Can anyone tell me about Mont Chalet Ski Area in Chesterland, Ohio?

I understand that Mont Chateau started in the mid-1960s. Was it later renamed Alpine Valley (a ski area that operates in Chesterland today) or are these two separate areas?

Thanks,
Woody

I have the first White Book of Ski Areas from 1976 and Alpine Valley is the only area listed in Chesterland. There was no listing for Mont Chalet. I skied Alpine and the other nearby areas (Brandywine & Boston Mill) in the late 70's and never heard of another area nearby. Not much help but it is all I can remember.

Sounds like this is an old name for Alpine. Found this on the web in a dicussion of Boston Mills/Brandywine--it mentions Mont Chalet and may be helful:

Boston Mills was developed in 1963 by former college roommates, Cleveland's Tom Kelsey and Detroit's George Valassis, for $250,000. The ski resort opened for business in December 1963 with three T-bars and three rope tows serving one beginner area, one advanced beginner area, two intermediate areas, and one expert area--a total of eight slopes.
Uphill lift capacity was about 5,000 skiers per hour, and night skiing was offered the first year. A small 5,500 sq. ft. chalet offered food service, a lounge, equipment rental consisting of 450 pairs of skis, and a place to warm up from the cold with two fireplaces. Snowmaking was rudimentary at best, with above ground pipes that were perpetually frozen and homemade snow guns made from more pipes. Dick & Erleen Ludwig purchased Boston Mills from Kelsey and Valassis in 1979.

Brandywine was also developed in 1963, by a group headed by Harold Stoneman, developer of Mont Chalet Ski Area in Chesterland, for $300,000.

Thanks, RobertW and Keith, for posting the information about Mont Chalet. (I know Ohio is out of the DCSkli coverage area, but I'm hoping some DCSkiers might know of it.) The only other tidbit I've uncovered is that a 900-foot Sneller t-bar was installed there in 1964 (skilifts.org).

Recently, I bought an old ski jacket on eBay. It had 11 patches sewn onto it, mostly from areas in Ohio and western NY. Brandywine, Boston Mills and Mont Chalet were included. This is the second time I've seen a Mont Chalet patch on eBay this year.

If Mont Chalet later became Alpine Valley (located in the same Ohio town), Mont Chalet would go into the "lost name" category of ski areas. I'll keep looking for more information.

Woody

What's interesting about the SkiLifts.org listing is that a new T-bar was added at both Alpine Valley and Mont Chalet that year which tells me that they were two distinct areas. The Mont Chalet T-bar was listed at 110 vertical. Were these areas possibly side-by-side and then merged? More likely it was a smaller hill possibly on a golf course or somebody's farm. There were a lot of these in the Pittsburgh area in the 60's and 70's.

http://skilifts.org/install_na1964.htm

Simple way to get this straight. Send an email to the existing ski area, or nearest, and ask your question.
The Colonel

Woody,

Mont Chalet was a small ski area on Caves Road in Chesterland. One T-Bar and maybe two rope tows. They closed probably before 1972 to make room for new housing.


ctm

Bubkeg, welcome to the group! There's good, helpful bunch of folks -- and some gentle crazies -- on this forum.

Thanks for the information about Mont Chalet. May I ask how you know about this ski area and if you've ever skied it?

Colonel, good suggestion re. contacting Alpine Valley. Since I couldn't find an email address on their website, I will phone when I have the chance. If I learn anything, I'll report back here.

Woody

I used to go to a 'Mont Chalet' water ramp training area in Chesterland Ohio, about 5 or 6 years ago. It was a large water ramp that shoots you off into a pond on your skis. I have pictures in which the ramp reads 'Mont Chalet'.

Woody,

I saw the area when I was a kid. We were probably on our way to Alpine Valley. From what I remember I would say that the 110' vertical mentioned earlier in the thread would be a bit of an exaggeration. Main slope was only slightly taller than Summit at Boston Mills.

After discussion of "your worst ski area ever" I decided to google Mont Chalet, and this 2008 discussion was the only hit. I knew the place well in the 60's so I'll chime in.

Bubkeg has it right, It was out Caves Road, and was different from Alpine Valley. It was run by a group of Austrians, headed by Ferdl Aster and Frieda Gerdin.

It was the most miserable little Ohio hill ever. So flat you had to skate between turns, and no more than 100 feet of vertical. They did have snowmaking and night skiing, and our Junior High would run trips out there after school. I'm not sure one person from those introductory lessons actually took up skiing.

I found it to be pretty much a waste of time too---I mostly skied in Western Ny, though I enjoyed the Wednesday night races at Brandywine.

An interesting note is that Frieda Gerdin's son, Victor became the ski school director at Aspen and a member of the National PSIA demo team.

After discussion of "your worst ski area ever" I decided to google Mont Chalet, and this 2008 discussion was the only hit.

Bubkeg has it right, It was out Caves Road, and was different from Alpine Valley. It was run by a group of Austrians, headed by Ferdl Aster and Frieda Gerdin.

It was the most miserable little Ohio hill ever. So flat you had to skate between turns, and no more than 100 feet of vertical. They did have snowmaking and night skiing, and our Junior High would run trips out there after school. I'm not sure one person from those introductory lessons actually took up skiing.

I found it to be pretty much a waste of time too---I mostly skied in Western Ny, though I enjoyed the Wednesday night races at Brandywine.

An interesting note is that Frieda Gerdin's son, Victor became the ski school director at Aspen and a member of the National PSIA demo team.

Mont Chalet, just north of closed Orchard Hills on caves road may have opened in 1963. I worked there while in high school 64&65. As noted above, Ferdl Aster was the founder. Ferdl passed away in 2016. Paul Ranney was general manager and Donald Fink assisted him. I worked in various areas; ski rentals, T-bar and rope rows. One weekend I drove the small tractor pulling 2WD vehicles you of the parking lot due to about 2 and 1/2 feet of snow in 24 hours. The above poster must have visited MC on a slush day, because from the top of the T-bar hill you could still hit the lodge at about 25 or 30 mph without brakes! Fun times for a jr/sr in high school. After closing a gang of us would ski for 2 or 3 hours!! Alpine Valley is east out Mayfield rd (rt 322) just into Munson twp.