History-1980's

The Eighties

In 1981, Ontario’s first cat groomer, a piston bully with a tiller was purchased. Trees were added to the Mount St. Louis peak, now two years old.

More pumps and compressors were added to the snow making system to produce the best ski conditions, along with the purchase of a second piston bully in 1982.

During 1983, a third piston bully was added to the Mount St. Louis grooming fleet. Moonstone, the neighboring hill, installed the first quad chair in Canada.

In the spring of 1984, the Huter family bought the competition ~ Moonstone. In order to improve the new area, the upper ridge was built at Moonstone by once again moving 500 000 cubic meters of dirt. This ridge facilitated one of two trails that would link the two bases in order for skiers to cross back and forth. The new resort, Mount St. Louis Moonstone, now offered 34 runs serviced by 15 lifts.

A second quad chair was added in 1985. This quad replaced a T-bar at Mount St. Louis. This chair gave Mount St. Louis Moonstone the greatest uphill capacity in Ontario! Another piston bully was added to the fleet. Major trail work was done on the western trails.

A new maintenance shop was built in 1986 along with improvements to the Mount St. Louis chalet.

In 1987, mountain building was once again on the minds of the Huter’s. Another 500 000 cubic meters of dirt was moved to increase Moonstone’s vertical from 420 to 500 feet. The new peak was then serviced by the area’s third quad chair lift, bringing the lift capacity to more than 20,000 skiers per hour. A state of the art high-pressure snowmaking facility was added.

Major re-modifications to the snowmaking system in 1988 included two more vertical turbines, additional tower guns, and system computerization, which led to increased overall efficiency. New teaching slopes were added at each base. The popular Yodler slope, one of Mount St. Louis original trails, was widened and recontoured. A new ski patrol building was constructed to the east of the Mount St. Louis chalet.

The Resort undertook it’s single largest project ever in 1989 by building another mountain and moving another 700,000 cubic meters of dirt. Ontario’s fastest high-speed quad “The Louis Express” was installed.
The reputation of the Huter’s and Mount St. Louis Moonstone became mountain building.