Le Massif de Charlevoix sets sights on major expansion

Le Massif de Charlevoix president and founder Daniel Gauthier plans to invest $400 million in international development, Radio-Canada has learned.

His plan: increase the skiable area by 50%, add lifts to access the Mont à Liguori sector, improve the snowmaking system, and double the number of residential units at the base and summit of the mountain. To achieve this, he is looking for partners and discussions are already underway.

The man who has made a major contribution to the development of the ski mountain since its purchase at the turn of the 2000s wants to continue developing the mountain and reach new international heights.

In 2019, 10% of Le Massif's clientele came from outside Quebec. Since the arrival of Club Med, this proportion has risen to 30% in 2023. "Our goal for the future is to increase that to 50%," says Daniel Gauthier.

Aware that "400 million [represents] a lot of money," Daniel Gauthier is looking for investors who would "come from the recreation and tourism industry, ideally from the ski business."

"It's not just a question of money," he says, "but being able to combine expertise and think bigger together. The idea of having a strategic partner is to give ourselves the means to achieve our ambitions," he maintains.

At this stage, the financial package is not yet complete. Investissement Québec has always been a partner in Daniel Gauthier's projects. Over the past 20 years, $100 million of the $400 million invested to date has come from the government in the form of loans and grants.

The businessman would like to create a group of mountains, based on models from the American and Canadian West. Strength in numbers. But with whom? "We already have a list," he says. In Quebec, but also internationally.

Daniel Gauthier claims to have had discussions with Christian Mars, president of the Compagnie des montagnes de ski du Québec. He is the new operator of Mont Grand Fonds. "We're open to seeing how we can work together," he says.

The company Resorts of the Canadien Rockies (RCR), which manages the Mont-Sainte-Anne resort, "is not necessarily on the list of potential investors," says Mr. Gauthier, referring to the purchase offer he made to RCR's owner last spring.

However, if the ownership invests in the facilities, he would be open to some form of partnership with them, in line with his development plan. "I've been saying for a long time that I dream of a two-station pass," he recalls.

In his development plan, Daniel Gauthier makes no secret of the fact that he would also like to make acquisitions: "We're not stopping at Mont-Sainte-Anne."

Daniel Gauthier is confident of finding the right partners and has given himself a year to do so. "The first milestone is always the hardest to achieve, and for us, it was Club Med," he says.

According to him, Club Med has helped increase the number of international visitors, and the occupancy rate is over 80% for the next few months. "We're very happy with the results and the outlook for the future," he says.

If Daniel Gauthier wins his bet, the $400 million plan could come to fruition within 7 years.