Quebec Restores Historic Ski Trails

- The renewed trails are part of a rich history in the Laurentian Mountains, considered the birthplace of skiing in North America. This history was significantly shaped by Norwegian immigrant Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith Johannsen, who blazed hundreds of kilometers of trails in the 1930s. - One of the most famous of these historic routes is the Maple Leaf Trail, a 128-kilometer path created by "Jackrabbit" Johannsen to connect villages from Labelle to Shawbridge (now Prévost). The restoration efforts aim to recreate the spirit of these original tracks. - A key organization in the renewal is Les Routes Blanches, which has developed a 75-mile (approximately 120-kilometer) network of both historic and new trails for multi-day, village-to-village ski tours. - The non-profit organization Société de plein air des Pays-d'en-Haut (SOPAIR) oversees the Les Routes Blanches project, working with a community of land managers, volunteers, and local businesses to preserve and maintain the trails. - The renewed network connects several Laurentian villages, including Val-David, Prévost, Morin-Heights, Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, and Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, allowing skiers to travel between them as residents did historically. - A provincial "park tax" instituted in the early 1990s contributes to the preservation of these green spaces. This regulation requires developers to contribute either 10% of a project's value or 10% of the land itself for trails and parks. - The original boom in ski tourism in the 1920s and 30s was fueled by "snow trains," which transported large numbers of skiers from Montreal to the Laurentians. During the winter of 1938-1939 alone, these trains carried approximately 112,000 people. - While specific economic data for this restoration is not yet available, local businesses like shuttle services, restaurants, and bed and breakfasts are reporting an increase in business, indicating a positive impact on the winter tourism economy.