The Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-12-13, Page 53GOD -ERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1979-PAQE 13B
Ontario ski resorts offer varied attractions
COLLINGWOOD — If
you're a skier you no
longer have to give a darn
just where it comes from
as long as it's snow.
But from a computer?
That's the
technological way of
things at Collingwood's
Blue Mountain, where the
mere press of a button or
two will make you think
you're in Alaska.
Blue Mountain will
need extra snow this
winter, however, because
it's lighting two of its
favorite runs for night
skiing.
This skier's paradise,
with the longest vertical
drops this side of Thunder
Bay, keeps pouring dough
into what has become the
domain of the most
challenging aficionado. It
spent $1 million last year
and will exceed that this
season by installing an
electrical system that'll
turn night into day, not to
mention its new $80,000
snow grooming "cat".
Mount St. Louis,in the
Barrie area, also
deserves an accolade for
keeping up with the times
of today's skier by adding
another 100 feet to its
previous 400 foot drop,
installing new triple
chairs, and enhancing
snow -making for a total
outlay of $700,000.
If you don't think that
alpine skiing is here to
stay, just study what's
going on at Calabogie
Peaks, in the upper
Ottawa River Valley,
where they're readying a
reservoir (for snow
making) that'll hold two
million gallons of water.
And, at around Christ-
mas -time, when the
reservoir freezes over, its
surface will become a
' giant skating rink.
Calabogie. s' holding
tank will run to $100,000
and exclusiue.wof the new
six, three-bedroom
condominiums it's built
for weekend guests, its
improvement endeavor
including rebuilt T -bars,
will cost about $150,000.
More than 20 of
Ontario's 100 notable ski
resorts this year have
poured in about $3 -million
to improve not only their
hills but their premises to
offset the exorbitant
prices of a skiing holiday
in Europe these days.
The run-down of ex-
penditures on new ski
development in Ontario
year after year never
ceases to be staggering•
not only on lifts and hill
grooming but on apres ski
as well.
A prime example is
Mount Packenham, in the
upper Ottawa Valley
Region, which installed a
Snow reports
are available
by phone
Snow condition reports
from the co-operative
system of the Ontario Ski
Resort Owners
Association and the
Ontario Ministry of
Industry and Tourism
Will be published again
this winter in the sports
pages of The Globe and
Mail.
Included with these
Ontario listings will be
reports from New York
State, Quebec and
Western Canada.
Snow conditions will be
listed as GOOD, FAIR,
POOR or SPRING with a
LIMITED designation
added to the other ratings
for special weather and
operating conditions.
Ski area operators rate
their snow from the
following guidelines:
GOOD— Packed
natural, man-made or
machine -groomed snow
on a packed base with no
bare spots and less than
10 percent icy spots on the
normal runs.
FAIR — Machine -
groomed, packed base
with more than 10 percent
icy spots on the normal
runs and less than 10
percent bare spots or
other conditions such as
hard -packed or. wet snow
r on these same runs.
POOR — Icy slopes
with more than 10 percent
new dining lounge and
with extensive hill
grooming spent over
$150,000.
But Ontario skiing isn't
confined to ascending
hills by chair lifts and T -
bars. There's the more
rugged set who prefer to
do their skiing cross -
,country style and there
are about 300 areas to test
this ever-growing phase
of the sport.
All alpine resorts and
cross-country areas are
listed in the Ontario -
Canada Winter 1980
which is available free,
along with other valuable
information by writing:
Ontario Travel, Dept.
G.K., Queen's Park,
Toronto, M7A 2E5.
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bare spots on the normal
runs.
SPRING — Mild
temperatures, corn snow,
changing conditions from
firm to loose granular
snow.
LIMITED — This
designation will be used
after the condition rating
when less than 50 percent
of slopes or lifts are in
service.
Ron Parrott, general
manager at Talisman
Resort in Kimberley and
president of the resort
owners association, said
it'""will continue policing
the snow condition
reports by means of an
independent team. The
policy, instituted a couple
of years ago to respond to
complaints of inaccurate
ratings has resulted in
better conditions
reporting and far fewer
unhappy ski customers."
The Ontario Travel
Centre at Barrie tran-
smits snow reports
directly to the Globe. In
addition, the.Barrie office
offers a 24-hour, snow -
condition reporting
service for the public.
Skiers in the Metro
Toronto area may get
latest snow reports by
„dialing 364-4722, 364-4855
or 364-4785. The long-
distance number is 705-
726-0932.
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