After more than a century in operation, the Gray Rocks resort in Mont Tremblant is closed for good.
On Sunday, loyal clients said their final goodbyes to the historic institution.
"I said to my wife, 'You know what? I want to be there on the weekend that it closes,'" said Jim Burns, who has been going to the resort for the past 27 years.
A group of friends from upstate New York also decided to make one last trip, for old times' sake.
"I can remember eating here back in the 70s and it was a very elegant dining room, lots of waiters," said Janet Green.
A long, proud history
Gray Rocks was opened in 1906, by George and Lucille Wheeler.
It was the first resort built in the Laurentians, and was once considered the go-to place for generations of families.
The resort hit its peak in the 1980s, when the majority of its guests came up from the U.S.
Countless people went to Gray Rocks when they wanted to learn how to ski, or simply because they were attracted to the all-inclusive ski packages offered by the resort.
But in recent years, the famous family-founded destination was losing millions of dollars each season, as it struggled to compete with emerging resorts.
"The Laurentians has developed a lot. There's a lot of competition out there," said Angela Stubbs, manager of Gray Rocks.
Therese Treguier was among the longtime employees saying a reluctant goodbye to Gray Rocks on Sunday. On her final day at work, she expressed affection for the resort's management over the years.
"They cared so much about their employees and their guests. That's why it was so special."
