After the opening of Club Med, Groupe Le Massif is now trying to acquire Mont-Sainte-Anne in order to increase its activities and offer an improved four-season Quebec product for the North American market.
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The President of Groupe Le Massif, Claude Choquette, confirmed in an interview with our Parliamentary Office that the organization submitted a formal purchase offer last September to acquire Mont-Sainte-Anne (MSA).
“In the turmoil of the MSA, we started to analyze it and we decided to submit an offer,” he said.
For several months, criticism has been leveled at the MSA tourist resort because of the disuse of the infrastructure.
This jewel of the National Capital suffers from a lack of investment by the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) group.
Breakages and breakdowns have damaged the reputation of the mountain.
The purchase offer remained unanswered, but the Le Massif Group is not discouraged, claiming to have opened a communication channel.
“The first time I approached Club Med, I didn’t get an answer either,” said the president. “It takes patience to get there.”
“A perfect sequel”
This purchase would be a perfect sequel, he says, 20 years after Daniel Gauthier’s purchase of the mountain located in Charlevoix.
“If we got there, it’s really because of strategic associations,” said Claude Choquette, noting that the arrival of Club Med at the bottom of the slopes has accelerated the transformation of the group.
“It brought us international influence,” he said. “In this context, we have reached another stage.”
Groupe Le Massif is already part of Mountain Collective, a group of 25 ski resorts that have a common marketing agreement.
Owner Daniel Gauthier is now looking to create Quebec associations.
“How do we see the future? We think that the associations of ski resort groups in the future will be important, ”said the president.
“I think that marketing two mountains with quality standards today would be a winner.”
If necessary, the group is also open to getting their hands on the Stoneham tourist resort, another property of the RCR group.
Quebec is informed
Investissement Québec and the office of the Minister of the Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, have been informed of the Massif’s interest.
Claude Choquette admits that he will seek financial support from Quebec if he manages to get his hands on the MSA.
“To revitalize Mont-Sainte-Anne,” he explained. “There is an upgrade that needs to be done, it’s not a hiding place for anyone. But first, it takes a salesperson.”
Le Massif de Charlevoix
- 770 meters above sea level
- 53 downhill ski slopes
- A Club Med since December 2021
Possible activities: mountain biking, sledding, off-piste skiing, hiking, canyoning, association for cross-country skiing at Sentier des Caps
Mont-Sainte-Anne
- 803 meters above sea level
- 71 downhill ski slopes
- 184 km of cross-country ski trails
Possible activities: mountain biking, winter biking, hiking, off-piste skiing, camping, golf