The Surprising Fate of Talisman Ski Resort!

There`s been a huge surprise at the Talisman Ski Resort which I want to tell you about, but I`m going to start at the beginning. It was 1963 or '64 when my parents brought me and my sister up to try skiing at a serious ski hill.  My mother had skied a lot (cross-country) when she was in her teens, and wanted to share her joy of being outdoors on our skis with us.  And boy, did we learn a lot and have a lot of fun from a weekend at Talisman.

I can still remember the thrill of flying down that long hill!  I was 14.

In those days, and for many years before and after, thousands of young students got their exposure to downhill skiing at Talisman.  Typically there`d be 20 school buses parked out front Monday to Friday.  Talisman was one of only two ski clubs in this part of Ontario that were public - that is you didn`t have to be a member, just buy your daily ticket.  No wonder it was popular with families.  I even accompanied our daughter on her school trip to Talisman 35 years later.

The business continued for 60 years, at that point owned by Jake Hammer.  A friend and I did a small project for Jake, laying out a snowshoe trail through the large Kimberley Forest just to the south.  But eventually Jake retired and sold the resort to an owner who knew nothing about skiing, or apparently about ski hill management!  The resort went downhill quickly.

Here we can pick up the story with actual photographs, since we moved to the valley in 2010.  In fact I did two previous posts about Talisman, in 2011 and 2013.  

As an introduction, here`s a shot of the entire ski hill, taken from across the valley on the top of Old Baldy.  The most difficult run, the steepest, is on the left; the beginner`s hill is on the right.  Note the road up the right hand border of the hill, where ski chalets sit looking out at the ski runs.  You can see the buildings at the bottom.

Sadly, in 2011, after all those decades of successful operation, the resort closed down, putting 100 people out of work.  The municipality, which had a big tax bill owing, went to a tax sale.  It took two such sales to sell the resort, and for quite awhile local spirits went up.  The new owner promised to restore the resort, even planning a large spa.  It's now well over 10 years later, and I don't know how much restoration has actually happened.

But after two plus years of no maintenance, both the buildings and the golf course out front were deteriorating fast.  You would not recognize the golf course as such for all the weeds that had grown up.

And the ski lifts of the hill, the main investment other than the buildings, were falling apart, rusting as they deteriorated.

This is a view looking down that steepest run, where there is easy access at the top to stand and get a picture.  You can see the buildings t the bottom of the hill, in the centre of the picture.  'More to come in the next post!