WINTER
2017
75 years of blue
Snowcoveredhills
havealwaysbeena lure, attractingall ages to slide. In the1930s,
pioneers in the fledgling sport of skiingbegan flocking to theEscarpment slopesnear—whatwas
thena shipbuilding town—Collingwood. Theybeganbyclimbingupand skiingdown thehillsat the
northendofwhat isnowBlueMountainResort. (ThenameBlueMountainswas first usedbyCharles
Rankinwhenhe started surveying the landon the south shoreofNottawasagaBay in1833).
TheBlueMountainSkiClub (BMSC)was formedbyagroupof local ski enthusiasts in1935.
TheTorontoSkiClub (TSC),whichwas formed in1924,was the leader inorganizing trips to this
area. These twoclubsworkedclosely togetherandby1941 theyhad installed two rope tows, a
sleigh towcalledTheRedDevil, anda logclubhouse.
Born inCzechoslovakia in1909, JozoWeiderwasa smart, energetic risk-taker,withanuncanny
eye forbusinessopportunities. Skiing sincehecouldwalk, hebuilt hisownchalet/home in the
Carpathianmountains rangewhere throughout the1930s, hewouldhouseasmanyas40guests,
act asa ski andclimbingguideandevenentertain them—hewasquiteadeptwith theaccordian.
In1939, Jozo, hiswifeHelenand their first child,Georgeemigrated toCanada—escaping the
Nazis.Aftera short stay inBCand then inQuebec, the familyarrived in theBlueMountainarea in
the springof1941at the invitationof PeterCampbell (later tobecomeSenatorCampbell).
Campbell,whomet Jozowhileona ski holiday inQuebec,was instantly impressedwith Jozo’s
ideas, personalityandworkethicandofferedhim financial backing. The twopartnered to form
BlueMountainResorts Limited later that year, acquiringnineacresof land fromTSCandBMSC in
order tobuilda ski lodge.Witha salary that covered livingexpensesalongwitha25-percent
shareof thecompany’sprofits, Jozowasemployedasa ski instructorand sportsdirector.And so
began Jozo’s remarkable tenure that saw thedevelopment of BlueMountainResorts.
The impact that BlueMountainResortshashadon this region is immeasurableand thereare
countless storiesandmemories from ‘back in theday’.We spokewith four skierswho rode the
original liftsat Blueandwhoknew JozoWeiderandhis family. Their stories follow...
*
In the1940s, visiting skiers arriving by
train at the little station inCraigleith had to
make a challenging, uphill trek to the
bottom of the tows, either by climbing or by
hopping on a horse-drawn sleigh for a small
fee. Early trailswere established onSchuss,
andKhandahar at the north end and ‘OHill’
on the south side. “It takes its name from
the large letter once painted on the lime-
stone crest of the escarpment, flanked by an
‘L’ on each adjacent promontory. Together
the three letters LOL announced the Loyal
Orange Lodge far out intoGeorgianBay.
They identify themen’s society of Protestant
Irish origin that camewith Irish immigrants
toCanada in the1830s.”
~Looking forOldOntario:
TwoCenturies of LandscapeChange
ByThomas F.McIlwraith
1948 - climbing up SandHill fromCraigleith TrainStation to theBlueMountainSki Trails.
Courtesy: theCraigleithHeritageDepot, BlueMountains PublicLibrary.
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