Before Snow Valley Ski Resort became a destination for generations of families, it was a much simpler operation: a group of skiing enthusiasts, a patch of land and, apparently, a little dynamite.
When founders Nick Demy and Bud Rabjohn began clearing trees on the property, leased from Bill Priest in 1952, they needed a way to remove the stumps. According to longtime Snow Valley general manager John Ball, one of the farmers in the area suggested using dynamite rather than spending hours trying to pull them out with horses.
The work was largely done by hand, with volunteers travelling from Toronto to help cut runs and build the first chalet.
It was an unconventional beginning for what would become one of Ontario's family ski destinations. Now, as Snow Valley prepares to celebrate its diamond jubilee season, Ball says the community spirit that brought the resort to life remains central to its identity.
"They were just a group of people that really wanted to ski," he explained about the founders.
On Saturday, the resort will host its 75th Anniversary Open House, in coordination with its annual ski patrol equipment swap. The celebration's theme is "75 Winters, countless firsts."
When Triple S Ski Club was founded, the idea was to operate as a non-profit organization rather than the for-profit business it is today. Triple S stood for "Skiing with Safety and Sociability," with its roughly ten members putting in hours of extra work to maintain the slopes during the season.
After the first season, the group pooled enough money to buy the property from Priest, and it was eventually known as Snow Valley Ski Club.
In 1953, Snow Valley had only two rope tows, three cleared runs and an additional beginner run. Annual membership cost $3, while daily tow tickets were $1 and a season pass was $10.
It became much more of a family affair in 1961, when Austrian Olympic skier Hans Eder and his wife, Christa, purchased the property from founder Murray Anderson. The couple initially lived in what is now the resort's pro shop until the upstairs portion was completed.
"What we're using now as offices were the family bedrooms," Ball said. "When they were here, they actually they lived here... it was almost like inviting people into their own home."
The Eder family operated Snow Valley as a family-owned business until 1987, when they sold Snow Valley to a group of Barrie businessmen who wanted to preserve the resort's legacy while continuing to invest in its future.
Since then, Snow Valley has continued to expand its facilities and programming, including the installation of Canada's first carpet ski lift in 1987, a new triple chairlift in 1990 and the opening of its snow tubing park in 2002.
The resort has also placed an increasing emphasis on introducing younger generations to winter sports, with improvements to its beginner terrain and learning facilities, including a major rebuild of its Adventure Learning Centre ahead of the 2017–18 season.
Listen below to our interview with Snow Valley's General Manager, John Ball
But while the resort has changed considerably since those early days, Ball, who has been the resort's general manager since 2004, said one thing has remained consistent: its connection to the families and employees who have grown alongside it.
"It is a community that spanned from the 50s," he said. "We see people bringing their grandchildren here, but they're the same people that brought their children here, and that we see three and sometimes four generations who have all enjoyed Snow Valley, and they're still coming out."
That connection is also reflected in the resort's workforce, where it's not uncommon for multiple generations of the same family to have worked there.
"Every once in a while, somebody will walk in to sign their kids up for lessons and they'd say 'I used to work here,'" Ball said. "It's really amazing to watch how the young people start here and then 10 years later they come back and they bring their families back with them."
He has experienced it firsthand, saying that he came as a kid with his family to ski before coming back to coach ski racing until 1991, and then returning as the general manager.
The resort has also become an important source of employment for the surrounding community. Ball estimates that between 35 and 40 students from a typical Grade 8 graduating class at Minesing Public School go on to work at Snow Valley.
Since the current ownership group took over in 1987, he estimates the resort has accumulated more than 10,000 employee records.
As Snow Valley prepares to welcome another season, Ball said the resort continues to invest in its facilities and technology, including a recent $3 million investment in snowmaking improvements over the last three years, but its founding philosophy remains much the same.
"It wasn't about building a business, it was about getting together with people and going skiing."
