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Canada’s ski heritage is rich, diverse, and filled with stories of dynamic personalities that have had a profound effect on the sport and the country.
This exhibit traces the origins of trail and downhill skiing, ski jumping, and trail and lodge development in the National Capital Region from the late 19th century to the early 1960s.
Historically, the origin of skiing activity in the National Capital Region is inseparable from the founding and evolution of the Ottawa Ski Club. Thus, this exhibit focuses primarily on the beginnings of various efforts of the Ottawa Ski Club. The Canadian Ski Museum acknowledges the existence of a number of other smaller clubs during the period, all of which contributed to the development of skiing, but which disbanded, leaving behind few, if any, records. Foremost among these was the Cliffside Ski Club that existed from 1919 until about 1942, possibly later, and which actively cooperated with the Ottawa Ski Club in lodge and trail development and jumping activities.
