Five locals tell the story of five decades of progress at Whistler Mountain in British Columbia. Whistler’s Big Birthday By Michel Beaudry

t wasn’t supposed to hap- last to use mules and horses to car- pen this way. All the ski ex- ry supplies to timberline to feed the perts agreed: The place was construction crews living up there. too stormy, too big and too When the new ski hill officially isolated to succeed. The pro- opened for business on January 15, Iposed resort was on the edge of the 1966, the brash young newcomer world, way out on the western coast didn’t make much of a bang on the of Canada, and there wasn’t even a international ski front. But for those direct road. It was inconceivable that adventurous enough to make the something so different could work. long trek out to Vancouver and then And they were right…sort of. suffer the white-knuckled four-hour This was an era when skis were drive to Whistler, the ensuing ski long and boots were low, when be- experience was something to rave ing able to “carve a turn” was re- about. What follows is a brief trip served for elite practitioners. Skiing through Whistler’s first five decades, in the early 1960s was an adventure. seen through the eyes of five long- Who needed steep slopes and big time locals. vertical? Just getting down a moun- tain was accomplishment enough. To even conceive of such a wild Decade 1: 1966-1976 place was a departure from conven- tion. But to actually build it? 500 people and 5,000 Fortunately, Franz Wilhelmsen vertical feet of skiing didn’t listen to his detractors. Based in Vancouver and well known as an entrepreneur with a flair for the dramatic, Franz had seen firsthand what Squaw Valley and Walt Dis- ney had done for the 1960 Winter Olympics. He’d also travelled exten- sively in the Alps and skied its most famous slopes. He was convinced that British Columbia’s biggest city deserved nothing less than a world- david mccolm Above: Led by Norwegian-born class, Olympic-caliber ski hill. And Left: The PEAK 2 PEAK Franz Wilhelmsen, a group of he knew exactly where to build it. gondola links Whistler’s Vancouver businessmen chose The saga of Whistler Mountain’s Roundhouse Lodge with London Mountain—75 miles construction could fill a book (and Blackcomb’s Rendezvous north of Vancouver, British it has; for a review of Whistler Black- Restaurant. It’s the first lift Columbia, in the Fitzsimmons comb: 50 Years of Going Beyond, see page spence terry courtesy to connect the high-alpine Range—as the site for a new 36). Nobody in the North American Terry Spence is a longtime ski instructor terrain of two side-by-side ski resort. Renamed after the ski world had built on this scale and one of the original Whistler ski bums; mountains, passing over whistling marmots on its alpine before. Nobody knew if it was pos- in the early 1970s, he lived in an aban- the valley floor at a world- slopes, Whistler Mountain sible. Still, it’s worth noting how doned lumber camp on Green Lake. record height of 1,427 feet. officially opened on January 15, much past and future combined in It was built by the 1966. After merging with its sister the mountain’s construction: The It’s fair to say that the first ten years Doppelmayr Group at a mountain Blackcomb in 1997, first ski area to use helicopters to of Whistler’s existence were some- cost of CDN $53 million today it’s the largest ski resort in carry the massive load of concrete what chaotic. The sheer size of the and opened in 2007. North America, spanning 8,171 needed to pour footings for its lift place—the monster snowfalls, the vi- skiable acres. towers, Whistler was also one of the cious shifts of weather, the huge verti-

paul morrison paul (continued on page 20) 18 | January-February 2016 Skiing History www.skiinghistory.org January-February 2016 | 19 (continued from page 19) ably 500 people living here, and we nothing but skis and boots. Whistler’s new north-side lifts. Be- women. Thirty-five years later, she’s vested in new mountain infrastruc- WHISTLER PIONEER all knew each other.” “We skied right under the chair- tween them, in the new pedestrian- still “Joe patroller,” she says. “I don’t ture. More millions were spent on franz Wilhelmsen Toulouse is one of Whistler’s most lift,” says Toulouse, who now helps only village—planned and built from have any special skills. I’m not the flashy advertising and sophisticated As a young man, Norwegian Franz revered elders, and something of a his wife, Anne, run one of Whistler’s scratch—guests could access two weather forecaster or the avi expert. sales campaigns. Flush with cash Wilhelmsen emigrated to Vancouver, trickster figure too. Ever heard of the most popular bed-and-breakfasts. separate ski areas by taking a few I just pick up injured skiers. Still, and armed with a newly revised where he pursued ventures in ship- notorious Toad Hall nude poster? “We had a pretty good laugh at the steps in either direction. It was bold. I’m proud of what I do. Proud of master plan, Smythe spent money ping, marinas and construction. An That was the work of Toulouse with shocked faces staring down at us. It was creative. And it was all due what I’ve accomplished.” on high-speed detachable quads avid skier, in 1960 he led a group of lo- photographer friend Chris Speedie “You know, I moved to this place to visionaries like Al Raine and new like a kid in a candy shop. By 1986, cal businessmen in a quest to bring the (to learn more—and check it out— for the skiing,” adds the 73-year-old. Blackcomb president Hugh Smythe Blackcomb was transformed and Decade 3: 1986-1995 Winter Olympics to Vancouver. They go to http://blog.whistlermuseum. “But I stayed for the people.” (remember that name!). Houssian’s real-estate investments began searching for a site and settled org/2013/07/10/the-story-of-the-toad-hall- In the meantime, Whistler’s staff started to pay dividends. on London Mountain, at the south end poster/). Remember the hard-charging was engrossed in the technical chal- Blackcomb takes off Meanwhile, Whistler’s reputation of Alta Lake. By December 1965, Wil- Crazy Canucks? Toulouse was their Decade 2: 1976-1985 lenges of operating such a vast and was also on the rise. Local hero Rob helmsen’s Garibaldi Lifts Ltd. had built masseur and start coach for over a dangerous physical plant. The ski Boyd triumphed on its vaunted World the Whistler Mountain ski area there. decade. Recall the time Prince Charles Two mountains and a game had also changed. Supported Cup downhill course in 1989 and the Vancouver lost its first four Olympic visited Whistler with his two sons? professional ski patrol by high-backed boots and stronger victory cemented the valley’s reputa- bids, and though Wilhelmsen remained It was senior ski-instructor Toulouse and more flexible skis, the skiers of tion as a “go for it” kind of place. president until his retirement in 1983, who guided them on the mountain. the mid-1970s were venturing far be- Whistler was cool; it had mystique. he died five years before the 2003 an- The one-time Xerox salesman is yond their elders’ tracks. Mike Varrin arrived in the early nouncement of its successful bid for full of tales. But it’s his stories of early This totally changed the game for 1990s. “Those were the days when the 2010 Games. He was inducted into Whistler that are the most fun. “It the Whistler Mountain ski patrol. there were still fierce mountain loyal- the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1996. was Speedie who first invited me to Led by Smythe—who would soon ties,” he says. “Back then you were ei- Soo Valley,” he begins. An abandoned leave Whistler’s employ to launch ther a Whistler skier or a Blackcomb lumber camp at the north end of Blackcomb next door—the team de- skier. And the twain never met.” Whistler’s Green Lake, the complex vised an innovative avalanche control Varrin had been recruited to take had become the communal home for plan whose modus was to control the over Merlin’s, Blackcomb’s lucrative a group of longhaired skiers who’d danger points within the ski area by après-ski bar. He had only one mission: solved Whistler’s notorious housing bombing the critical start zones. “My new boss told me: ‘I want you to shortage by squatting in the derelict It may sound like old hat today, break some rules!’ And that was it. I buildings. but back then it was leading-edge just had to make sure my bar was more “Living conditions were primitive,” stuff that sparked the imaginations of popular than any of their bars.”

whistler museum & archives society museum & archives whistler he says. “It was very rustic, especially in young skiers like Cathy Jewett. Origi- Varrin wasn’t going to let that op- Wilhemsen points toward winter. I would sleep inside three sleep- nally from southern Ontario, the portunity slip through his fingers. Whistler Mountain, circa 1966. ing bags, and still wake up freezing!” outgoing teenager had moved west Every local remembers the afternoon Cathy Jewett was hired as a lift atten- Mike Varrin arrived in the early 1990s to But they had fun. Take the notori- to live the Whistler dream. She was (continued on page 22) dant in 1976 and became a patroller in manage Merlin’s bar at Blackcomb. Since ous 1973 St Patrick’s Day affair. “Well,” hired in 1976 as a lift attendant, only 1980—a job she still holds today. "I found 2000, he’s worked as General Manager of he begins, “nudity wasn’t that big a to be greeted by one of the worst ski cal—dictated a new form of mountain my life's work," she says. Bars for the resort. deal in the old days and…” Again, it seasons in history. “My first work WHISTLER PIONEER management. was a Speedie and Toulouse caper. memory is getting sent to the Green The mountain had no groom- Bob Dufour This time the two comedians doffed The next ten years ushered in some Chair area to shovel snow onto the ing machines. As for snowmaking, In 1972, Bob Dufour moved from the their clothes at the summit’s Round- of the biggest changes in the young runs,” she says. “I was skiing through forget it. You skied what was there. Laurentian Mountains in Quebec to house Lodge, and fortified by a few resort’s history. In 1980, Blackcomb snow with grass sticking out.” When real estate developer Joe Bumps the size of Volkswagens, open take a job with the Whistler Ski School. hits of Irish whiskey, streaked the opened with 24 runs and 350 acres Cathy can recall the exact date Houssian met Blackcomb Mountain creek beds, uncovered stumps, blow- In 1981, he took over the directorship popular Green Chair zone wearing on the next peak north, facing she decided to become a patroller. boss Hugh Smythe in the mid-1980s, downs, wind crust, sun crust, frozen of the school from Jim McConkey “It was March 10, 1977. A big storm few observers realized that ski cul- (see page 15), along the way achieving crud. And to ski from top to bottom, whistler museum & archives society cycle had just come through, and ture in the Whistler Valley would nearly a vertical mile, you had to pre- WHISTLER PIONEER top certifications with the Canadian Shale Slope, a classic north-facing never be the same. The Vancouver- Ski Instructors Alliance and the Cana- pare yourself for screaming thighs and hugh Smythe pitch, looked particularly invit- based Houssian quickly understood dian Ski Coaches pounding heart. In November 1966, at age 20, Hugh Smythe ing.” She sighs. “They didn’t bomb that British Columbia’s ski area de- Federation. He But the young people kept coming. was hired for a Whistler Mountain patrol it, so I knew how good the skiing velopment policy favored the bold. took over moun- They came to ski, to party, to explore, job that included setting out chairs and The essence of the policy was

would be. Face-shots at every turn.” tain operations whistler museum & A rchives society to re-invent themselves. Some even set- cleaning outhouses. Working his way up to She grins. “It was at that point straightforward: The more lifts a ski for both resorts tled down. After all, it’s not every day mountain manager by age 26, he pioneered that I found my life’s work: Throw area built on the mountain, the more when Whistler that you stumble onto a magical moun- the use of helicopters and avalauncher guns Smythe and Whistler mayor Pat bombs. Ski powder. Cheat death. valley land the provincial govern- and Blackcomb tain valley where building lots can be for snow control. From 1974 to 1978, he re- Carleton in 1980 at Blackcomb. And save lives.” ment would provide for real estate merged in 1997— had for under $5,000. By 1971, Whistler’s vived the bankrupt Fortress Mountain ski area in Alberta for the Aspen Ski Company. Bob Dufour Her dream wouldn’t come true sales. But no one had ever pushed and still serves as ski bum reputation was made. When that group won the bid to develop Blackcomb Mountain in 1978, he returned to in the 1980s until 1980, when Whistler Moun- the model to its logical conclusion. Vice President of “Whistler was an amazing place Whistler to plan and build the new ski area as its president. Blackcomb opened in 1980 as ski-school tain was forced by the sheer size That is, until Smythe and Hous- Mountain Opera- to be a local back then,” says Terry and competed with Whistler until the 1997 merger. Smythe retired as Senior VP of director. of the new expansion to hire more sian teamed up. Millions were in- tions today. (Toulouse) Spence. “There were prob- Intrawest in March 2009. He was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 2010.

20 | January-February 2016 Skiing History www.skiinghistory.org January-February 2016 | 21 (continued from page 21) block than just about any other But teaching was only a part- whistler museum & archives society WHISTLER PIONEER Decade 4: 1996-2005 town in North America. time job, and Champoux wanted WHISTLER PIONEER Jim McConkey For locals, it was a mixed bless- more. In 2007 she joined the Whis- Dave Murray Jim McConkey arrived in Whistler to Whistler comes of age ing. The economy was booming and tler Blackcomb marketing depart- In the summer of 1969, Austrian ski champ Toni

direct the ski school and retail/rental Whistler was getting lots of atten- ment and by the fall of 2013, she was Sailer was leading one of his namesake summer operations in 1968. By that time, he tion from the global media. But with named Brand and Content Market- camps on the Whistler Glacier. Dave Murray, 15, had taught all over North America more than two million skier-visits a ing Manager. “It’s my dream job,” attended the camp; two years later, he qualified for and been featured in dozens of films, year, the ski-bum lifestyle was slow- she says. “It’s all about driving the the Canadian national alpine team. The downhillers labeled by Austrian racer Ernst Hint- ly disappearing. Many of the old mountain’s narrative. Making this he skied with became known as the Crazy Canucks, erseer as the world’s best all-around guard cashed out and left for Ross- place come alive for people.” and they made headlines on the World Cup for a skier. He stayed at Whistler for two land, Fernie, Invermere or Nelson. decade. After retiring from racing in 1982, Murray decades, serving as personal instruc- But for valley newcomers, was named Director of Skiing at Whistler Mountain; tor to Canadian prime minister Pierre Whistler was everything they had Decade 5: 2006-2016 he died of cancer in 1990 and was inducted into the Trudeau and wife Margaret during dreamed about. And when Van- Canadian Ski Hall of Fame that year. Murray was Director of Ski- repeated ski trips. Now 89, he still skis couver beat the odds in 2003 and Whistler embraces summer ing at Whistler in the '80s. Whistler every year; see page 15. won the 2010 Winter Games, after a string of failed Olympic bids, the Jim Mc- community’s stock soared. ner and cyclist, top-ranked triathlete, kids didn’t know where they fit in. Conkey's Like many others, Anik Cham- and skier and snowboarder sans-pareil, Our ‘sense of place’ was really tested.” official poux came for the skiing, landing a Claire also has a master’s degree in Articulate, thoughtful, intelli- instructor job with the Whistler Blackcomb ski planning and works for the Squa- gent—the 29-year old seems to have portrait, school in January 2001. “My friend mish Lillooet Regional District. it all. But Claire is far from unique. sometime and I were on Eastern carving skis,” Growing up in the valley, she Whistler’s children are scholars and before she says, “and our supervisor took says, was a wonderful experience… Olympic medalists and award-win- particularly if you like being outside. ning artists; they’re scientists, activists 1979. Anik Champoux landed a job with the us up Blackcomb to Spanky’s. It was “There’s always somebody up for an and filmmakers. Some are in nearby ski school in 2001 and passed her Level 4 so steep and wild…we were terri- adventure,” she says. “As a kid, the Squamish, others live in Pember- certification in 2005. In fall 2013, she was fied! But there’s no way we were sports performance bar is so high, ton, many are dispersed around the named Brand and Content Marketing gonna give up.” The next day the whistler museum & Archives Society you don’t realize how tough an ath- world. Still, they’re a fitting tribute Manager for the resort. two women bought fat skis, and she passed her Level 4 certification—the lete you are until you leave.” to the community that conspired to But Whistler’s still not an easy bring them up. It’s the stuff great ski when über-entertainer Guitar Doug Holy Grail for many Canadian ski Claire Daniels was born and raised in Nobody predicted how fast Whis- place to live, particularly if you’re towns are made of. came flying down onto Blackcomb instructors—in 2005. Whistler. Growing up in a fast-changing tler would grow in the 1980s and young. “Whistler is an intentional Square on a tandem paraglider, sing- “Three women from Whistler resort, “our sense of place was tested,” 1990s. But as the turn-of-the-century community,” she says. “Choosing to A Whistler skier since the 1970s, Michel ing and playing his guitar. “The Blackcomb passed their Level 4 that she says. She’s shown here last summer approached, the big little-ski-hill- live here is not a casual decision.” Beaudry is an award-winning mountain whole patio at Merlin’s is looking up year,” she says. “It turned into a with her boyfriend, Chris Dewar. that-could became a leading destina- She knows this firsthand. Many storyteller and poet. "Whistler Pioneers" and screaming,” he says. “Doug has big deal: It was the first time some- tion resort. The turning point had of her peers have left, and most will text adapted from Whistler-Blackcomb: this shtick, where at the beginning of thing like this had happened, and come with the 1997 merger of the never be able to afford a home here. 50 Years of Going Beyond by Leslie his show he calls out: ‘Who’s thirsty?’ it sparked big changes in ski-school Today, Whistler is far more than a two mountains under Intrawest, “It wasn’t always easy to grow up in Anthony and Penelope Buswell. This article Well, as he’s floating down to earth, culture. We’d shown there was no ski town. It’s a year-round resort anchored by a village that featured this place,” she says. “We were—and was funded by the Canadian Ski Hall of he calls it out and everyone on the difference in technical skiing be- with a booming summer season fu- more drinking establishments per are—privileged. But Whistler kept Fame and Museum through a grant from patio responds. Meanwhile I have 75 tween male and female skiers!” eled by mountain biking and hard- changing so fast, sometimes the local the Chawkers Foundation. jugs of margaritas ready to go, one for core sports. The calendar includes each table. And while we’re serving the Ironman, Crankworx Festival, Tough Mudder and a host of Red whistler museum & Archives society them, the bylaw officer is right at my WHISTLER PIONEER WHISTLER PIONEER elbow saying, ‘You can’t do this…’.” Bull-sponsored bike contests. Al Raine Rob Boyd The Reverend Mike (yes, he’s Claire Daniels was born and By the mid 1970s, faced with rampant real- On February 25, 1989, 23-year-old Whistler local a legitimate preacher) says his hi- raised in Whistler. Her mom Kashi estate dealing, the provincial government Rob Boyd won a World Cup downhill race in his jinks are now mostly behind him. started skiing here in the 1960s put a freeze on growth until the town could hometown. His gold-medal run made history— Since the turn of the century, Mike as a pony-tailed teenager, her dad develop a long-term plan. The man with the he was the first Canadian male to win a World has worked as Manager of Bars for Bob not much later. They met on plan was Al Raine, provincial coordinator of Cup DH on Canadian soil—and is still celebrated Whistler Blackcomb, overseeing the mountain in the early 1970s, ski development and husband of Olympic museum & A rchives whistler as a community turning point. “Rob Boyd winning some of the most popular drinking fell in love and set down roots. gold medalist Nancy Greene Raine. Along Al Raine (right) led the effort to in 1989 was one of the most amazing moments establishments in the valley. “These Both belong to that little group of Rob Boyd on the race course, with town councilor Gary Watson, mayor develop the village in mid-1970s. in Whistler history,” says resort events projects days, I’d rather be home playing iconoclasts who chose to settle here circa 1993. Pat Carleton and planner Eldon Beck, Raine supervisor Cate Webster. “It put Whistler on with my two kids,” he says. “That’s before there was a village, before envisioned a village rising from the garbage dump between the mountains. He in- the map.” Boyd raced for the Canadian alpine team from 1985 to 1997—winning three why I have young staff. They can Whistler went global. vited the Aspen Ski Co. to submit a development plan for Blackcomb and navigated downhills and competing in three Olympics—and then raced on the pro circuit for three represent while I go home to bed.” Maybe that’s why their oldest everything from municipal politics to sewer construction. “The timing couldn’t daughter Claire exemplifies so much seasons. After switching to coaching, he oversaw the Canadian women’s speed team in have been better,” says Hugh Smythe. “The first grocery store, drug store and the lead-up to the 2010 Winter Games at Whistler, then took the reins at his hometown of what is good about this communi- bakery were needed by locals and tourists. It was very helpful.” ty. A veteran traveller, elite trail run- Whistler Ski Club. He was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 2000.

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