There’s plenty of snow in Québec but those wishing to ski Mont-Sainte-Anne this weekend will need to do so under their own power. The province issued an order Friday night prohibiting the major ski area near Québec City from operating any of its four detachable lifts, citing recent electrical problems and deficiencies discovered in a recent inspection. Québec’s ropeway regulator issued a similar order in December 2022 following a series of high-profile incidents. In February 2020, the mountain’s gondola suffered an abrupt stop, injuring more than a dozen passengers. A less serious incident occurred a month later, which combined with Covid, closed the gondola for more than a year. In December 2022 a cabin fell from the same gondola, a mishap later blamed on human error. The Québec building authority ordered five lifts shut down, causing the entire ski area to temporarily cease operations in the middle of winter.

This time Québec ordered three detachable quads and the gondola closed, effectively shuttering the resort. Inoperable lifts include a 1986 Doppelmayr quad, a 1987 Doppelmayr quad, a 2013 Doppelmayr quad and a 1989 Doppelmayr gondola. Mont-Sainte-Anne has yet to open this season, citing damage from a November 28th power outage. Repairs had been completed and the resort was set to reopen Saturday until the order came down at 6:09 pm Friday evening. “The Régie du Bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) has ordered the closure of the aerial ski lifts at the Mont-Sainte-Anne ski resort,” the province said in a press release. “This order, served today on the operator, follows inspections carried out on Wednesday, December 10, in connection with a failure on the 25,000-volt high-voltage network that powers the buildings, ski lifts, and snowmaking system…The results of the inspection showed that the break affecting an underground section of the electrical network prevented the normal and safe operation of the equipment covered by the order, which constitutes a danger to the safety and physical integrity of people,” said the release. “Furthermore, the seriousness of the shortcomings observed in recent years creates an emergency situation that requires the RBQ to intervene without delay in order to prevent irreparable harm to the public.” The order noted Mont-Sainte-Anne and owner Resorts of the Canadian Rockies were notified not to operate lifts more than a week ago on December 5th. It also alleged the mountain has suffered recurring electrical problems for more than 10 years that are believed have contributed to the gondola incidents in 2020.

“As a reminder, ski resort operators are primarily responsible for the safety of their customers,” said Stéphane Petit, Vice President of Inspection at the RBQ. “Our priority remains public safety. The resumption of activities will depend on the pace at which Mont-Sainte-Anne complies with the requirements of the order.” Proposed remedies include testing of service and emergency brake systems, demonstration of functioning communications systems and a written evacuation plan in the event of a power failure. “We wish to clarify that we will fully comply with this order and that we will cooperate in all the upcoming steps, which will begin early next week,” the mountain said to customers. “While we are naturally disappointed not to be able to launch our winter season, snowmaking continues actively on the north and south facing slopes.” The mountain plans to open its conveyor lifts, restaurants and retail shop this weekend and welcomed the public to ski tour with purchase of an uphill ticket. It also invited season passholders to go cross country skiing or visit nearby Stoneham, also operated by RCR.

This is the latest setback in a long saga for one of Québec’s largest resorts. Mont-Sainte-Anne operates on public land via a long-term lease and many have called for the province to revoke its agreement with Resorts of the Canadian Rockies due to incidents and lack of investment. However last December the province opted instead to inject CA$50 million into the resort in partnership with RCR. Nearly a year later, the deal still has not been signed.