MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2019

WINTER 2019 ML BLUE 35 The Honorary Mayor of BVSC Bob Koven started skiing at Beaver Valley Ski Club when he was 12. That was in 1967. His father bought a $500 charter membership to the Club–sight unseen–and little Bobby’s life was never the same. Soon discovering the sport of freestyle (then known as hotdogging), he took the inaugural Canadian Freestyle course in Lake Louise, Alberta, taught by John Johnston and Daryl Bowie, and competed against the legendary Wayne Wong. Koven’s love for the sport led him to create the Hot Dog ski program at Beaver Valley when he was around 18. “The rest of the clubs were focused on racing,” he says. “We became known for hotdogging.” That infamy led to the creation of the Mogul Mania event back in 1978 (an event that has run every year since). Koven continues to provide what many would describe as “extra-colourful commentary” for the event. Back in those days, freestyle skiing consisted of three elements: moguls, aerials and ballet. Many images from those years show Koven hucking front flips and doing Daffys (one of these images even led to the rumour that he jumped over the T-Bar cables). But it’s a young man’s game, and soon enough Koven scaled back on the hotdogging. “I wrecked my left shoulder and right knee,” he recalls. “Too many hard landings. It was all about the ultimate carve for me.” Koven switched to telemark skiing, then to snowboarding for a good 20 years, then back to skiing once the shaped skis arrived. But he never stopped skiing and riding at Beaver Valley. Now living full time in Eugenia, Koven is an avid fly fishermen (recently heading to Belize to chase tarpon) and still skis whenever he can (40-plus days a year). He’s rightfully earned the nickname the “Mayor of Beaver Valley” and is one of the grandfathers of freestyle. If you’re really lucky, you’ll hopefully see him and others put on a ballet skiing demonstration in 2019. —Colin Field Bob Koven MC-ing MogulMania. COURTESY OF ARLENE ROBERTSON In 1963 Beaver Valley was among the first resorts in North America to install “ floodlit” night skiing under the leadership of Beaver Valley Ski School Director Bud Hoffman. Hoffman was inducted into Canadian Ski Instructor Hall of Fame in 2001 in recognition of his accomplishments, including the development of famed Molson “ Molstar” Racing Program while at Beaver Valley. Molstar was instrumental in introducing racing at a recreational level throughout Ontario. In 1967 Beaver Valley Ski Resort transitioned to its present day status as a member- funded club to help further its development. The Club grew quickly through the ‘ 70s, opening Avalanche Bowl, Ontario’s steepest sustained run. In 1978, looking for a way to showcase the Avalanche Bowl, ski school director Knute Dohnberg along with “hotdog” ski coach Bob Koven created the iconic MogulMania event. It was an instant success, attracting many of the best hotdog skiers from across the country and generating national media coverage. In the mid-1980s Beaver Valley developed Freefall, in its new South Bowl, as Ontario’s only FIS-recognized World Cup moguls course. Freefall was featured in the 2018 film Molly’s Game as the stand-in for the 2002 Winter Olympics moguls course at Park City, UT. In the late 1980s Beaver Valley added a permanent aerials ski jump training site as hotdog skiing transitioned into freestyle skiing with its debut as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Calgary Olympic Games. BVSC has led Ontario's snow park progression with the innovative Red Bull Session in 2005. Rider: Ryan Ceasar. RICHARD ROTH/COURTESY BVSC