The South Cariboo’s premier downhill ski hill, Mt. Timothy Ski Area, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and the changes and growth, which have taken place over the past quarter century, are truly amazing.
Prior to the development of Mt. Timothy, 100 Mile House had a small family ski hill that overlooked the town and some remnants can still be seen. Williams Lake also had its own hill, Squaw Valley, which changed its name to Timberland after a number of years.
According to Bruce Johnson, one of the original directors for the Mt. Timothy Ski Society, several winters of insufficient snow levels on both ski hills during the late 1970s and early ‘80s had patrons of each searching for another mountain for relocation.
After separately submitting applications for land in the Mt. Timothy area, the 100 Mile House application was accepted and the two groups teamed up to build a new ski area.
Johnson notes it was David Ainsworth, founder of Ainsworth Lumber Company, who had the vision to submit an application for a recreational lease on the selected site.
Volunteers teamed up to perform the work, and in the winter of 1986, layout was done and logging of the proposed ski runs was completed in 1987. Sale of the timber produced cash for further development of the hill, and by autumn, the concrete basement for a ski lodge was built, complete with a roof so it could be used until there were sufficient funds to build the main level.
Before the end of the year, a T-bar style lift was installed, with a portion of the components new, and the spring boxes recycled from Timberland.
The hill, with nine ski runs, opened to the public on Dec. 26, 1987, but opening day was cut short when the lift derailed at 1 p.m. and remained down for the rest of the day. Customers were compensated with a free day pass to be used on a future date. Until bugs were worked out, the T-bar continued to be a problem, says Johnson.
“The spring boxes were old, and if you were small, you got basically launched off the start.”
The official opening of the hill, and ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Jan. 15, 1988, with snow falling and a small crowd of skiers and dignitaries present for the occasion. Bob Phaneuf, president of the Mt. Timothy Ski Society, christened the T-bar with a bottle of champagne and Ainsworth did the honour of cutting the ceremonial ribbon.
The existing facilities were enough to keep people returning, but 2001/02 was a major turning point when the main level of the log ski lodge was added, relieving patrons of the uncomfortable humid conditions in the unventilated basement.
Noel Thompson signed on as ski hill manager in 2001 and stayed until 2011, offering vision and experience that would transform the mountain, and elevate it to another level.
Current manager Adam Piccolo was a mountain employee when Thompson arrived, and recalls an early conversation with him.
“The first thing Noel said to me was the mountain was a diamond in the rough and we just had to polish that diamond.”
Thompson used his wide connections with the ski industry to acquire new pieces of equipment, including a triple chairlift which came from Mt. Washington.
“We still would not have a chairlift if Noel wasn’t here.”
The chairlift was installed and operational for the 2004/05 season, and was a crucial improvement, notes Piccolo.
“We were slowly declining in skier visits. People would skip us for Sun Peaks because of our T-bar. The chair brought us to the next level.”
Thompson is also credited with adding the conveyor and platter lifts.
Piccolo notes that after installation of the chairlift, business at the mountain increased and held at the higher level.
Piccolo, himself, has been a fixture on the mountain since 1998, when he was first employed at the age of 16 as a lift operator.
“I’ve loved every minute of it. I got to learn lots from Noel. He was unofficially grooming me for this position for the day he needed to move on.”
Piccolo says he is proud of the mountain and of the value it provides its customers.
“It’s hard to find another mountain equivalent in size that has lower rates than we do. I haven’t found another one with a chairlift, with prices as low, and our prices are generally lower than the T-bar mountains.”
The ski hill now boasts 35 runs, from easy to expert skill levels, and offers equipment rentals, ski and snowboard instruction for all ages, and food services in the beautiful log lodge.
The Timberland Alpine Ski League also conducts its Rio Tinto Alcan Nancy Greene Ski League youth program on the mountain, for children aged five to 13 years.
Johnson says the future holds possibilities for further expansion of ski run network. While they’ve developed the hill to its maximum elevation, there is still plenty of potential to extend it downwards, and an additional lift is in the master plan, he adds.
