Gray Rocks was a year-round privately owned resort in the

Laurentian Mountains The Laurentian Mountains ( French: ''Laurentides'') are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of at Mont Raoul Blanchard, northeast of Quebec City in the Laurentid ...

of Quebec, Canada, first developed as a ski destination on Sugarloaf Hill (French: ''Le Pain de Sucre''). The ski hill had 22 downhill trails: 4 easy, 10 intermediate, 8 expert (of which 2 were "double diamond"). Also available was a snowboarding park and instruction from the Snow Eagle Ski School. In warmer seasons, activities included golf with two courses, as well as boating on adjoining Lac Ouimet, swimming (in pool or lake), tennis, horseback riding, bicycling, and hiking. The resort facilities included a 105-room hotel, 56 condominium units, French cuisine restaurant, and

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

. First opened in 1906, the hotel closed during the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...

of 2009; 70% of the main building was destroyed by a suspicious fire on the evening of 25 November 2014.

History

Gray Rocks was established in 1905 by George Wheeler, originally of New Hampshire. His granddaughter,

Lucille Wheeler Lucile Wheeler, (born January 14, 1935) is a former alpine ski racer from Canada. She was a double world champion in 1958, the first North American to win a world title in the downhill event. Early years Wheeler was born in Quebec and grew up ...

, won the Bronze Medal for

alpine skiing at the 1956 Winter Olympics At the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, the six alpine skiing events were held from Friday, 27 January to Friday, 3 February. Toni Sailer of Austria won all three men's events to become the first alpine ski racer to win three ...

. In 1948, Réal Charette, a former World War II winter warfare instructor, became the first Canadian to be appointed a director of a ski school in Canada, the renowned Snow Eagle Ski School at Gray Rocks. From the mid-1950s to the mid seventies, it was known as the dean of the Laurentian resorts. Many American families came for golf, tennis and swimming in the summer, and ski packages in the winter. At the end of March 2009, Gray Rocks was closed as both a hotel and ski resort. Of the two golf courses, La Belle closed in 2020 after 100 years in operation; the 2nd, La Bête was taken over by

Clublink TWC Enterprises Limited () operates ClubLink One Membership More Golf. It is based in King City, Ontario, and is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) with the symbol "TWC". ClubLink is the largest owner and operator of golf courses in Cana ...

. Several owners of the condos previously associated with Gray Rocks have created a vacation home rental operation, Lac Ouimet Rentals, that now operates under the name Village des Soleils.

References

{{Ski areas and resorts in Quebec Ski areas and resorts in Quebec Golf clubs and courses in Quebec Geography of Laurentides Tourist attractions in Laurentides Buildings and structures in Laurentides

History

See also

References