This concept has been created exclusively for Intrawest Corporation.

 

THE LEGEND OF BLUE MOOSE CABOOSE ©
Themeing by mixing reality and fiction

Here's to you, my rambling boy,
and may your rambling bring you joy.
Tom Paxton

The man known as Blue Moose Caboose™ is a world-class rambler and prophet of fun, a carefree figure constantly moving forward on the open-road of life. A great story-teller, musician and craftsman, Blue Moose criss-crosses North America by hopping freight trains and trading his talents and wares for caboose-rides, to the great enjoyment of his train-conductor friends. From Whistler to Mountain Creek to Snowshoe to Mammoth to Copper to Sandestin, he always leaves his mark as a crafty creator, a savvy nature guide and a fearless adventurer.

On a clear cold winter day of 1961, Blue Moose Caboose joins conductor Bill “Barnyard” Blaikie aboard the old 8153 for a historical event: riding the last ski-train to leave Toronto for Blue Mountain, on the shores of Georgian Bay. Upon arriving at Blue’s Craigleith Station, Blue Moose immediately falls in love with the beauty, serenity and grandeur of Blue.

Settling into a room at a local Blue Mountain Village Hotel, he quickly proceeds to explore the area: he snowshoes the Blue Mountain trails laid-out by fellow outdoorsman Jackrabbit Johannsen, maps out the sacred caves of the Petun and works the trilobite fossil sites of Natawasaga Bay. He also retraces the steps of all past adventurers (with whom he naturally identifies), from the Petun, Huron and Iroquois First Nations to French explorer Champlain and Radisson the Voyageur. Blue Moose Caboose also painstakingly searches for minute signs and traces left by the runaway slaves who long ago fled to freedom along the Underground Railroad.

Finally, he leaves his own signs for others to find as well as a number of artefacts, in the process wilfully and playfully laying the groundwork for quite a large number and variety of great adventure games and explorations based on his findings (and hidings!).

As you can imagine, Blue Moose and his play companions are soon leading Blue Mountain adventure-seekers on all kinds of empowering quests. People come from all around to experience the buzz they’ve been hearing from their friends. Blue Moose also creates signature Blue Moose teddys and assorted crafts in the hotel lobby with the visiting children who naturally flock to him. Always ready with a story, a song, a challenge or a game, Blue Moose has got the place jumping with joy.

In the shadow of the Blue Mountain, Blue Moose Caboose’s fame grows far and wide: the old creative spirit and true child-at-heart that he is impacts on the whole Village. Soon enough Intrawest, the leading mountain resorts developer and operator joins in to decidedly enhance the quality of experience at Blue Mountain.

The Village hotel is reborn as the Seasons at Blue and its old lobby is turned over to Blue Moose Caboose so he can pursue his good works of promoting creativity in action. His Creative Playshops now include an adventurers club, a meeting Hall that doubles as a play space and a do-it-yourself workshop he affectionately calls “Stuff & Love”.

Adventurers Club
Blue Moose’s ever-growing collection of Blue Mountain-related books and artefacts fill the walls of the hotel’s study: it becomes the de-facto meeting place, briefing room and experience centre for all achievement-seeking explorers and adrenaline-pumping adventurers. Once briefed on a particular mission, these guests off all ages study the clue-filled maps painted on the base camp windows and the books that line-up the study walls before fanning out throughout the resort in exciting quests of fun and meaning. In doing so, they enliven the whole resort with their contagious excitement.

Meeting Hall
The lobby where Blue Moose so loves to play board games and work his crafts with the folks is now the unofficial Village meeting place; the mellow play and craft-making ambiance lifts everyone’s spirit: the place is so cool many simply come to hang-out and have a good time.

Stuff & Love™
Meanwhile Blue Moose’s teddy bear-making workshop has turned into a do-it-yourself creative factory, with kids and moms and dads all stuffing critters with fluff and love.

Thus, with a little help from his friends and support from Intrawest, Blue Moose Caboose has turned the place into a centre of empowering adventures and fun workshops: Creative Playshops. With his companions solidly at the wheel of this ship-of-fools, Blue Mountain is humming more than ever. Blue Moose Caboose has put a little soul into Blue.

Time has come for Blue Moose Caboose to leave the building and head back to the open road. Wherever the tracks take him he will go, until he gets that call again to create and empower… at other Intrawest Resorts?

Felix Mundi comments
With a view to expand the brand and concept to other Intrawest destinations, the Blue Moose Caboose storyline and brand embraces them all from the very start. The Creative Playshops concept would travel well to the other resorts, each signature version reflecting the needs and realities of each particular location.