Erik Guay was 12 when he watched Alberto Tomba win the World Cup at Stoneham on December 5, 1993.
Updated yesterday at 5:14 p.m.
Since then, the best skiers in the world have never again set down their boards on Quebec snow for a Cirque blanc competition.
That will change when Mont-Tremblant hosts two Women’s Alpine Skiing World Cup races on December 2 and 3, 2023, almost 30 years to the day after the success of La Bomba in Quebec.
Guay had cherished that dream since retiring in 2018. At the time, the former world champion met with leaders from Mont-Tremblant, his alma mater, and the International Ski Federation (FIS), but the fruit was not unripe.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Erik Guay
Now a director of Alpine Canada (ACA), he accompanied ACA’s President and CEO, Therese Brisson, to the technical meetings of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) which took place earlier this month in Zürich.
The pair have received confirmation that the FIS, now chaired by Johan Eliasch after a 23-year reign of the late Gian-Franco Kasper, are committed to putting Mont-Tremblant on their long-term World Cup calendar for three years from December 2023. This support is conditional on improving the track where the races will be held and holding a test event next winter.
In other words, the case is in the pocket for ACA and Mont-Tremblant, who have concluded a memorandum of understanding for the organization of the competition.
Guay was careful to give full credit to his CEO and the station. “Therese took the ball and she ran away with it,” said the 41-year-old Quebecer on Tuesday noon, a few minutes after the announcement. “We needed someone to work hand in hand with the FIS. »
The ex-skier thanked Patrice Malo, president and chief operating officer of Station Mont-Tremblant, for the speed with which he reacted with his team.
“For my part, it makes me dream, underlined Guay in videoconference. We already have champions in the region, but to be able to see Valérie Grenier compete at home next year, I find it exciting. I can’t wait to see how it will fuel our athletes. »
Grenier, who also learned to ski in Mont-Tremblant, was obviously thrilled at the idea of being able to perform in front of her family during two giant slaloms, her specialty. Incredulous when she heard the first rumors, she “flipped” when Brisson confirmed the news to her a few days ago.
“I can’t believe it yet! “, rejoiced the Franco-Ontarian, joined by telephone in Italy, where she is preparing for the first World Cup of the season, in Sölden, Austria, on Saturday.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Valerie Grenier
“I feel so lucky. It comes at a perfect time. Things are going very well at the moment in giant slalom. There, we will have two at Tremblant. The fact that it’s like my mountain to me, it really warms my heart. I’ve always dreamed a bit of that when I saw the Europeans having races at home. It looked so sick! I am extremely happy to know that I will have the chance to experience this. »
Long winded
Brisson worked on this project for 18 months. “We’re doing this to grow the sport and our fan base,” said the CEO before adding, “We have a fantastic women’s technical team. We are therefore very happy to host technical events in the East at Tremblant. The region has many supporters as well as committed volunteers and a community of ski racing enthusiasts. It was very important for us. »
The presentation of two giant slaloms on December 2 and 3 will logically fit into the World Cup calendar, a week after the giant slalom and the slalom scheduled in Killington. The Vermont resort has hosted a round since 2016, which represented the circuit’s return to northeastern North America after a 23-year absence.
“There are a lot more skiers in the East than in the West,” noted Guay in support of ACA’s interest in organizing a major activity in this part of the country.
We are inspired a bit by Tennis Canada with the National Bank Open in Montreal and Toronto.
Erik Guay
If all goes as planned, the Mont-Tremblant World Cup will therefore be the first presented in Quebec since that of Stoneham in December 1993. The last women’s event took place in Bromont in March 1986, a giant slalom won by the Slovenian Mateja Svet the day after a men’s slalom.
Mont-Tremblant was the scene of only one Alpine Skiing World Cup, in March 1983. Canadian Laurie Graham then scored the first downhill victory of her career.
Erik Guay thinks that the event will “make young people dream”. “A young person who comes from Saint-Sauveur, the World Cup is a long way off. It happens in Lake Louise, but especially in Europe. They follow Mikaela Shiffrin and the others, but it’s like people who do their sport somewhere else. By bringing it to the Laurentians, young people will be able to see champions like Valérie Grenier, Shiffrin, Petra Vlhová, and compete on the same track. The dream will seem less far away. »
The giants will be held on the Flying Mile track with a finish in the heart of the pedestrian village. The configuration of the slope did not allow the organization of a slalom event without incurring significant costs for moving the finish area, said Malo, from Mont-Tremblant Station.
The station has already undertaken widening works to meet FIS safety standards. The snowmaking system, whose capacity has recently doubled, will also be redone from bottom to top on the Flying Mile, which will limit the risks attributable to the uncertain weather at this time of year.
“We are probably talking about an investment under half a million dollars to be able to meet these standards. [de la FIS] “, said President Patrice Malo.
The expansion of the track will also serve the local competition club, which will be able to hold training much more easily. “We can install two giants in width without putting up fences and easily four slalom courses,” said Erik Guay, who now acts as a coach.
Alpine Canada and Tremblant will be able to measure the progress made in a men’s test competition on the Nor-Am development circuit, from February 27 to March 2.
“I look forward to my next site visit to see the progress of the work and the preparations for the test event,” FIS Women’s World Cup Racing Director Peter Gerdol said in a statement.
What about Lake Louise?
The announcement of a World Cup in Mont-Tremblant at the start of December 2023 has highlighted the fragility of the Speed World Cup, which has been contested in Lake Louise since 1989 in the same portion of the calendar.
“It is not yet determined what the women’s sprint calendar in North America will look like from the FIS,” said Therese Brisson. The Alberta station is the only one in North America to host women’s speed events (downhill and super-G).
“There are a lot of elements to take into account, but we are absolutely committed to finding a solution in the West and we will see if women’s sprint will be part of it,” added the CEO of Alpine Canada (ACA).
The very high cost of snowmaking and mechanical maintenance represents a brake for the federation, underlined Erik Guay. “It’s a 5 km long track, recalled the ex-skier. Imagine the snow cover, the volunteers, the fences, the machinery to prepare the trail that it requires. It is enormously expensive. At Mont-Tremblant, we will prepare a 300-meter track. It’s a fraction of the cost. »
With the demise of Winterstart Events, which had hosted the Lake Louise races for a decade, ACA was forced to take over. His priority is to ensure the long-term holding of men’s speed events in the West. “Several stations raised their hands, including Lake Louise,” assured Brisson. This year, the Lake Louise World Cup will take place as scheduled for both men and women. The speed season must however be launched in Zermatt (departure in Switzerland) and Cervinia (arrival in Italy) if the snow cover allows it. The men’s races are scheduled for October 29 and 30 while the women’s events are due to take place a week later.