User:Leventio/sandbox
| Blue Mountain Resorts | |
|---|---|
| File:REMEMBER TO ADD IN REAL | |
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  Blue Mountain Resorts Location within Southern Ontario | |
| Location | The Blue Mountains, Ontario, Canada |
| Mountain | Niagara Escarpment |
| Nearest major city | Barrie, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 44°30′10″N 80°18′43″W / 44.50278°N 80.31194°W |
| Status | Active |
| Opened | 1941 |
| Owner | Alterra Mountain Company |
| Vertical | 220 m (720 ft) |
| Top elevation | 450 m (1,480 ft) |
| Base elevation | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Skiable area | 147 ha (360 acres) |
| Trails | 43 |
| Longest run | 1.6 km (0.99 mi) |
| Total length | 35 km (22 mi) |
| Lift system | 7 chairlifts 4 surface lifts[note 1] |
| Lift capacity | 26,750 passengers per hour |
| Terrain parks | Yes, 3 |
| Snowfall | 44 centimetres (17 in) |
| Snowmaking | Yes, 145 ha (360 acres)[1] |
| Night skiing | Yes |
| Website | www |
Etymology
[edit]The Blue Mountains refers to a portion of the Niagara Escarpment that streches from Osler Bluff, which overlooks Pretty River Valley Provincial Park, to Georgian Peaks where the escarpment is interupted by the Beaver Valley.[2]
The earliest recorded instance of "Blue Mountains" moniker in reference to the area's hills and valleys was in 1819, in John Jeremiah Bigsby's book Shoe and Canoe by Bigsby.[3] However, the "Blue Mountains" moniker often attributed to Charles Rankin, who referred to the area as the Blue Mountains when surveying the area in 1833.[2] The reason why "Blue Mountain" moniker was used remains unclear.[3]
The resort used the Blue Mountain moniker in May 1941 when it was established as Blue Mountain Resorts Limited,[3] although it only occupies parts of the wider Blue Mountains range.
History
[edit]Background
[edit]The area's development as a ski destination began in 1924 with the formation of the Toronto Ski Club. Progress accelerated in 1935 when the Blue Mountain Ski Club, later renamed the Collingwood Ski Club, opened in the area and the first ski trails were developed on the escarpment, Granny, Schuss, and Kandahar, were cut into the Niagara Escarpment.[3]
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In 1940, the two ski clubs partnered to purchase 81 hectares (200 acres) of land on the escarpment and hired Herman Smith-Johannsen to assist in the development of the area's ski trails.[3]
Establishment
[edit]In May 1941, Jozo Weider, a Slovakian political refugee and chalet builder, partnered with Peter Campbell, a Toronto-based ski instructor and lawyer to purchase 3.6 hectares (9 acres) of land from the Toronto Ski Club and Blue Mountain Ski Club, and formed Blue Mountain Resorts Limited.[3] Peter Campbell served as the resort's financier and business advisor, while Jozo Weider held a 25 per cent stake in the resort and was employed as its sports and ski director.[3][4]
The first ski season began later in 1941, with most visitors arriving by a ski train that departed from Toronto. A barn on the property served as the first ski lodge or "ski barn". The ski train service was briefly discontinued in 1943 due to logistical needs of the Second World War.[3]
In 1948, the resort signed a 999-year lease for the parts of the Niagara Escarpment the ski clubs controlled, in exchange for granting the clubs increased shares in the resort. The next year, an additional 61 hectares (150 acres) of land south of the main ski area was acquired by the resort, and its "ski barn" was renovated to provide après ski entertainment and overnight accomodations.[3]
Expansion in the late 20th century
[edit]
A resort town began to form around Blue Mountain Resorts during the 1950s as frequent visitors built ski shacks near the north end of the resort. In 1953, the Weider opened Blue Mountain Pottery in order to support the resort's finances during the skiing off-season. The resort was also expanded during the 1950s, with a ski jump installed and new trails cut. Weider would also acquire majority ownership of the resort in 1964 with the passing of Campbell in 1964.[3]
During the 1960s, Blue Mountain Resorts underwent significant expansion, driven by improved access from regular snowplowing on Ontario Highway 400 and Highway 26, which made it easier for visitors from the Greater Toronto Area to reach the resort. This includes the installation of four chairlift in 1960s. The original ski barn was replaced by the Blue Mountain Inn in 1963, and the Central Base Lodge was constructed in 1969. To finance this development, Weider sold off Blue Mountain Pottery in 1967, although retained the 4.0 hectares (10 acres) of land located across the pottery factory, opting to build a large resteraunt, shopping centre and planetarium near the resort.[3]
The resort continued to expand following Weider's death in 1971. During the 1970s, three additional chairlifts were installed, along with the resort's first snowmaking guns and lighting for night skiing.[3]
In 1977, Blue Mountain introduced its first summer attraction, the "Great Slide Ride", featuring two parallel concrete tracks. Additionally, the resort partnered with a private entity to acquire 150 hectares (380 acres) of land for the development of a golf course, which opened in the 1980s as Monterra Golf.[5] Additional summer attractions were added at the resort in the 1980s with the installation of tennis courts, waterslide, and the acquisition of Blue Mountain Beach at Georgian Bay.[3]
The resorts winter offerings were also expanded during the 1990s, with the opening of of its first snow tubing park, the allowance of snowboarding and glade skiing on the resort in the 1990s.[3] In 1999, Intrawest acquired 50 per cent ownership of Blue Mountain Resorts from the Weider family.[5]
21st century
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In the 2000s, the Blue Mountain began to expand its resort village with the construction of a conference centre, along with several hotels, retail shops and resteraunts, and resort homes at Blue Mountain Village.[3] Intraweset's investment in the ski village resulted in 700,000 skier visits by 2006, making Blue Mountain Resort become the third-busiest ski resort in Canada after Whistler Blackcomb and Mont Tremblant Resort.[5] The resort also expanded its summer offerings in the 2000s with the addition of an open-air gondola in 2005, an aquatic centre in 2006, an alpine coaster in 2010, along wiith a putting green and zip lining.[3]
In February 2013, the resort announced the Orchard section of the mountain would be developed to include six additional runs and a six person high-speed chairlift. Construction began in the spring of 2013 and was completed early in the 2013-2014 ski season, The total cost of the expansion was $10 million.[6][7] opening to the public in Demcember 2013.[8]
In 2017, KSL Partners and Henry Crown and Company acquired Intrawest and Blue Mountain Resorts in 2017, with the new parent company renamed Alterra Mountain Company in 2018.[3]
Terrain
[edit]Blue Mountain Resort spans the Niagara Escarpment near the southern shoreline of the Nottawasaga Bay, a southern sub-bay of the Georgian Bay.
The resort has a skiable area of 147 hectares (360 acres) made up of 43 named trails. Of these name trails, 30 are lit for night skiing. The longest run on the mountain is 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi), named Gord's Groove.[1]
Lifts
[edit]
As of 2024[update], the resort operates seven chairlifts and four surface lifts. The chairlifs at Blue Mountain include five high-speed six-seat chairlifts, one quad chairlift, and one triple chairlift. This provides the resort with an uphill capacity of 26,750 people per hour. The resort also operates an open-air gondola lift, although this lift only operates duing the skiing off-season.[1]
The first ski lift on the grounds of the resort was a sleigh tow lift installed in 1937. The lift was used until it was replaced by a Poma lift in 1955. A double chairlift was opened at the resort in 1960, the first chairlift to be opened in the province. The resort built an addition double chairlift in 1965, and an additional two in 1969. By 1979, the resort had three triple chairlifts, five double chairlifts, four Poma lifts, three T-bars and one rope tow.[3]
The resort began to replace its double chairlifts in the 1980s with the replacement of one with a quad chairlifts. This was followed with the replacement of another with a high-speed six-seat chairlift in 1997. The resort expanded the number of lifts it operated in the 2000s, replacing the chairlift the resort opened in 1960 with a high-speed six seat chairlift, adding its first magic carpet lift for use on its beginner runs, and installing an open-air gondola lift in 2004 as an attraction during the skiing off-season.[3]
Resort
[edit]Village
[edit]Activities
[edit]Events
[edit]- FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup - Ski Cross - 2010, 2011, 2012,
2016, 2017, 2019 - FIS Snowboard World Cup - Snowboard Cross - 2012, 2013
- FIS Snowboard World Cup - Parallel Giant Slalom - 2020, 2023
Snowfall
[edit]See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ In addition to chairlifts and surface lifts, the resort also operates an open-air gondola. However, this lift is not used during the winter season.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Mountain Stats". www.bluemountain.ca. Blue Mountain Resorts. 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b Krueger, Ralph (April 2018). "A Brief Natural History" (PDF). watershedtrust.ca. Blue Mountain Watershed Trust Foundation. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Time Line History Trail". www.bluemountain.ca. Blue Mountain Resorts. 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ "75 Years of Blue". www.escarpmentmagazine.ca. Escarpment Magazine. 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Avery, Roberta (18 January 2007). "A mountain of history at popular resort". www.thestar.com. Toronto Star Newspapers. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ^ Ungar, Josh (February 17, 2013). "Blue Mountain to invest $10 million in new trails, terrain and chairlift". CityNews Toronto. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
- ^ "Blue Mountain Gets Even Larger - Resort Invests $10-Million in Major Terrain Expansion for Winter 2013/14". Yahoo Finance. February 17, 2013. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
- ^ McLeod, Mariane McLeod (December 24, 2013). "New Runs Open At Blue". Bayshore Broadcasting. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
External links
[edit]- Official website
Media related to Blue Mountain Resort at Wikimedia Commons
