski hill.
The development project has some support from local politicians and business people, but a vocal opposition has emerged led by local residents, environmentalists, outdoor enthusiasts and citizens concerned about the loss of existing parkland. It has been noted in the media that the promoters of the condos may have links to the Quebec Liberal party and include former Liberal cabinet minister Paul Gobeil. Others are concerned about the lack of openness in the process and that the provincial government is setting a bad precedent by selling parkland (part of it donated by local citizens) for commercial and residential development purposes.
