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p22 weekender january 24 1987 patrick dinsmore 3 v4 is one of the many area youngsters getting an early start on the downhill slopes thanks to a kinderski program at skyloft ski country club markham and unionville residents make up a large part of the membership of a private ski cooperative located among the rolling hills of uxbridge township pictured here are skyloft members fromleft john oliver sarah meharg doug meharg 198687 presi dent colin roy ann lever and rodney lever fami lies pay a yearly for use of a wide variety of recreation al facilities chris shanahan family atmosphere is key to success at skyloft ski club by chris shanahan staff reporter prince andrew has skied there and american actor lee majors made a movie there yet skyloft ski country club has managed to maintain a fairly low public profile at its picturesque site nestled in the uxbridge countryside but a visit to the facility soon dispells any misconception that its a lowkey exclusive opera tion in fact the private ski co operative is a virtual hive of familyoriented activity a capacity membership of 200 families many of those from the markhamunionville area have access to a multifaceted 106acre facility featuring 16 downhill runs and two tbars theres also an abundance of prime crosscountry opportuni ties both on groomed club trails and within the adjoining durham regional forest tract a clubhouse intentionally featuring the bare essentials rather than a luxury approach if youre not sure what your child will do next you can rent a baldwin before you buy for only per mo blus pst can for tols limiied time offer brooks music studio batdwin keyboard consultant 3 centre st suite 202 above the royal bank 5874796 free introductory lesson guitar piano serves as the hub of a busy so cial calendar skiers also enjoy fun events ranging from dances and game nights to cookouts and potluck dinners its a family club ex plained markhams phyllis cowan one of skylof ts 12 direc tors you dont have to be part of a family but that is the atmos phere of the place she claimed theres a tremendous spirit of co operation among members giv ing the appearance that skyloft is one big family sharing a com mon passion for skiing each director is responsible for the daytoday operation of a specific aspect of the club while adults and children alike play an important support function an executive heading in 198687 by president doug meharg is elected at an annual meeting instruction instruction plays an impor tant role in the skyloft program with skiers of all ages having an excellent opportunity to learn the sport in a safe and proper manner two pros and a large team of qualified instructors provide lessons each saturday and sun day for all levels of skiers rang ing from kinderski to adult we do everything we can to encourage people who cant ski to learn to ski properly according to mrs cowan who noted that free lessons are available to new members and this cuts down on injuries we make it really easy to learn to ski skyloft also boasts canadas largest junior ski patrol and theres also a senior unit com prised of adult club members ski team members take part in frequent competitions against friendly rivals from other clubs such as oshawa batawa devils elbow and lakefield skylofts hills are considered major league with the eleva tions of some of its runs ranking right up there with areas best one slope is nicknamed last chance after a lee majors adventure film shot there sever al years ago and the resort also played host to a highsecurity visit from prince andrew while he was attending school at lakefield history skyloft which remains one of the best kept secrets in south ern ontario skiing has actually been in existence since the 1930s according to an in formation booklet produced by the club back then it was known as the dagmar ski club and was used by the toronto ski club it changed names to become skyloft ski club in 1948 and functioned as a public club for the next 10 years from 1962- 1969 the facility operated on a private basis at this time 20 of the clubs founding members saw sky lofts great future as a family club and agreed to buy it by put ting up 500 debentures and packing the hills by foot when necessary according to a printed history tbars gra dually replaced rope tows tod dlers grew old enough to see their own children on skylofts slopes and many new faces appeared but the spirit of friendship and the love of skiing that has always spelled skyloft will al ways remain