Browsing “Whistory”

A poster from an early Loonie Race (late 1980s). These weekly summer rides still run to this day (although inflation forced them to be re-branded “Toonie Rides” a few years back) are now massive social events, often with hundreds of participants.

So the Whistler Mountain Bike Park opened for the season yesterday! Mountain biking has quickly grown to become Whistler’s most high-profile summer attraction, but even before our ski lifts began shuttling fat-tire types up Whistler Mountain Whistler already had a well-developed biking scene. It’s just that hardly anyone knew about it.

For a little perspective we dug into our archives and consulted a copy of the 1993 publication “The Whistler Handbook.” In an article titled  ”The Trails Are World Class But Few Know About It – Yet” local artist, sign-maker, and former editor of the Whistler Answer Charlie Doyle had this to say about the local mountain biking scene in 1993:

“Mountain biking in Whistler today is like skiing was twenty years ago. In those days the skiing was every bit as astounding as it is currently, but it hadn’t been dubbed “World Class” yet… All we had was the best skiing in the world and hardly anyone outside the Lower Mainland knew or cared anything about it.” Just to be clear, Charlie wasn’t complaining about this lack of recognition.

The article describes how Whistler decommissioned logging roads formed the backbone of the local trail network, frequently re-cleared by rogue bike enthusiasts to provide smooth climbs and trunk roads servicing an ever-expanding network of single track routes.

Newcomers to the sport will be surprised to learn how many of these trails had already been built in 1993. Some of Whistler’s bike trails might even  be older than most of the people riding today!

Among Charlie’s suggestions were now-classic trails such as Cut Yer Bars (“offers a truckload of technical drops, obstacles, climbs and slalom descents”), Northwest Passage (“runs like a roller coaster across creeks and big sweeping corners”), the Black Tusk climb (“not to be missed for those who love gut-wrenching climbs”) and a few Westside favourites like A River Runs Through It (“you may never want to leave”).

As an aside, Charlie noted that “the municipal government has yet to be convinced that the bike scene can provide sufficient retail kickback to jump on the bandwagon.” Since that assessment the RMOW has clearly seen the light, as it is widely considered a case study in the positive impacts that follow from local government support for mountain bike trail networks. Interestingly, the first place Charlie suggested for prospective riders was Lost Lake Park, which is now a municipally-operated bike park.

Fast forward 20 years and Whistler’s biking scene is firmly in the situated in the mainstream.  As the trail network expanded, all the accompanying markers of “world class” status Charlie referred to are here as well: overseas visitors, global media recognition, dozens of dedicated bike shops, and media blitzes that are as calculated and labour intensive as the trails themselves.

For more info on the history of local trail-building, check out WORCA’s trail history article, and “Quest for the Holy Trail” run in the Pique last summer.

And for fun, we’ll re-post this classic clip from our archives, showing some sweet mtb action from 1988:

For more photos & stories from Whistler’s past, check out the Whistler Museum’s blog.

There are many prominent figures from our valley’s history whose names recur often on this blog and elsewhere: Myrtle & Alex Philip, Franz Wilhelmsen, Stefan Ples, Eldon Beck, Hugh Smythe, Florence Petersen, Nancy Greene & Al Raine, just to name a few. But one name which has not received its due is Jack Bright.

Jack Bright was the first General Manager of Whistler Mountain, and was a pivotal figure in the nascent ski resort’s quick rise as Canada’s premier ski resort. Sadly, we recently received word that Jack Bright passed away last week in Vancouver.

Franz Wilhelmsen hired Jack to run Whistler Mountain at the ripe old age of 28, a decision that turned out to be a resounding success. Considering Jack’s previous work experience was 5 years managing the tiny (and now-defunct) Pigeon Mountain ski area near Canmore, Alberta, Jack must have given a pretty good interview!

In any case, Jack turned out to be a marketing and management savant. Recognizing the power of celebrity and the draw of larger-than-life personalities, he managed to snag skiing superstar “Diamond” Jim McConkey to run the resort’s ski school, rental & retail operations.

A few years later in March 1971, at the height of “Trudeaumania” then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his bride Margaret honeymooned at Whistler. Clearly, such esteemed guests required “above-and-beyond” service, so Jack and Jim McConkey served as the newly-weds personal ski instructors during their stay. Trudeau, a strong skier, returned to Whistler often, and Jack or Jim were always prepared to accompany him.

The publicity from such high-profile associations is hard to overstate, and foreshadows the prolific use of celebrity and athlete “ambassadors” that is common practice throughout the ski industry today. For more recent local examples, think Dave Murray ski camps, Mike Douglas “Embedded,” and local Olympic champions Ashleigh McIvor & Maelle Ricker, to name just a few.

Jack was also instrumental in arranging countless ski races, spring skiing parties, and other events to attract skiers and raise the resort’s profile, another example of his forward-thinking marketing mind. During his tenure, Jack oversaw Whistler Mountain’s quick ascent to the biggest and most renowned ski resort in the province.

One look at the Creekside Gondola line-up from the early 1970s is testament to Jack’s success at growing the resort. It was also Jack’s decision to institute a boarding-pass system, lift tickets that included a pre-scheduled up-load time, to take some of the sting off what could easily be a two or three-hour wait for the lifts.

More than just a promotions guru, Jack  also built and managed the Whistler Inn, one of the valley’s first hotels, was the inaugural president of the Canada WEst Ski Areas Association, he helped found the Whistler Chamber of Commerce, the Canada Day Parade and was the chair of Whistler’s first bank, the North Shore Credit Union.

He stopped working for Whistler Mountain in the mid-1970s, but stayed in town for some time, continuing to manage his hotel and various other community interests. He eventually moved to Vancouver where he remained an active and respected businessman, though he remained connected to the Whistler community and came back to ski and visit frequently.

Franz Wilhelmsen, an unidentified man, and Jack Bright (from l to r), overlooking their kingdom. early 1980s (after Jack had stopped working for Whistler Mountain).

Spring in Whistler is so full of distractions (skiing, biking, golfing, climbing, WSSF, Dine In Whistler…) you might be excused if you hadn’t noticed that a provincial election campaign is well underway.

Regardless of your level of awareness, the election is happening May 14th, and it matters. Want proof? Well if it weren’t for some very heavy involvement by our provincial government three decades ago, Whistler as we know it simply would not exist.

By 1980 the highway from Vancouver had finally been paved, the RMOW had been formed, a recently opened Blackcomb Mountain was shaking up the global ski scene, and construction was well underway turning Eldon Beck’s vision for Whistler Village into reality.

But what should have been a time to rejoice was quickly turning into a nightmare scenario.

A major recession hit North America in late 1981. The economy was failing, real estate sales plummetted, interest rates were in the %20-%25 range, and the Whistler Village Land Company (the provincial crown corporation set up to oversee the development of Whistler Village) was on the verge of bankruptcy. As long-time Whistlerite and ski-resort-management guru Peter Alder recalls, the mood was so pessimistic that a common catchphrase around town was “Last person leaving Whistler, please turn out the lights.”

At this point much of the original village (which spans from Skier’s Plaza to the pedestrian bridge over Village Gate boulevard) had been built, but several buildings remained in varying states of construction: exposed re-bar, concrete foundations, and boarded-up windows were everywhere. There was a serious risk that the original plan for the village would be abandoned, undeveloped lots would be sold off to recover debts, and these properties would then be developed without any over-arching design.

Thankfully, the provincial government, then led by Bill Bennett Jr.’s Social Credit Party, began investigations to see whether saving Whistler was worthwhile. Satisfied that Whistler wasn’t a lost cause, accomplished and well-connected BC businessman Chester Johnson was put in charge of a restructured Whistler Land Company, with $21 million of provincial funds to kickstart the reboot.

Mr. Johnson’s determined leadership was just what the doctor ordered. He oversaw the reconstruction of the conference centre so that it better suited the resort’s needs, fought off calls to bring in a casino, while respecting the architectural sensibilities of the original Whistler Village design. By 1984 some normalcy was returning to the situation, and Whistler was once again set upon a successful bearing.

It’s hard to say what exactly would have happened had the BC government chosen not to intervene (a politically expedient decision at the time; recall the wide-ranging calls for austerity following the 2008 recession) is impossible to predict, but it was clear at the time, and perhaps even moreso in hindsight, that the decision would have a huge influence on Whistler’s future.

All that to say: those who think that provincial politics have no impact inside our cozy little Whistler bubble… you’re wrong. There are many more examples than the above story, but probably none so dramatic.

From bitumen pipelines, natural gas plants, and IPP hydro facilities, to tourism promotion, post-secondary education, healthcare funding, our rising deficit, arts & culture and more, there are many contentious issues at play in the upcoming election. Make sure to come out to Monday’s all-candidates meeting at the Whistler Public Library, where you’ll have a chance to ask pointed questions and get informed on the issues that matter most to you.

Then make sure you’re registered, and show up to vote on May 14th at the Whistler Conference Center, courtesy of Chester Johnson.

For more stories from Whistler’s past check the Whistler Museum’s blog!

With the sun coming out and vanquishing the snow from the valley, and next week’s Green Talk all about growing your own food in Whistler, now is as good a time as ever to look into the history of agriculture in Whistler. Last fall we featured a post providing a bit of an overview of the topic, so this week we’ll take a more focused look at Whistler’s most well-known farm, Tapley’s Farm. Yes, that Tapley’s Farm: the quiet residential neighbourhood which also holds the distinction of being the Whistler Valley’s first attempt at employee-designated housing.

While Alex and Myrtle Philip are widely recognized as the founders of the the community of Alta Lake (even though they were not the first settlers), fewer people are aware that Myrtle’s family, the Tapley’s were here from the beginning as well.

Myrtle's brother Phil Tapley, looking every bit the farmer that he was, July 1967.

When construction began on the Philip’s Rainbow Lodge in 1913, they were assisted by Myrtle father Sewell, and her sisters Jean and Margaret, and her brother’s Frank and Phil. Once Rainbow Lodge was completed, Sewell moved in with Alex & Myrtle, Phil returned to his home in Squamish, and Jean and Margaret moved further afield, though they returned often for visits.  Read more

People generally think of archives as big collections of dusty old stuff, but that’s only partially true. For starters, they’re generally kept impeccably clean so that their collections can be preserved in perpetuity. But what I was getting at is that we forget about the constant passing of time. Archives (ours included) are constantly on the hunt for artifacts and documents that will be of historical significance for future generations. Such considerations generally are not front of mind with all you non-archivists out there who are too busy living in the present.

Snowboarding is the perfect example. The profound influence that snowboarding has had on skiing (and beyond) over the last few decades is indisputable. But until recently, there were only a handful of individuals that were concerned with preserving the sport’s heritage for future generations. Thankfully, more and more individuals are showing interest in the snowboarding’s roots.

One way we are working to increase our snowboarding content here at the Whistler Museum is Monday’s Whistler Debates event “Has the Snowboard Industry Sold Out?” (full details available here). We’re pretty excited to hear what everyone has to say. Obviously it’s a pretty contentious question, even the concept of “selling out” is pretty hard to define for most. One thing that’s for sure, the debaters will have to draw on the history of snowboarding, it’s origins and where it came from, to effectively argue whether or not the industry has “sold out” and given up on its core values (however defined).

Regardless of what side ends up winning the argument, we’re sure to get an entertaining and informative discussion that sheds light on the past, present and future of snowboarding. When we were preparing for the event it became strikingly clear just how absent snowboarding is from our archives. We have an old Prior snowboard, some 2010 Olympic memorabilia (gear, uniforms, etc) donated by Sea-to-Sky athletes like Maelle Ricker, Justin Lamoureux & Tyler Mosher, and a few dozen aesthetic but non-descript photos in our archives.

Right now, according to our archives, this is the history of snowboarding. Help us fix this. Photo: Greg Griffith/WMAS

Read more

With the return of “The Festival” upon us yet again, winter gets to enjoy one last hurrah in the spotlight before we officially begin looking forward to summer. Here at the museum, we’ve taken this as an opportunity to reflect on the meteoric rise of snowboarding. Way back in the 1980s (before the Whistler-Blackcomb merger) Blackcomb Mountain was the first ski resort in British Columbia to allow snowboarding, and since then our local mountains have provided the venue for countless iconic moments, faces, and features in the history of snowboarding. From the Blackcomb Windlip, to Camp of Champions, the Westbeach Classic, and far too many pro riders, photos and film segments to name, our resort has played an integral role in the development of the sport.  Read more

Around the same time that environmental activists were fighting to save old-growth forest in the upper Elaho Valley, AWARE’s leadership was fighting its own battle to bring some sort of focus and coherence to the organization. According to a June 15, 2000 article in the Pique, at one AWARE meeting more than 50 different environmental issues that had been raised as concerns by members. Voting was undertaken to identify key priorities, with resolving the Elaho conflict, continuing to protect Whistler’s wetland, and further involvement in regional land-management processes identified as key concerns. More than anything it seems, core members wanted the group to return to its pro-active roots, offering solutions (like recycling) rather than simply identifying problems.

A few years later, as with everything in Whistler, things got a little sidetracked by a little announcement in July 2003. Once again, AWARE’s organizational strategies were forced to respond to broad changes in Whistler’s economic and political landscape. With the coming of the Olympics, and the potential for major infrastructure expansion yet again, AWARE set about ensuring any development was as environmentally sound as possible, while leveraging the push for Olympic legacies to get more important habitat set aside.

These efforts led to major protected areas in the upper Callaghan and Soo Valleys. Today, while opinions on the overall Olympic Legacy are mixed, in his recent Speaker Series Ken had this to say: Read more

With Ken Melamed’s  upcoming speaker series on the history of habitat conservation in the Whistler Valley, we figured it was an opportune time to look into the history of AWARE (Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment) the local environmental advocacy group that Ken played a formative role in during the 1990s.

AWARE’s origins cold not be any more grassroots; in October 1988 Michelle Bush (still in Whistler today, best known as a  Village Host and as a stage actor/performing artist) was ankle deep in junk mail at the post office, and couldn’t believe that pristine BC forests were being cut down just to create this waste. Instead of shrugging it off, Michelle placed a classified ad inviting anyone and everyone who was similarly fed up.

Roughly 15 people showed up at Citta’s that autumn day to talk about the lack of recycling in Whistler, and to figure out a solution.  They realized pretty quickly that they were going to need a name for their fledgling group. Two witty acronyms were considered: “Whistler Association to Save The Environment” had a nice ring to it, but the acronym WASTE was too negative sounding, so they opted for AWARE.

Fitzsimmons Creek is one of several important habitat areas in the Whistler Valley, protected thanks to AWARE's environmental advocacy. Bob Brett photo.

An Earth Day fundraiser was organized for that April (a band named Zumac headlined) and the money raised went towards a municipal waste management study. It took some effort convincing the more “old school” administrators at muni hall, but, with the help of now-retired municipal official Cliff Jennings (who was part of the original AWARE group but had to back out due to conflict of interest with his muni position), Whistler’s first municipal recycling system came on board through the early 1990s.

In 1990 Ken Melamed became AWARE’s president, and with the success of its recycling campaign, the organization’s focus shifted to habitat conservation. Coinciding with North American economic recovery starting in the late 1980s, this period saw another boom cycle of development in the valley. Vancouver-based Intrawest entered the Whistler scene, Upper Village was built, and development proposals were expanding throughout the valley.

And thus, AWARE took it upon themselves to act as stewards of our valley’s important wildlife habitat and sensitive ecosystems. It was these prominent environmental campaigns that helped lead Ken (and others) into an even more prominent role in local politics as a councillor and later mayor. But we’ll let Ken tell that part of the story.

Make sure to pick up tickets before this sells event out, it promises to be a compelling and informative presentation. We’ll check back in next Saturday with a recap of Ken’s talk, and we’ll continue this story with some of AWARE’s more recent work.

The kind of questions that arise when debating our community’s heritage are, well, unique. We held our annual celebration of Whistler’s history, Icon Gone, on Wednesday and the evening’s debate eventually boiled down to this: Which is more emblematic of our community’s cherished free spirit, a long-gone squat which sheltered hundreds of ski bums with a propensity for public nudity, or the timeless act of naked skiing itself. Seriously.

Maybe serious isn’t the best word to describe an event featuring hippie wigs, an ode to drinking, G.D. Maxwell singing (screaming?) “WHO LET THE DOGS OUT!?” and the anti-serious “Big Kev” Mikkelsen, but you get the point. In all, eight brave souls got in front of a packed crowd at Merlin’s to plead their case for a cherished icon from Whistler’s past. In the end, our town came out looking pretty darn good.

A packed Merlin's, an iconic Whistler watering hole itself, was the perfect venue for another Icon Gone throwdown.

A celebration of, or nostalgia for, Whistler’s free spirit was a binding theme through much of the night. Mo Douglas, who has done an amazing job MCing all 6 Icon Gone’s, warmed the crowd by roasting every competitor before they had a chance to get on stage.

G.D. Maxwell opened the ceremony with an ode to dogs, and the integral role they have played in fighting ski town solitude over the decades. Little known fact: a dog once ran for mayor of Whistler (and some in attendance last night evidently  wish Bob the Dog had won.) Max’s opening-round opponent, Emily Wood, narrowly took the bout with an ode to Whistler’s ultimate pioneering spirit, Myrtle Philip.

Emily Wood educates the crowd on how Myrtle Philip willed the community of Alta Lake into existence.

Up next Steve Andrews took the stage armed solely with his acoustic guitar and a nice little ditty about Dusty the Horse, everyone’s favourite taxidermied farm animal. Steve definitely had the best audience participation of the evening, as seemingly everyone was singing along with his Johnny Cash-inspired chorus. Despite the audience’s vote, defending champ Angie Nolan won over both judges (Museum prez John “Bushrat” Hetherington, and Whistler Question Editor Tanya Foubert) with her spirited defense of Whistler’s most famous squat, Toad Hall.

Steve Andrews wins the crowd.

Mandy Rousseau used her generally quiet demeanour to totally floor the judge’s and audience with a hilarious profile of naked skiers. The Icon Gone neophyte managed to beat out event veteran and inaugural champion Stephen Vogler’s ode to drinking, despite the fact that virtually everyone in attendance, and virtually none were naked.

Know your market.

The final opening round match-up saw Kevin “Big Kev” Mikkelsen up against veteran scribe Michel Beaudry. Both had compellingly nostalgic performances: Kevin listed the powder-preserving advantages of the fast-disappearing fixed-grip chairlift, while Michel Beaudry celebrated the humility and free spirit of the under-appreciated Stefan Ples. Michel took the round, possibly due to his dominance in the facial hair department (no offense to Kev’s mutton chops).

Big Kev (at right) and Michel Beaudry's moustache (center background) simultaneously evoke memories of a quieter, simpler era.

The subsequent rounds were a blur of debate, dispute, and a little debauchery, but in the end, Angie Nolan simply wanted the prize the most. In the second round she managed to explain how every other icon up for debate was fundamentally indebted to the spirit of Toad Hall, and in the final showdown against Mandy and Max (who was voted back in as a wildcard) sealed the deal by proclaiming :

AS LONG AS WE REMEMBER TO BREAK SOME RULES, TOAD HALL WILL NEVER BE GONE.

And that is how you win Icon Gone.

Angie reclaims the crown, the belt, and the glory.

A HUGE thanks to all the competitors, our judges, Mo Douglas, our sponsors (Merlin’s, Araxi, Whistler Foto Source, Sushi Village, Purebread Bakery, and the BC Provincial Government) and everyone who made it out to the show. Is Icon Gone now a thing of the past, or will it continue to make history in the near future? Only time will tell.

The final results.

We’re super excited to announce the return of Icon Gone, one of our biggest events that we like to describe as “the Battle for Whistler’s Soul!” For those who don’t know, Icon Gone pits passionate locals against each other in a head-to-head competition to determine Whistler’s greatest historical icon. Over the past five years this has produced tons of compelling, entertaining, informative presentations, and yes, even some controversy (for those who recall Andrew Mitchell’s questionable but ultimately effective defense of bikes).

Well, as all good things do, Icon Gone muse come to an end. This year will be the last Icon Gone, so we’ve opened up the field and all previous icons are back on the table, whether or not they were represented at past events.  We’ve got a great line up featuring such literary and performing heavyweights as Michel Beaudry, G.D. Maxwell, defending champion Angie Nolan, Stephen Vogler, and more. Mo Douglas returns as our fabulous M.C.

It’s all going down the evening of March 6th, this year at that iconic Whistler watering hole, Merlin’s.

To whet your appetite, here’s Jack Crompton’s opening round performance as Jeanie the Bear from last year’s event. Those who recall that the event took place during the last municipal council election will get the joke in Mo’s introduction of Jack.

Jack’s spirited performance was enough to advannce to the semi’s, where he went head-to-head with Jamie Bond in full Gaper Day mode. Here’s Jamie’s 2nd round rebuttal of Jack’s Bear performance:

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Tickets ($10 in advance) are now for sale at the Museum. Full details to come later this week. Hop to see you there!