History

Founded in 1936, the McGill Outdoors Club (MOC) (formerly the McGill Outing Club) is one of the oldest running clubs at McGill University. With hundreds of students joining every year, the MOC community shares an interest in outdoor activities including skiing, rock climbing, hiking, cycling, canoeing and horseback riding.

The MOC’s rich history can be explored in the books and documents in our library, located in the office.

Land Acknowledgement

McGill University and the McGill Outdoors Club are in Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal on the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehà:ka Nation, a place that has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst many First Nations. We recognize and respect Indigenous rights to the lands and waters where we paddle, climb, hike, cycle, camp, and ski today.

Canada’s violent colonial history is not something in our distant past, but rather it is recent and ongoing. The last residential school in Canada only closed in 1996, and other forms of oppression and colonisation, including land disputes, are ongoing. We encourage members to look into resources like Native Land Digital to learn more about Indigenous polities and to study current land disputes.

Learn about the Land and Peoples of Tiohtià:ke/ Montreal.

Early Years

The McGill Outing Club started as a ski club that organized ski tours in the Laurentians. By 1940, there were already nearly two hundred members. Its purpose was to give a broader scope to the activities for skiers at McGill. In the off season, keen students and professors armed with axes and knives helped clear trails.

One of the greatest assets of the club was having Mr. H. Smith-Johanssen, the chief guide and tour technician. “Jackrabbit” Johannsen has had an incalculable impact on the ski industry in Quebec. MOC was a part of his legacy, where he led trips and worked on cross-country ski trails in the Laurentians. He supported the building of the first ski lift in North America in Shawbridge (now called Prévost). He later received the Order of Canada in 1973.

The MOC held ski classes regularly at Fletcher’s Field (now called Jeanne Mance park), and there were several Sunday ski trips to the Laurentians. Intersection and intercompany ski meets were hosted at St. Sauveur including downhill, slalom, cross-country and jumping events. MOC had a temporary house that they rented in Shawbridge, a great place for the many tours to congregate for dinner at the end of an adventurous Sunday.

Beyond skiing and trail clearing, MOC members hiked, rock-climbed, camped, canoed, and sailed. Cycling trips were introduced in 1944 and proved to be popular. The MOC strived to promote interest and participation in these outdoor activities. In town events included square dances, splash parties, the General Meeting, the “Revue”, the Hayseed Hop, and Woodsmen’s competition.

In 1972, a summer project with the government employed 20 students. They stayed at the House and worked to renovate the Laurentian Ski Trails. That same year, a Laurentian Ski Zone map was produced by the MOC and the Fédération des Clubs de Montagne du Québec.

It’s a new season!!

At this time o’ year we are all seasoned in some out-of-doors activity, if only nurturing a mint patch for a julep. So now is the time for the Outing Club to seize on this opportunity for an introduction to all youse guys and gals who are around these parts for the first time.

You are going to hear a lot about various ports and athletic activities here at McGill, those great teams we used to have, and WILL HAVE again after the duration. You probably won’t hear so many nostalgic hosannahs about the MOC because, perhaps alas, most of its past is present, not in the haunting sense, but as a living guide; for some of the founding members are still in the University.

It is by no accident that skiing ranks top-most among MOC activities. Merely the cold truth of being 45 degrees of latitude above the equator, and finding McGill next door to one of the finest winter playgrounds in Eastern North America, makes it a cinch. Most university outing clubs started out in winter sports, and the MOC’s germination followed a competitive jaunt to Dartmouth, for their Winter Carnival.

Activities for all, out of doors, with scenario shifting as seasons change. Some naturally lead to others, as hiking and trail-clearing to touring and downhill skiing. Others like canoeing and rock climbing are enjoyed independently, while cycling combines with either, or operates as a separate entity on the week-end’s program. Horse-back riding so far hasn’t taken to the mountains, but functions on Mount Royal.

Watch for the annoucement of next-end’s big outing to open up the MOC house at Shawbridge.

— MOC newsletter, October 2nd, 1994.

The House

In the early years of the MOC, houses in Shawbridge (now known as Prévost, QC) were rented for students to easily access the outdoors. Shawbridge was an ideal location due to its easy access to Le P’Tit Train du Nord, its proximity to a great network of cross-country ski trails and the fact that it wasn’t as commercially developed as other areas in the Laurentians. Finally, in the early 1950s, the MOC acquired their own house.

Since then, the MOC has called the House in Prévost its home-away-from-home for outdoor adventures. Over the years, the MOC has left its mark on the Laurentians, helping to develop cross-country skiing in the region, maintaining extensive trail networks, and establishing new climbing routes at Val-David. For the first five decades, McGill University owned the House on behalf of the MOC, ensuring a base for students to explore the outdoors.

FPAM

In 2008, everything changed. Due to the great recession, McGill made the decision to sell the beloved House, leaving the MOC at risk of losing its connection to the Laurentians. Rather than watch it go to the open market, a group of dedicated MOC alumni stepped in. After negotiations with the University, they formed FPAM – the Fondation Plein Air de Montréal—a provincially registered non-profit organization with a mission to keep outdoor recreation accessible to McGill students and the Montreal community. Thanks to a mortgage loan from two generous alumni, FPAM successfully purchased the House, securing a future for MOC’s outdoor pursuits.

By 2009, the MOC was back in action, hosting trips, events, and fostering a love for the outdoors from its historic base in Prévost. Today, FPAM and MOC continue to work together under an annually renewed agreement: FPAM oversees the legal and administrative aspects of the House, while the MOC handles its general maintenance and upkeep. In 2014, FPAM made the final mortgage payment, officially ensuring the House would remain part of the MOC’s legacy for years to come.

A Home for Outdoor Adventure

Since FPAM secured the House, the MOC has been able to expand its contributions to the outdoor community in the Laurentians:

Hosting classic MOC activities, including rock climbing, ice climbing, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, and Wilderness First Aid training.
Assisting in the maintenance of hiking and cross-country ski trails between Prévost and Saint-Sauveur.
Launching Outdoor Frosh, Canada’s first outdoor-themed university orientation program, originally held annually at the House since 2010 before the groups became too large to stay there.
Organizing the MOC Outdoor Winter Olympics, a friendly competition between university outdoor clubs from Quebec, Ontario, and the Northeastern USA, first held in 2012.

FPAM Board of Directors

The FPAM Board is made up of dedicated individuals who ensure that the House remains accessible for future generations of outdoor enthusiasts:

Lara Bailey – Director since 2017
Sass Ghinani – Director since 2020
Bruce Glen – Director since 2019
Mark Kojima – Director since 2013
David Loach – Director since 2017

House Fun Facts

Reservations began in 1958, when the house became so popular that you weren’t guaranteed a spot if you showed up.
The first shower was installed in 1972.
The cupboards were built in 1973.
The bunk beds were built in 1974.
There used to be a second house rented for women until 1975. At that point it was rarely used because McGill introduced co-ed residences.

Traditions

Learn about classic MOC traditions below!

MOC Zine Winter 2024 Download

Zine

An annual collection of member art, poetry, stories, jokes, and more! Read the 2023-2024 edition today!

Winter Olympics

Initially hosted at the house, MOC olympics started in 2012 with our members competing that year against the outdoors clubs of Sherbrooke and Queens. Find out every winter what the best university in the world is, with events such as hockey, ice-pick-tug-of-war, and more!

March Jams

Not only do MOCers jam on this trip, but they also make jam!

Ice-Breakers

Two separate groups. One paddles, the other hikes. They meet halfway. They switch.

New Members Weekend

A weekend at the MOC house where new members get acquainted with its greatest traditions.

Class Sur Glace

A class-ic meeting — Dress up and skate at Parc La Fontaine!

Open Mic

A recent tradition where the MOC shares its talent – from juggling and comedy to singing and dancing!

Woodsman Weekend (1948-82)

From the MOC library:

The MOC Woodsman’s Competition began in 1948. It attracted teams from all over North America including the Dartmouth Outing Club – a club founded at the turn of the century. Teams of six were required to enter the competition. Each member of that team would then compete in each of eight events.

The events ranged from the traditional to the absurd. ‘Tree Felling,’ an old competition favorite, consisted of logs planted in post-holes being felled and hauled across a finish line. The more lighthearted ‘Water Boiling Contest’ awarded first prize to the team that was able to lay a fire and boil over a gallon of soapy water using the least time. Needless to say, the emphasis of the competition was less on professional Woodsman skills than on a pure spirit of exercise and enjoyment.

The competition continued into the late 1970’s with women’s teams being included after 1975. Before 1956, it was held at Forbes Field with the assistance of the Athletics department. However, after that year’ competition, the director of Athletics Henry Griffin complained of the field’s ‘deplorable condition’ and the Outing Club was left to its own devices in hosting the event. In the early 1980’s the Woodsman’s Competition fell victim to the changing attitudes towards outdoor recreation in general and within the club. In 1982 it was discontinued.

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