A ski hill in Mount-Royal park? It could happen again

Downhill skiiers could be whizzing down the slopes of Montreal’s beloved Mount Royal park in a few years if a Quebec promoter gets its way.

The president of Gestev says the group is mounting a plan to resurrect the mountain’s long-closed ski hill to host a future World Cup parallel slalom race.

Patrice Drouin says the group has been looking for a site for several years but only recently realized that the mountain’s dimensions could fit the technical standards required by the International Ski Federation.

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Watch: Non-profit organization La Pente à Neige is hoping to introduce downhill skiing to less privileged families.

2:39 Skiing on Mont-Royal

He’s now meeting with various sports federations and public officials to find out if there’s enough support for the project to move ahead.

The plan involves clearing and rebuilding the old ski hill on mountain’s north slope, which closed in 1979.

Drouin said the mountain could be ready to host races as early as 2020 and could be open to the public after that.