Blue Mountain Ski Resort

Blue Mountain Ski Resort Canada

Currently Blue Mountain Ski Resort is majority owned by Intrawest, a management corporation whose signature is resort villages like Blue Mountain, this resort is rich in history. Blue Mountain began with a partnership between Peter Campbell, a man involved in the development of ski areas in Collingwood, and Jozo Weider, a Slovak native who built a small ski resort in the Carpathian mountains in his twenties and emigrated to Canada with his family at the start of WWII. Development of the Blue Mountain resort started in 1941 with the Weider family performing most of the necessary building, clearing and farming during the summer months. At that time the little ski chalet consisted of a single lift and three runs.

Blue Mountain Skiing

Now, this resort is a major winter destination for Toronto skiers, as well as many other travelers. It is one of the largest resorts in the Ontario area and boasts 34 runs, 13 chairlifts, and 5 freestyle terrains. The resort also maintains a major snowmaking system as well as ski rental and repair facilities located at its Base Lodge. In addition to winter sports, Blue Mountain also offers a variety of sports for the summer months. There are climbing walls and hiking trails, a private beach, miniature golf course and a small water park. Part of this water part is a 2000 foot long mini bobsled track built in 1977 and meticulously maintained with sleds and Teflon runners.

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Much of this beautiful resort has undergone recent renovation and transformation, including a new village, the Blue Mountain Village and new high-speed lifts. The Blue Mountain Village, constructed at the base of the Silver Bullet chair lift, consists of several high quality retail shops, restaurants, a new conference center and a variety of affordable condominium and hotel units. Many more advancements and expansions have been planned for this resort, but the mild 2006/2007 winter season may have seriously undercut Blue Mountain’s plans. Warm temperatures and lack of snow in that area of Canada at that time caused the resort to close during the peak Christmas season. Large-scale snowmaking efforts made it possible to reopen after New Year’s 2007, but the revenue lost may have pushed many projects back temporarily. Regardless of these setbacks, all of this resort’s wonderful features combine to make Blue Mountain Ski Resort a fantastic destination for skiers, snowboarders, bikers, hikers, and anyone who simply enjoys the grad views of the mountains and the peaceful setting of nature.