MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2019

WINTER 2019 ML BLUE 33 One of Ontario’s lesser known but highly acclaimed snow sports gems, Beaver Valley Ski Club, just celebrated 50 years steeped in an abundance of contributions to the Ontario and Canadian ski and snowboard scene. Located in the Grey Highlands 30 kilometres southwest of Collingwood, the Club hugs the steep western side of the Beaver Valley. The valley cuts a 40-kilometre swath through the Niagara Escarpment from Flesherton all the way to Georgian Bay at Thornbury. Perched above the village of Kimberley, the Ski Club’s front face—with a view across the valley to the towering limestone cliffs of Old Baldy Conservation Area—swoops down into a deep bowl. Here are some of the steepest runs and most diverse terrain of any Ontario resort. While Beaver Valley officially became a club in 1968, its genesis came as Ontario’s original ski destination in the mid-1930s, pre-dating Blue Mountain’s development. During this era, the Beaver Valley’s gateway town of Flesherton was serviced by a weekend “ski train” from Toronto. In 1936, Beaver Valley hosted the Dominion of Canada National Ski Championship. Organized by the Toronto Ski Club, the Championship attracted 70 competitors from across Canada to compete in downhill and slalom racing in front of 2,500 spectators. According to the Flesherton Advance newspaper, the Toronto Ski Club selected Beaver Valley for its combination of deep snow and steep hills. In 1949, a group of local businessman and Ontario ski enthusiasts founded the Beaver Valley Ski Resort, installing Canada’s longest rope tow at that time. Through the 1950s and ‘ 60s Beaver Valley Ski Resort trailblazed several more ski innovations. In 1951 Beaver Valley hosted the first “ Slalom Racing” ski school in Ontario. In 1961 the Ontario Hydro Ski Club built a ski chalet at the base of Beaver Valley for its members. The Austrian Ski Club followed suit in 1962 with a member chalet at the top of the hill. The Toronto Ski Club provided a loan to help Beaver Valley through a couple of snowless winters around this time. B e a v e r V a l l e y S k i C l u b words :: Steve Jarrett OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Bob Koven’s ski ballet demo; Beaver Valley’s famed Avalanche Bowl, opened in 1978, is Ontario’s steepest bump run and home of Canada’s longest running mogul contest, MogulMania; Barb Lusher shares the Beaver Valley T-bar with a blind skiing student during a 1972 night skiing session; BVSC alumnus Veronica Brenner, Olympic Silver Medalist in Freestyle Ski Aerials, Salt Lake City 2002; Homegrown World Cup winner Kris Makarchuk aces MogulMania, late ‘80s. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY BEAVER VALLEY SKI CLUB