The man who founded Mount St. Louis Moonstone is being remembered as a pioneer in the Canadian ski industry.
Josl Huter passed away at Orillia’s Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital on Dec. 14. He was 84.
He spent the last few years of his life battling Alzheimer’s Disease.
“He walked the hill up and down with Robert [his son], stomped the hill and he said, ‘Hmm, I think we could do it here, I think if I have that property I think we could do it,” said Elfriede Huter, Josl’s wife of 57 years.
Huter purchased the land in 1963. The resort opened one year later. Elfriede says there were many difficult times over the years, but they both worked to make improvements and Huter always stayed positive
“Whenever it looked like things could not be done, he never believed. He always said, ‘No there is a way.’”
Working with his two sons, Huter made the hills bigger, built chair lifts and snow making systems. He ultimately made Mount St. Louis Moonstone into one of the largest ski resorts in the province.
“He always had a positive outlook, even if things didn’t go the way he thought,” says Robert. “Hopefully I can continue doing that and the rest of the family as well.”
On Tuesday, the flag was lowered to half-mast at Mount St. Louis Moonstone to mark the passing of its founder.
A funeral will be held at the Mount St. Louis Catholic Church on Wednesday, but it’s for immediate family only. A celebration of life will be held in the spring.
