Slopes Park 40/80

The name '40/80 slopes' harks back to a time when this site featured ski slopes that attracted several hundred people each week. The slopes have returned to their natural state and now offer mountain biking in a beautiful, lush environment.

Ski jumping was a very popular sport in the 1920s. Quickly growing tired of the slopes of Montreal, skiers flocked to the Laurentians by taking the P'tit train du Nord, which began service in 1927.

In Sainte-Adèle, a ski jump was installed in 1928 on the highest part of Côte 80. Similar installations were made on Mount Baldy and on Côte à Rochon. Barely taller than three apples, young Théophile Huot (1917-2012), Viateur Cousineau (1916-1981), and their friends were thrilled by the feats of the skiers racing down the slope. They would themselves become prominent figures in skiing in Canada and beyond.

Photo: Ski jumping on Côte à Rochon, 1928. Painting by Théophile Huot. Normand Huot Collection.

Photo: Ski jumping on the coast at Rochon, 1928. Normand Huot Collection.

Irene Maud Hutchings and Thomas G. Potter purchase the site of the Maison Blanche and develop the Ste-Adèle Lodge there. They invest over $250,000 in 1940 to clear and expand the highest mountain, known as the 80 slope. The smaller slope is called the 40. To promote skiing, the activity is free during the week for the villagers.

In 1943, three more ski lifts are added. The site is sold. In 1957, the site is sold again. The new owners invest in improving the slopes, leveling the terrain, and installing a new T-bar. 

Following the withdrawal of the hotels, the town of Sainte-Adèle continues to operate the ski slopes. The municipality acquires the site to prevent it from falling into the hands of real estate investors.

Photo: First ski lift on slopes 40-80.
Collection: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. Magella Bureau

Ski schools are available, initially led by Europeans and later by locals. Children from nearby schools have the opportunity to ski every week during school hours. Almost all the children of Sainte-Adèle learned to ski on the 40/80 slopes.

Photo: Ski scene at the 40-80 slopes. Collection of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. Magella Bureau.