Mont-Tremblant: the back story

About Mont-Tremblant: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Ski Resorts Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Mont Tremblant was remote Laurentian wilderness until Joe Ryan of Philadelphia climbed it on skins in 1937 and resolved to make it easier to reach. He bought land, struck a demanding deal with the Quebec government, and by 1939 the first chairlift was running; today Tremblant is the largest and most varied ski area in Eastern North America.

A climb in 1937

Joe Ryan, heir to a wealthy Philadelphia family, had explored the rivers and forests of eastern Canada since his youth. The broadcaster Lowell Thomas introduced him to Mont Tremblant, and in 1937 the two climbed it on skis with skins. At the summit, the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame records, an exhausted Ryan declared it the most beautiful sight in the world, with only one thing wrong: it was too hard to get up. He decided to fix that.

A deal with Quebec

Ryan bought about 700 acres of freehold land, but the mountain belonged to the province of Quebec, which was reluctant to sell. He persuaded officials that a resort would bring work and prosperity, and accepted strict terms: a good-faith deposit, land purchases, spending in the provincial park and at least $500,000 of investment, all within two years.

“This has to be the most beautiful sight in the world.”

Chairlifts and a village

The deadline drove a frenzy of building: about 20 buildings for a new village in a rural French-provincial style, trails, mountain rest houses, roads to the highway, and chairlifts and T-bars for around 20 runs. Tremblant dates its first chairlift to 1939, and Ryan’s ski school, staffed by top instructors, drew thousands of learners.

Tremblant today

Now part of Alterra Mountain Company, Tremblant rises to 875 metres, with 103 trails on four sides over 309 hectares (763 acres), a 645-metre vertical on the South Side, the 6 km Nansen as its longest trail and more than 1,280 snow guns. A colourful pedestrian village sits at the foot of the gondola, and a major expansion at Versant Soleil, Timber Summit, is planned for the 2027/28 winter.

Our advice: buy two- to seven-day tickets online before 26 November 2026, when they start at CAD 109 a day, and dress warmly: the Laurentians can be cold in January, so the gondola is your friend.

Tremblant through the years

From the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame (skimuseum.ca) and Tremblant (tremblant.ca), read October 2026.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Mont-Tremblant: the back story before you go.