Ski Hill Timeline

A group of ski enthusiasts in the Outdoor Club of Victoria, found that the northwestern slopes of Mount Brenton were ideal. Permission was granted by the logging company to use there roads and regularly ski trips were held from early November to late April.

The club also received permission to stay in an old cabin sores of Silver lake.

– 1950 –

Skiers in the Outdoor Club of Victoria outnumbered other members of the club, on October 30th of 1950 a separate meeting was held and the Victoria Ski Club was formed. Directions were given to the northwest slopes of brenton by the mouth of silver lake and Plans for club include clearing ground and a more colourful name for the club.

Mid November the Nanaimo ski Club was organized, and first settled there own site at round Mt. behind the Diamond Ridge near Ladysmith (a 20 minute drive), but skied at Mt Brenton and Forbidden Plateau as well.

– 1951 –

In 1951 Vancouver Island was plagued with to much snow, only a few trips were made up Mt Brenton because of limited roads access . Early in the year the club held multiple dry-ski schools indoors, and at one point held a ski school, skiing at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria.

A ski patrol of 8 was formed with first aid training from St. John’s Ambulance.

During the summer the club did clearing at the Mt Brenton ski grounds and by the end of the year the club adopted the name SNO BIRDS Ski Club.

– 1952 –

A cabin was discussed in April, construction began in August and was completed just before the snow arrived in November. The cabin measured 30×18 and was located by the mouth of silver lake. In the later part of the year, Ground was cleared for a proposed ski tow. In December the mount Brenton Cup was donated by a group of Americana skiers visiting the ski grounds.

The Nanaimo Ski Club was granted a land permit giving legal use of 5 acres and a 40 year old trappers cabin on top of the lower slopes of Blackjack Ridge at 2300 feet for 25$ a year. The club repaired and readied the cabin for winter use as well as cleared trails and runs.

– 1953 –

Hopes were high for a 400 ft ski tow to be operational by Easter of 1953. However, the construction of the tow was delayed until the summer due to the need for additional ground clearing. During this time, an addition to the cabin was made. Additionally, a new access route to the cabin, referred to as “the short cut,” was established.

The Sno-Birds ski club was accepted into the Western Division of Canadian Amateur Ski Association, allowing the club to host official ski tournaments, and take part in Canadian and international ski meets.

little Wolf Mountain

An old truck is purchase and converted into a 400 ft long ski tow that was able to pull 3 skiers at once.

– 1954 –

The year began with a blizzard that dumped 6 feet of snow in a single weekend. Large snowfalls persisted throughout the winter, resulting in a snow base of over 10 feet on the Brenton slopes and the cabin, which required a 10-hour hike to reach.

During the summer, work was carried out on the cabin to expand sleeping accommodations, and clearing efforts were focused on the upper slopes.

– 1955 –

The ski tow was extended to 500 feet early in the year and then relocated to a new location by the end of the year.

On March 29th, 1955, Mt. Brenton hosted Vancouver Island’s very first Western Canada Ski Association sanctioned competition against the Nanaimo Ski Club.

– 1956 –

A new motor for the tow replaced the old one in a permanent location with a shed built over it. The tow was lengthened to 700ft and a centre pilot was added for stability. The tow was now able to pull 5 skiers up the mountain.

– 1957 –

The rope tow was further extended to 750 feet. CHECK TV produced a “movie” highlighting the Sno-Birds on Mt.Brenton, which led to a significant increase in new club members.

During the summer, a second 1,000-foot ski tow was built above the original 750-foot ski tow, situated just outside the cabin. Additionally, two primary ski slopes were bulldozed to remove any stumps.

The cabin was vandalized and destroyed by fire. The club plan’s to build a new 30×40 lodge.

– 1958 –

The old cabin was vandalized for the second time as well as the tow rope was cut. The club begins construction of the new lodge. Mountain operations were curtailed dew to lack of snow.

– 1961 –

On February 8, 1961, an announcement was made that Mount Brenton would be abandoned as a skiing location to make way for the development of the Green Mountain ski site. Another announcement indicated that the ski tows would also be relocated to the Green Mountain site. It was noted that the logging company, with which only a verbal agreement had been established for access, actively closing off the roads to the Mt. Brenton ski hills.

Due to the combination of road closures and unfavorable winter conditions resulting in a lack of snow, the ski season was significantly shortened. By September, both ski tows had been successfully relocated to Green Mountain.

Tragically, during a hiking trip, a group of three Boy Scouts encountered a blizzard resulted in the unfortunate passing of one member, only a few hundred feet from the cabin.