Mount St. Mary

What Mount St. Mary does

Mont Ste Marie is a privately held ski resort operating two mountains — Vanier and Cheval Blanc — with high-speed chairlifts in Lac Sainte-Marie, Quebec, approximately one hour from downtown Ottawa. The resort serves the Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area and claims the highest vertical drop in the region, with terrain ranging from beginner to double black diamond runs. Its core offering is ski and snowboard access sold through tiered lift tickets ($59-$84 CAD for adults) and multi-tier season passes (Econo, Weekday, and Unlimited ranges from $99-$1,089 CAD), with structured early-bird pricing deadlines.

The resort operates a direct-to-consumer model with a Shopify-powered e-commerce website (montstemarie.com) as the primary sales channel, supplemented by phone reservations and on-site customer service. Revenue is diversified across eight streams: lift tickets, season passes, ski/snowboard lessons, equipment rentals, F&B (Ryan II Restaurant & Bar at the base), gift cards, corporate/group packages, and seasonal locker rentals. The ski school is a significant vertical, offering more than a dozen programs spanning private lessons, multi-week children and adult programs (MiniMax, Mini Greeners, Nancy Greene Racing, Ski Cross, Club Prestige Snowboard), Christmas and Spring Break camps, and a Snow Diva ladies-only program.

The go-to-market is primarily individual and family consumers from the Ottawa-Gatineau region, with secondary segments in corporate retreat bookings (minimum 20 participants) and school group packages. Marketing is conducted through email newsletters, Facebook, Instagram, and website content (trail maps, conditions, events, webcams). The company has no disclosed parent company, no institutional investors, no PE/VC backing, and no M&A activity. Pricing is in Canadian dollars and subject to Quebec sales tax (14.975%).

Name

Mount St. Mary

Legal name

Mont Ste-Marie

Website

https://montstemarie.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mont Ste Marie is a privately held ski resort in Lac Sainte-Marie, Quebec, operating two mountains (Vanier and Cheval Blanc) with high-speed lifts to serve the Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area with lift tickets, season passes, lessons, rentals, and F&B.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ski Resort Services

NAICS

Skiing Facilities (71392), Skiing Facilities (713920), Recreational Goods Rental (532284)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Ski & Mountain Resorts (Lift-Served Skiing/Riding) (THAAAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Winter Equipment Rental, Demo & Repair (Skis/Boards/Boots, Tuning) (THAAAJAH)

Keywords

• Ski resort operations
• Ski lift tickets
• Season pass subscriptions
• Ski instruction services
• Equipment rental services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lac Sainte-marie

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Lift Tickets: Day tickets and half-day tickets sold for specific dates. Also offers discounted advance-purchase vouchers redeemable for lift tickets. Transaction-based revenue per visit.
2. Season Passes: Annual season passes offering unlimited skiing with various tiers (Unlimited, Weekday, Econo). Also includes add-ons like First Track Advantage. Subscription/recurring model with early-bird pricing incentives.
3. Ski and Snowboard Lessons: Professional instruction services including private lessons, semi-private lessons, group programs for kids and adults, Nancy Greene racing programs, Ski Cross, and Club Prestige snowboard programs.
4. Equipment Rentals: Ski and snowboard equipment rental packages including skis, snowboards, boots, poles, and helmets. Also seasonal locker rentals.
5. Food & Beverage: Ryan II Restaurant & Bar operating at the base of the mountain, serving meals and beverages with dinner service on Fridays and Saturdays, and live music on Saturdays.
6. Gift Cards: On-the-Hill Gift Cards available in $25, $50, and $100 denominations, loaded onto physical cards at customer service for use around the resort.
7. Corporate and Group Packages: Customized corporate retreat packages including lift tickets, lunch buffets, fun races, and team-building activities. Group packages for schools and organizations with minimum 20 participants.
8. Season Locker Rentals: Seasonal ski locker rentals for the ski season for equipment storage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mont Ste Marie operates a winter ski resort with two mountains (Vanier and Cheval Blanc) selling lift access through day tickets, discounted tickets, and tiered season passes (Unlimited, Weekday, Econo). The resort also provides ski and snowboard lessons for all ages and skill levels, equipment rentals, on-site dining at the Ryan II Restaurant & Bar, group and school programs, corporate retreat packages, seasonal lockers, gift cards, and a Club Prestige snowboard program. Operations run seasonally during the winter, with revenue driven by access fees, instruction, rentals, and ancillary on-site services.

Product overview

Mont Ste Marie is a ski resort near Ottawa, Quebec, operating two mountains (Vanier and Cheval Blanc) with high-speed lifts. The product portfolio centers on ski and snowboard access (lift tickets and season passes in multiple tiers including Econo, Weekday, and Unlimited passes), ski school programs (lessons for all ages and skill levels including MiniMax, Nancy Greene Racing, Ski Cross, and Club Prestige Snowboard), equipment rentals, and on-site dining at Ryan II Restaurant & Bar. Additional offerings include corporate packages, group/school programs, seasonal lockers, gift cards, and accommodation referrals. The resort utilizes Shopify as its e-commerce platform for online sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Day Lift Tickets Single-day lift access products offered at standard and discounted pricing tiers for adults, youth, children, and seniors across the Vanier and Cheval Blanc mountains.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sommet Saint-Sauveur: Laurentians-based Quebec ski resort group (Sommet) with multiple mountains and night skiing. A broader incumbent in the Quebec ski market with a wider portfolio and stronger brand recognition than MSM.
• Le Massif de Charlevoix: Distinctive destination ski resort in Charlevoix, Quebec with the highest vertical drop in eastern Canada and an integrated hotel. A broader incumbent competing for premium Quebec ski trip demand that MSM is not currently positioned to capture.
• Blue Mountain Resort: Ontario's largest ski resort and a four-season destination with extensive on-site lodging, F&B, and lessons. A broader incumbent that competes for Ontario destination ski demand and weekend-trip share that MSM otherwise cannot capture without owned lodging.
• Ski Bromont: Eastern Townships ski resort near Montreal with night skiing, lodging, and large lesson programs. A broader Quebec incumbent with a wider amenity set than MSM, competing for the same regional Quebec/Ontario ski trip market.
• Mont-Tremblant Resort: Quebec's largest ski resort (Operated by Alterra Mountain Company), ~2 hours from Montreal. Offers much larger terrain, extensive on-site lodging, and a destination ski experience — a broader incumbent that competes with MSM for weekend/overnight ski trips from the broader Quebec/Ontario market.

Direct peers

• Camp Fortune: Ski hill in Chelsea, Quebec (~15 minutes from downtown Ottawa) serving the same Ottawa-Gatineau day-tripper and family market as Mont Ste Marie with comparable offerings (lessons, rentals, F&B, season passes). Most direct local competitor by catchment area and scale.
• Vorlage Ski: Ski hill in Wakefield, Quebec operating in the same Outaouais/Ottawa-Gatineau market as Mont Ste Marie. Similar small-to-mid regional scale, comparable lift-access and lesson offerings, and competes for the same local season pass holder base.
• Mont Cascades: Ski resort in Cantley, Quebec (Outaouais region) operating in the same Ottawa-Gatineau catchment area as Mont Ste Marie. Comparable regional scale, day-ticket and season pass model, lessons and rentals — direct competition for Ottawa-area skiers.
• Calabogie Peaks Resort: Ontario ski resort located ~1.5 hours west of Ottawa, serving a partially overlapping Ottawa-region catchment with mountain-side lodging. Comparable regional ski resort offering lift tickets, lessons, rentals, accommodation, and F&B.
• Edelweiss Valley: Small ski resort in Wakefield, Quebec within ~30 minutes of Ottawa, serving the same Ottawa-Gatineau metro population as Mont Ste Marie with a similar family-friendly, day-trip product offering including lessons, rentals, and season passes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MontSteMarie
• Instagraminstagram.com/montstemarie
• Xx.com/montstemarie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mount St. Mary