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From the Vault: Celebrating 75 Years of Blue Mountain Resort — Part 2

  • January 24, 2017
  • Ben Osborne
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After 14 years of publishing Mountain Life in Ontario, we finally gained access to The Vault—Blue Mountain Resort’s historical archive stretching back to 1941, the year Jozo Weider founded the resort. For this 75th anniversary issue tribute we’ve searched through many boxes of unseen material and conducted interviews with BMR insiders. We’ve selected these 75 images and anecdotes—in no particular order—that commemorate life at Blue since that long-ago first winter season of ‘41/’42. We hope you find them every bit as enlightening as we did.

 

11
Photo courtesy of BMR

11. MAKING FLAKEY
This shot may be retro but BMR’s new high-temp/low-energy snowguns can make snow at -2.5 or -3ºC, meaning mild winters don’t have as severe an impact on resort operations. The system can can pump 14,000 gallons of water and 20,000 cubic feet of air per minute to make snow. This makes it one of North America’s most advanced snowmaking facilities.

12
Photo courtesy of TSC

12. TORONTO SKI CLUB
Formed back in the mists of 1924, the TSC boasted over 7,000 members by the year of Blue’s establishment. Originally based out of facilities in Caledon, the Toronto Ski Club trails were reputed as treacherous, boasting stumps, rocks, ravines and thick forested runs. Together with the Blue Mountain Ski Club (later renamed the Collingwood Ski Club) the TSC purchased over 350 acres of land in 1940, on which Big Baby, O-Hill and L-Hill currently reside.

 

13
Photo: Nelson Phillips

13. KANDAHAR
One of the original three runs cut at Blue Mountain in 1941 alongside Schuss and Granny, Kandahar was named after a battle victory in Afghanistan by British Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts. A competition, the Roberts of Kandahar Challenge Cup, was held annually at Mürren, Switzerland in his honour. After Robert’s retirement from the military, he became vice-president of the Public Schools Alpine Sports Club in 1903. The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup circuit uses the name Kandahar for races to this day.

 

14
Photo courtesy of BMR

14. CATCH RAYS, OR CATCH AIR?
Your call.

 

15
Photo: Nelson Phillips

15. SMART ALEC ALE
Made in cahoots with Creemore Springs Brewery, Blue Mountain’s
75th Anniversary Smart Alec Ale is a Kolsch style brew beaming with
citrus and a lovely grainy, bready character with hints of fresh pear,
and a delicate grassy hop aroma. It’ll be on tap at Jozo’s in the Blue
Mountain Inn, and the new Bullwheel Pub at South Base Lodge.

 

16
Photo courtesy of Patrick Egan

16. HAPPY PATROLLERS
This shot is jam-packed with hillside shenanigans.

 

17
Courtesy of BMR

17. WATER SKI POMA
Touted as “America’s 1st”, we could not find any photos of this poma in action and according to George Weider the summer venture—on the original snowmaking reservoir that became the Mill Pond—was shortlived. Noted painter Robert Kemp illustrated the brochure.

 

18
Courtesy of BMR

18. MARIJANE’S LANE
This trail is named after the first full-time ski-patroller to be employed by Blue Mountain, Marijane Thomas. A friend of Jozo Weider, Thomas helped shape the early days of Blue’s redcoats.

 

19
Courtesy of BMR

19. CAR CULTURE
When dedicated ski trains were discontinued in the 1950s, the automobile took up the slack.

 

20
Courtesy of BMR

20. LIVE APRÈS
Is that Dire Straits playing in the background?

 

You might also like:

JozoJumpFROM THE VAULT: CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF BLUE MOUNTAIN RESORT—PART 1
BMR founder Jozo Weider oversaw the construction of this 50-metre jump just a year before his death in a car accident in 1971. The jump was named in memory of Pete Pettersen, a Norwegian who had developed ski jumping programs in Ontario in the 1950s. The jump was the site of the North American ski jumping championships… Read more

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  • Blue Mountain
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There is a trend—mostly with tourism organizations and marketing departments, but travel journalists have been on board for a while now too… and the trend is to use the phrase “untouched wilderness” when writing about remote areas like the Skeena Mountains of northern B.C.
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There is a trend—mostly with tourism organizations and marketing departments, but travel journalists have been on board for a while now too… and the trend is to use the phrase “untouched wilderness” when writing about remote areas like the Skeena Mountains of northern B.C.
Help us wish ML Publisher @glenedwardharris a very happy, pow filled birthday! #mountainlifer
Live It Up EP 22 is OUT NOW!
NEW ML Coast Mountains Winter-Spring ’23 Issue is OUT NOW! 🙌
There are some first times that we will always remember. Like the time I skied off-piste through the alpine highlands of le parc national de la Gaspésie.
@shimizuimg getting those January goods ❄️ #mountainlifer
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