Nowadays you don’t have to be a skier or snowboarder to enjoy the fantastic vistas that Whistler Blackcomb has to offer. Non-sliders are very welcome to enjoy the thrill of riding the lifts and, of course, the spectacular experience of the Peak to Peak gondola. The summer months are packed full of sightseers and hikers, but it is not uncommon in winter for people to ride the gondolas “on foot,” and there is even a special ticket price for this kind of sightseer.
However, in the early days of Whistler Mountain, the “on foot” visitor had not been thought of. A middle-aged woman pioneered the concept in the 1960s. She arrived at the base of the Creekside gondola (the only gondola at that time) wearing her snow boots and a fur coat, and asked to purchase a return ticket. She took her place in the line-up and proceeded up the mountain to the dismay of the staff, who were quite taken aback by this passenger without skis. When she alighted from the gondola she calmly proceeded to the chair lift. The operators were extremely confused, but dutifully stopped the lift to allow her to sit down comfortably. Once the chair had started up they realized that disaster might be looming when the chair reached the ski-off ramp as the sightseer had no skis to ski-off with! They hurriedly called the top station operator so that he was forewarned, and he too stopped the lift so that the unorthodox rider could descend from her perch in comfort.
The woman was completely unruffled and she chatted amiably with the staff about how much she had enjoyed the ride, the beautiful mountain views, and watching all the skiers. She then enquired as to where the T-bar was located! The idea of the fur-clad woman skidding up the slope on her snow boots must have crossed the lift operator’s mind as he pointed towards the T-bar bowl. The woman blinked and said, “No, I mean the tea bar, I was told there was a tea bar up here and I would like a nice cup of tea!”
Much laughter ensued from both the staff and the woman herself when the misunderstanding was revealed. In hindsight however, we must admire the woman as being ahead of her time. These days it’s perfectly normal to ride the lift without skis and enjoy a nice cup of tea in the Roundhouse.