Louis Dufour - Quebec resort visionary

Quebec ski industry leader Louis Dufour died February 19, 2022. He was 81.

A former member of the Canadian Ski Team, in 1972 Dufour joined the marketing department at Saint-Saveur resort. In1978, with the acquisition of Jay Peak, Vermont, he worked with Jacques Hébert to launch Mont Saint-Sauveur International, which became Les Sommets in 2016. The company grew to be the largest ski-resort group in Quebec and owns Sommet Saint-Sauveur, Sommet Gabriel, Sommet Olympia, Sommet Morin-Heights, all in the Laurentians, and Sommet Edelweiss in Outaouais (the company sold Jay Peak in 2008).

As CEO, Dufour led Les Sommets for four decades; following Hébert’s death in 2006, he also served as chairman. Among other innovations, Dufour developed what may be the largest night skiing area in the world at Saint-Sauveur,

Dufour helped create the Quebec Ski Areas Association (ASSQ) and served as president from 1986 to 1988. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including Ski Canada’s Canadian Skiers of Distinction and the ASSQ Réal Boulanger Award. He was inducted into the Laurentian Ski Hall of Fame in 1994.