Sports and recreation facility.

Details of Site Location: The edge of the Don Valley on an unused portion of a hydro right-of-way. The actual spot was located slightly south of the end of Wicksteed Avenue and just behind the Linda Linstrom warehouse of today, in the industrial section of Leaside. If the ski jump existed today it would be almost opposite the back of the Ontario Science Centre.

Boundary History: The jump occupied several acres.

Current Use of Property: The hydro right-of-way.

Historical Description: Built in 1933, the Thorncliffe Ski Jump was designed by Fred Hall, an experienced jumper and member of the Toronto Ski Club. The tower was 65 feet high, the top of the landing hill was 35 feet wide, the landing hill was 65 feet wide, and the outrun.was 300 feet. The ski jump was used throughout the 1930s. Some time during World War II, the tower was dismantled, ending the Thorncliffe Ski Jump and in fact ending ski jumping in the Toronto area. Right from the beginning, some exciting events occurred there that should be remembered and recognized. As hosts of the February 1934 Ontario Championships, the Toronto Ski Club planned to hold them at their new ski jump. For this occasion, with ski jumpers coming from across Canada and the U.S., every effort had been made to have the jump ready. Along with a smaller practice jump, it was finished just two weeks before the big event. Then, two days before the February 13 meet, there was a typical Toronto thaw, melting all of the snow. The solution came from some of the club members who were skaters as well as skiers. They recalled the large ice shaver at Varsity Arena, used to keep the skating surface smooth. They contacted the manager of the ice rink, who offered to flood Varsity Arena an extra inch thick and then work the ice shaver all night. By nightfall the next day, 100 tons of ice shavings were ready to be transported by truck the six miles to Thorncliffe. When it arrived, it took 50 club members to spread the ice over the hill and outrun. The day the meet began, conditions for jumping were described as perfect. There were an estimated 10,000 spectators at this championship event, the largest crowd to congregate at a ski jumping meet in Canada up to that time. Photos exist showing the crowds, many of whom climbed down into the Don Valley to watch the event, thus avoiding the 50 cent price for a ticket. In 1934, in a freak December storm, the jump collapsed. A decision was made to rebuild it on an even larger scale and secure it to the ground. This was done, and in January 1935 an Inter- national Ski Jumping Event took place, drawing 50 top international competitive ski jumpers and 8,000 spectators. Another event, the Dominion Championships, took place at the Thorncliffe Ski Jump on 22 February 1936 with 10,000 spectators, many of whom came on a special train from Union Station.

Relative Importance: Although other events were held there, none was as successful as the international events. In 1939 and 1940, a number of military jumps were organized there. However, during World War 11, the tower was dismantled. In addition, Toronto winters had become so unreliable that the Toronto Ski Club decided to base their ski jumping events in Huntsville. The importance of this site is that it was the only jump ever to exist – or likely to exist – in Toronto.

Planning Implications: The Thorncliffe Ski Jump should be recognized, along with other important sites in the Thorncliffe Marketplace or East York Town Centre. The recognition is suggested in the form of a permanent exhibit or storyboard.

Reference Sources: City of Toronto Archives, newspaper collection; Toronto Reference Library, newspaper collection; Toronto Ski Club Archives.

Acknowledgements: Maps Project.