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from theVillage up into themountain.The
accommodations complex canhouse over 2,000
overnight guests. Amenities in theVillage include
restaurants, spas, shops and conference facilities.
TheVillagemade possible projects that the Jozo
andhis familyhad struggled todevelop.There
hadbeen concerts at a band shell atCentral Base
Lodge, and arts and crafts courses inside the lodges,
manyof these organizedbymywifeBarbara.
Now such activities had traction as a result of
the flowof year-roundhotel guests and visitors.
Musical performances in theVillage plaza had an
uncanny resemblance to the previous attempts. In
the summer of 2015 a large crowd gathered in the
Village square tohearCanadian rock starDavid
Wilcox.Theywere singing, clapping anddancing
to lyrics thatmany knewbyheart. At the edge of
the plazamountainbikerswere descending into
theVillage like armouredknights.Mothers and
fatherswere pushingbaby carriages at the edge of
themillpond, where bigger childrenwere hunting
for frogs among thenaturalmosses plantedby
landscape architects employedby Intrawest.
In the early1950s Jozohadbuilt a chalet forDavid
Wilcox’s grandfather, a fellow immigrant from
Czechoslovakia. It is no longer there, but nearby
is theWalterTrier house, alsobuilt by Jozo. Below
theTrier house is a recentlybuilt hugemodern
residence costing severalmilliondollars. It sits on
the siteofwhatwas once a ramshackle farmhouse
occupiedby theCampbells, descendants of the
originalmid-19th century settlers inCraigleith.
Like Jozo’s family they, too,were engaged in a
survival exercise.They supplemented their income
from farming their rock-strewn landby taking jobs
with Jozo and theyhunted for coins and jewellery
on themountain after the snowmelted.
The themes of entrepreneurship, immigrants and
loving thewinter loom large today, but they have
changedwith the times. Jozo’s original venture is
not likely to be repeated anywhere. Start-up of a
new ski resort of the kind that Jozo built would
be almost impossible because of the costs and
complexity. Jozo’s rope tows cost about $300
each, and even Jozo’s (andOntario’s) first
chairlift, considered state of the art in 1959,
did not exceed $250,000. Before Jozo’s arrival
engineers fromCollingwood Shipyards designed
theRedDevil sleigh tow. Very basic, it carried
only nine skiers to the top of the Schuss. Blue
Mountain’sOrchard lift, built in 2013, was
installed at a cost of $5million. Even if the
moneywere there for land accumulation,
computers and buildings, thewould-be
founder of a new resort would face a host of
environmental and land use controls and a jungle
of red tape and regulations governing operations.
Jozo’s 1950s Ski Barn enclosed agricultural
(apple storage) industrial (pottery), hotel
accommodations and food and beverage services.
Thismixture of uses would have horrified the
planning authorities of today.
Environmentalists, however,might have approved
of Jozo’s farm-to-table food service andhis efforts
not towaste one scrapof lumber andmaterials
that he could scrounge up for his projects.Many
of the projectswerewild andwhacky.Therewas
a failedwater ski towon the pond that is now at
the heart of theVillage. (I tested it and sank). Jozo
built his first ski jump in1954usingboards sawn
onour sawmill at the home farm andbeams from
wreckedbuildings that he scoutedout at auctions
and the yards of salvagemerchants.Hewas excited
whenhe finished the jumponeFebruary afternoon
and extractedme frommy class atCollingwood
Collegiate and tookme out to give it its first trial.
I landed safely and thereweremany competitions
on it after that.
For Jozo recyclingwas amatter of survival.Today’s
environmental policy is systematic anddeliberate.
The resort’sDirector of Planning andEnvironment
LindsayAyers oversees a comprehensive program
that diverts over 350metric tons ofwaste from
landfill each year through composting and
recyclingmeasures.Knowing that loving thewinter
means trying to contain climate change, the resort
encourages employees and customers to “Keep
WinterCool” by reducingwaste and conserving
energy andwater.
In2000, alongwith constructionof theVillage,
Intrawest established theBlueMountainVillage
Foundation.With the support ofBlueMountain
Resorts and stakeholders in theVillage theBMVF
hosts an annual golf tournament andmakes
donations to local charities. I servedon theboard
alongwithGerryWayland, owner ofRemax at
Blue, andBruceMelhuish, owner of SunsetGrill.
Bothmen enjoy conductingbusiness in theVillage.
“I lovedMontTremblant for its history, colour
andbeauty,” saysGerry, a former slalom racer in
Quebec, “butBlueMountain is just as good in that
way and easier toget to. As atTremblant, there’s
a great history and an interesting family that goes
with it.”BruceMelhuishkeepsmeticulous records
While initially shockedbyJozoWeider’s foreign
ways, neighbouring farmers soonadaptedandmany
took jobs at theResort. Theywere used tohardwork on
their farms andwere adept at making equipment work.
