Mont Tremblant Canada
Client
Year
1991Services Rendered
Ecosign's vision and Master Plan for Mont Tremblant proposed innovative designs that incorporated high-speed lift and a unique cabriolet lift, doubling the lift capacity while preserving the mountain’s natural beauty and enhancing skier experiences.
Ecosign was hired by Mont Tremblant prior to Intrawest purchasing the area in 1991. After a preliminary review, Ecosign concurred with the Intrawest decision to purchase the area and immediately set about preparing plans for the complete overhaul and renovation of the Mont Tremblant Resort.
The challenges at Mont Tremblant included: a lift staging area that was located too high above the village elevation; a poor connection between the parking and the lift staging area; old lifts; an outdated snowmaking plant; narrow, straight ski trails; and a general lack of skier service facilities such as rentals, retail, and food and beverage outlets. Innovative design solutions included: changing most lifts to high-speed, detachable grip lifts; installing top to bottom lifts on both sides of the mountain (including a heated gondola on the west side of the area); beginner and children areas; and the first cabriolet lift in North America, carrying skiers from the parking lots to the skier staging area.
Ecosign was largely responsible for discovering and recognizing the potential of the South Bowl area, including the development of the Versant Soleil (Sun Face), bringing a new perspective and dimension to skiing to the resort.
In the mid-1990s, Ecosign prepared the overall Resort Area Master Plan for Station Mont Tremblant. We worked in conjunction with Eldon Beck and Associates, who were responsible for designing a new resort village and outlying real estate developments. During the detailed design process, we had to address that the three major lifts at the upper level of the village was 11 metres above the logical top of the new village. Ecosign provided the opinion that we either had to bring the entire new village up to the same level as the three existing lifts, or we had to drop the lower terminals of the three lifts. Unfortunately, the ground in question was solid Canadian Shield Granite rock. In the end, Intrawest concurred to lower the three lifts at a cost of $650,000. When completed, the new lifts were perfectly on grade with the new upper village plaza (Plaza St. Bernhard) and the new Cabriolet lift.
Mont Tremblant president, Patrice Malo, credits Ecosign for turning the resort into a success story: “Ecosign is the company that really made it happen in terms of vision and how this mountain was put to the next level, and we became the number one ski resort in the East for 16 consecutive years. Ecosign doubled the number of lifts from seven to 14, without cutting many trees and jeopardizing the environment and feel of the mountain.”
In 2017, Intrawest was purchased by Alterra, which in turn now owns Mont Tremblant. Ecosign continues to work closely with Tremblant on Lift and trail design.
Mont Tremblant is located 130km northwest of Montreal, Canada in the Laurentian Mountains. It is the largest and most varied skiable terrain in Eastern North America.
