This adventure which today places the resort as one of the largest floodlit ski areas in North America began modestly with Mont Soleil and its three slopes on Mont Brome.
“Mont Soleil then had four slopes and the first three developed on the mountain were the Cowansville, Waterloo and Granby slopes which was renamed World Cup – in reference to the final of the Alpine Skiing World Cup which took place in Bromont in 1986,” recalls Charles Désourdy, in an interview with The Voice of the East.
A seasoned sportsman, this manager keeps fresh memories of the year the family resort opened.
“On December 25, 1964, the day my father Roland Désourdy inaugurated Bromont station, it was 25 degrees Celsius. It was a record. We had to wait until January before we could start skiing.”
— Charles Désourdy, president of Bromont, mountain of experiences
Launched as a leisure company, BME today represents a major employer in the region, employing around 2,000 people during the year.
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Around 200 million investments
Over the years, the company aims to be at the top of customer expectations by continually investing.
“Since I joined the company in 1998, we have invested around $200 million, including a 134-room hotel which will be located directly on the ski lifts,” explains Mr. Désourdy.
The resort has 127 slopes, 82 of which are lit, spread over seven slopes. To cope with the vagaries of the climate, the company has nearly 1,500 snow cannons.
At one time, the Bromont ski resort only had a few slopes. (Bromont, mountain of experiences)
For the 2024-2025 season, Charles Désourdy estimates that the economic context and global warming affect the company in the same proportion.
-“We have to deal with fewer cold spells. Our challenge will be to increase our snowmaking capacity to accommodate our customers until spring. January has been a very good month so far. In recent weeks, we have had very good snow quality,” underlines Mr. Désourdy.
Charles Désourdy, president of Bromont, montagne d’experiences, continues to fully live his passion for skiing on the resort’s many slopes. (Bromont, mountain of experiences)
“We are seeing fewer subscription sales this year. But fortunately, the natural snow brings the skiers,” he adds.
For snow sports enthusiasts, the altitude difference at this station is 370 meters.
“We are a wide mountain, but not high. After a good day of skiing, smiles are on everyone’s faces,” says Mr. Désourdy.
Avalanche of festivities
To celebrate this 60th anniversary in style, the company organized an avalanche of festivities this Saturday, January 18.
These will begin in force at the foot of the slopes of the Versant du Village with a show by comedian Alex Barrette which will be followed by a concert by Trois Accords.
The celebrations will continue into the evening with fireworks and the Ball of Lights. This activity will offer a descent of the Bedford track in the dark. Skiers and snowboarders will have glow sticks as their only light.
The evening will end with a Quality Motel show at the foot of the slopes.
Covering an area of more than 180 hectares, the Bromont resort, mountain of experiences has 127 trails, 82 of which are lit. (Bromont mountain of experiences)
