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History of skiing in the Laurentians
Musée du Ski des Laurentides
St-Sauveur , Quebec

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   This Virtual Exhibit was
prepared from research
carried out for an exhibition
at the Laurentian Ski Museum,
which highlights among other
things the 70th anniversary
of the Canadian Ski
Instructors Alliance (CSIA).
This history of ski
instruction underlines the

fact that the Laurentians can
indeed be called the cradle
of skiing in Canada.
   Trial and error would
probably be the best way to
describe how skiers learned
the basics of their sport in
the early days of the 20th
century. The most common
result of this method? Many,

many falls, each one more
spectacular than the last!
   It soon became clear that
skiers - whether at the
competitive or amateur level -
needed high-quality
instruction. And in those
days that meant calling on
the expertise of qualified
instructors from Europe.

   The arrival of people
like Émile Cochand, Herman
"Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen,
and other Europeans had a
strong economic and cultural
impact on our region. The
resulting economic boom
contributed to our
development, and today many
residents work in the tourism

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