The unmissable Laurentian Ski Museum for anyone interested in this sport and its history is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with the major project of moving its thousands of artefacts, including several hundred pairs of skis, to new premises.
This regional themed history museum, currently located within the perimeter of downtown Saint-Sauveur, is aiming to move into a vacant building at the eastern entrance to the village.
Management wanted the move to coincide with the 40th anniversary, but the building in question, which has been vacant for 10 years, requires some upgrading. Its opening has therefore been postponed to the beginning of next year.
“The museum will move into the 21st century,” promises Pierre Urquhart, who is the establishment’s general manager, in addition to directing the Saint-Sauveur Valley Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. With this new location, we want to be even more at the heart of the city’s tourist effervescence, encourage visitors to open the door and discover all the treasures contained in our museum.”
The collection of the Musée du ski des Laurentides includes more than 7,000 artefacts, including 500 pairs of skis, and 20 private archives. The museum has also presented a permanent exhibition since 2012. Its mission is to preserve and promote the heritage of skiing in the Laurentians, a mountainous region popular for this winter activity for generations.
“The museum offers visitors some incomparable jewels such as several artefacts of the legendary Jackrabbit, whose real name is Herman Smith-Johannsen”, underlines Mr. Urquhart.
Jackrabbit devoted his life to skiing, as agile on the slopes as on the flat trails, long before cross-country and downhill skiing became separate practices. In the 1930s, he developed several tracks, including the famous Maple Leaf along the railway line between Shawbridge and Labelle. Also, in the 1970s, when cross-country skiing took off, it became an icon. Jackrabbit died in 1987 at the age of 111.
Snowboard enthusiasts will also be happy to learn that the very first snowboard of Jake Burton Carpenter, this American visionary and great snurfer enthusiast (ancestor of snowboarding) is on display there. He created the Burton brand in 1977 with the desire to develop this sport. He then left New York for Vermont and spent his days making his first wooden snowboard models in his barn. He died in 2019, but his mark survived him.
To pay for part of the renovations planned for its future premises, the Museum will hold a fundraising campaign this year. While waiting for the long-awaited move, visitors can go to 30, avenue Filion, in Saint-Sauveur, the current headquarters of the Museum.
