HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-03-09, Page 16Serving over
Wingham Mount Forest, Milverton, Elmira, Palmerston, Harnston, Brussels, Atwood, MonkYon, Millbank, Newton, Clifford, WallensYein, Drayton, Moorefield and Arthur. Wednesday, March 9, 1983.
homes in Listowel,._..__.. _.....__......_
Haven for ski addicts
Collin
For those who have been bitten by the
downhill ski bug, gracefully descending a
snowy slope in the crisp winter air can
become the quintessential sport in their
lives.
The addictive power of downhill skiing
should not be underestimated. There is a
freedom to be attained in downhill skiing
that cannot be obtained in other sports. To
cut a path through freshly fallen snow at
breath -taking speeds can give a person a
euphoric feeling of escape and there is no
better place to get that feeling than on Blue
Mountain in Collingwood.
Not a ponderous, brooding mountain by
those accustomed to the Rockies or even the
Arirondacks, but the exposed remnants of
the Niagara Escarpment offer the most ex-
tensive selections of ski runs and facilities
anywhere in Ontario.
With 30 different runs on Blue Mountain it
beckons Ontario's ski enthusiasts to its
slopes. The various runs range from simple
enough for the beginner to being able to
challenge even seasoned skiers.
Blue Mountain is not however, just
wood calls
another slope to be skied and forgotten. It is
situated in one of Ontario's most beautiful
locations on Georgian Bay. The rolling hills'
are decorated with woodlots which in turn
are blanketed in a cover of snow, all giving a
pleasing esthetic value to what can be a
memorable ski trip.
Blue Mountain is centrally located for
Ontario's ski "bums". it is situated 13
kilometres west of Collingwood just off
Highway 26 on Blue Mountain Road.
A scant two hours from the heartland of
midwestern Ontario, Blue Mountain's
famous slopes become even more attractive
because of their accessability.
Lift tickets at the resort are $18 for adults
on weekends and during the Christmas
break and $16 through the week. Adults are
considered 13 years old and up. Children are
$14 on weekends and during the Christmas
break and $12 through the week. That lift
ticket entitles the skier the use of the 12
chairlifts, six pomas and five rope tows
from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Afternoon lift tickets are available for $14
on weekends and during the Christmas
break and at $12 through the week with
skiing from 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. Night
skiing is also available at Blue Mountain
with costs ranging from $12.50 at peak
weekend times to just $5 for students during
midweek.
A simple rope tow lift can also be obtained
for $4.
While some of those prices may seem a
trifle expensive, in respect to the variety of
slopes offered the skier is actually getting
good value for his money.
There are 30 different runs on Blue
Mountain all interconnected. The Peaks,
which are located four miles away from
Blue Mountain proper can be reached by a
complimentary bus shuttle service, and one
lift ticket is all that is required for any of the
slopes.
The Peaks offer the skier.a vertical drop
of 820 feet and a ski run of more than a mile
and a half. -
Blue Mountain is not just for expert or
veteran skiers. Beginners are welcomed on
the slopes and the beginner can obtain
lessons if they wish to have the benefit of
some instruction before they tackle the
slopes.
Skiers can take either group or private
lessons with classes at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and
two p.m.
A one-hour group lesson costs $8.50, a one-
hour private lesson costs $21. With two
people the cost of the lesson is $28 and with
three people the cost of the lesson is $36.
Accommodations at Blue Mountain are
plentiful, but during the peak season rooms
are still hard to come by, it is advisable to
book ahead.
The Blue Mountain Inn, located at the foot
of Blue Mountain offers a wide range of
activities when you're through skiing. The
Inn has indoor swimming, squash,
raquetball, a whirlpool, sauna and an ex-
cercise room. Packages for the Inn are
available ranging from a midweek package
.at $135 to a five-day ski experience for $335.
On particularly cold days the- skier need
not worry about being left out to freeze at
the base of the mountain when the elements
finally take their toll. There are five base
lodges all with food and refreshments
available. Dancing and music enhance the
apres-ski scene and round out the Moun-
tainside atmosphere of Blue Mountain.
Just a few minutes away in Collingwood
there are many fine restuarants and shops.
There are also night spots to take in, such as
the Arlington Hotel, the "in" place for the
apres-ski crowd.
Motel -hotel accommodation can be
booked through the Georgian Bay Triangle
Lodging Association which is open from 9:00
a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and
8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through
Friday during the ski season. Motels can
range from the very economical located up
to 20 miles from the mountain to the Blue
Mountain Inn. The range in price is $29 to $96
at the Blue Mountain Inn based on double
occupancy.
For the beginning skier who is not likely to
have their own equipment, rentals are
available from the base lodges at the
mountain.
There is no need to worry about the lodge
not being able to outfit you with skis, Blue
qh.
qk'
Mountain carries more than 1,000 pairs of
brand name skis in five different lengths.
The shops are staffed • with skilled
technicians who are capable of handling
most problems skiers can -encounter on the
slopes.
Skis, boots and poles cost $12.50 to rent for
an entire day and $47.50 for rental from
Monday to Friday. Anyone renting equip-
ment must leave their driver's licence and a
$100 deposit to guarantee the return of the
equipment. The rental cost also includes
Provincial sales tax and breakage in-
surance.
Skiers must be conscientious on the slopes
and aware at all times of the skiers around
them. It is imperative that skiers stay in
control at all times to avoid serious
collisions.
Skiing can become an integral part of your
winter activity and is an excellent form of
winter excercise.
Skiing can be costly, but is a unique form
of winter sports. Try downhill skiing,
Collingwood calls.
'4.
by Shawn
Denstedt
9,C
ti
•
9n'
THRILL-SEEKER—Skiers can make their own thrills on miniature jumps that add to
the fun and excitement on Blue Mountain. Mike Campbell from Milverton executes a
lump over one of the many small "ski ramps.
LIFT TO THE TOP—There are over 30 different ski runs on Blue Mountain accessible TRAILS AT THE TOP—Skiers can reach the surrounding slopes•
by a series of trails
by 12 chair lifts, six pomas and five tow ropes. This lift is a triple chair lift taking skiers at the top of the mountain. These trails lead to adjoining ski runs and skiers can run
to the top of the main slope, Big Baby. the garput of Blue Mountain travelling across the slopes this way.
9y
:
•
VERNON CLEMME , a retired farmer, has found the perfect
hobby in raising canaries. The birds greet each morning with
44
cheerful song providing entertainment and company for their
owner.
Elmira household a chorus of song
Vernon Clemmer raises,
breeds and sells canaries
As the first light of dawn finds its way
through the basement window of the Vernon
Clemmer home in Elmira. a chorus of song
alerts the household that another day has
begun.
The cheerful, melodious morning salute
comes from the male canaries which Mr.
Clemmer raises, breeds and sells as a
hobby. A retired farmer,, who needed a town
hobby, Mr. Clemmer found the perfect
answer in canaries.
Canaries are livestock which require
ntion and care but an added bonus is the
song which rewards an owner's
althy canary chirps, sings and
providing entertainment
atte
beautifu
,efforts. A he
plays in its cage,
and company for its owner.
Mr. Clemmer first becam
canaries in 1975 when he and his
thought the canaries would provide a
teresting diversion for residents in a hom
where they worked near London. The idea
wasn't successful but their daughter took
the canaries until they retired from the
home and about four years ago Mr. Clem -
mer took over the job again.
Today he finds the canaries a very inter-
esting hobby but admits that at first he knew
little about them. He recalls with a laugh
when the first egg was hatched: "i thought
the first one was a worm. I thought it would
never live,"
Baring little resemblance at birth to the
parents, the baby canary grows quickly,
however, and in six to eight weeks is almost
full feathered.
Mating begins in early spring, although
depending on the climate, some breeders
begin mating on Valentine's Day. The birds'
e interested in
wife Mary
n in-
habits will tell a breeder when they are
ready. Besides a mating call, the male
canary will feed the female and a nest
should be provided when the female begins
to pick up paper and feathers in preparation
for a nest.
Mr, Clemmer provides the female with a
plastic form of a net lined with cloth. The
expectant motheroes the rest with
shredded burlap Mr. Clemmer puts in the
cage for her use.
The mother lays from four to six tiny blue
eggs, about 12 inch in length which hatch in
two weeks. Mrs. Clemmer jokes that the
canary parents are "modern" the father
shares in the waiting and caringfor the
young. Although uncommon, Mr. Clemmer
has even seen one male sit on the nest while
the mother late. Most often the male will feed
the female while she is nesting. And he helps
,feed the young when they arrive,
The adults are fed seed but they also enjoy
lettuce, sweet apple and endive. The young
are fed a special mixture of hard boiled egg,
baby hablum and powdered milk which Mr.
Clemmer mixes and provides for the
parents.
There are many different br
canaries. The most popular color is ye
but white, green and red have been de-
veloped over the years by breeders. The ori-
ginal wild canary was a small, brown hued
bird which was shipped from what is today
the Canary Islands and entered Europe in
large numbers in the early 1600s. Breeding
became popular and while the Germans
concentrated on developing exceptional
singers. the English bred for color and
eds of
ow
variety.
Mr. Clemmer raises yellow and white
Chopper and Roller Cross canaries. While
the most popular color is yellow, the male is
also popular because it is the male who
sings. The female chirps but does not sing.
Mr. Clemmer has had no trouble with
sickness or disease in his canaries and says
that keeping the birds and their cages clean
is important.
He changes the water daily and keeps
perches and the floor of the cages clean as
well. The canaries bath and keep_ them-
selves clean. Fluctuations in room tetnpera-
ture can be fatal to a canary.
Stories of canaries which die when left
alone are not uncommon but Mr. Clemmer
feels a canary should be trained from the
time it is young. Leaving the radio on for
company when you leave can help.
Female canaries may not live more than
five or six years because of breeding. Young
females should only be bred once a year but
mature females can be bred more often.
Males live longer, some have been known to
live as long as 16 years.
Mr. Clemmer keeps the birds as a hobby
and says his operation is "small scale".
After hatching he may have as many as 24
birds before selling them privately.
bout two months after the hatching the
males begin to exercise their vocal Chords
and after four months, they have a mature
singing voice. And for awhile, the morning
chorus at the Clemmer house is embellished
with more voices until peach finds a new
home, taking a cheerful song to brighten an-
other's morning.
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