Category: Mountain Culture

Life in the mountains.

Santa Slays the Mountain!Santa Slays the Mountain!

December 16, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments
Santa on the Slopes of Whistler, 1994. Insight Photography Collection

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle …

Their hundreds of eyes— oh! how they twinkled! 

Their dimples, how merry!

Their cheeks were like roses, their noses like cherries!

Their droll little mouths were drawn up like bows, 

as, together, they rode up the gondola in droves

Sporting beards on their chins as white as the snow …

Then away they all flew, down the slopes with skis and boards,

all donned up in red and white…

(some outfits loose and baggy, others mighty tight!)

The annual Dress Like Santa Day: another sleighing sight!

For more than twenty years, Whistler Blackcomb has been hosting this colourful, costumed and cheer-fuelled Christmas tradition. Just as its name suggests – every year on one mid-December day , this year on Friday, December 19 – snowboarders and skiers are encouraged to dress up like Mr. or Mrs. Claus and take to the slopes.

Merriment and holiday-spirit spread amongst ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’ing participants as they gather at the base of Whistler Mountain. From the young to the still-young-at-heart, the all-ages event has steadily grown in popularity since its inception (exactly what year that was is hard to pinpoint, as it remains a glorified extension of previously established on-mountain Santa-spotting happenings) … but, the early 2000s seems to be the general consensus.

Once at the top, the Santa slope stylers travel together from the Roundhouse-cum-North Pole to the base of Emerald Chair – where a group photo is taken. 

As per tradition, a free lift ticket has been awarded to the first 100 people who arrive in full attire. This number has grown from an original 50 free tickets, to 75, to its now 100: handed out to the pipe-toting, black-belt bulging, and boot-wearing crew. With great Whistler flair, custom costume-modifications have made this a Santa Spectacle, sanctioned under a ‘Creative Claus’ (with… “A wink of his eye and a twist of his head/Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread!)”

Mountain Hostesses follow Santa down the Slopes. Greg Griffith Collection.

The Whistler Mountain Hostesses definitely skied with St. Nick. Beginning in the 1974/75 season, the program “specialized in fun” … and dressing up as elves and touring the slopes with Santa was a part of their ‘mandate’. “We had the greatest job in the world,” recalls founding Hostess Leanne Dufour.

The program morphed into the Ski Friends (also Santa’s helpers!) in the late 80s and then further into the present-day Mountain Host program. 

Off the slopes, Santa has announced his arrival in other less-than-conventional ways throughout Whistler’s history. In 1980, the “jolly old elf” cruised in by chopper, dropping down from the skies – heralded by helicopter – only to be mobbed by a group of candy-covetting children.

After a dramatic arrival by helicopter, Santa is mobbed at the Rainbow Ski Village Saturday as he tries to distribute candy canes.

Dating back even further… The children of the one-room Alta Lake schoolhouse (first opened in 1933) would also receive an annual visit from Father Christmas. It is fair to speculate that trapper and railway section-gang worker, Billy ‘Santa’ Bailiff, likely arrived by horse or on foot. Remembered as a ‘gentle man.’ Billy – famed for his ‘Stellar Jay Pie’ and ‘potato water bread’ – was the unanimous choice as the Santa stand-in with his plump figure and round rosy cheeks.  

Billy died in 1958 and the baton of community Kris Kringle seems to have been passed onto to Jack Biggin-Pound, who settled in McGuire (an old mill town from the 1930s, two kilometres north of Brandywine Falls), staking a claim there on Crown Land in 1961. Jack recalled, “Never again will Myrtle Philip [Founder of Rainbow Lodge, the first tourist attraction in the Whistler area, opened in 1915] undo my flies, to the great amusement of everyone, to stuff a pillow in to make me a more portly Santa Claus for the school children. They all tried hard but I don’t think ever found out who Santa was”…

The mystery of who Santa was, or is, either singularly in our schools – or in plural, plummeting down the hill –  remains part of this town’s mountain magic … 

Santa spotted on Blackcomb. Blackcomb Mountain Collection.



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Interpreting WhistlerInterpreting Whistler

November 12, 2025 museumwhistlermuseumwhistler 0 Comments

When traveling to a new place, or even exploring your own town, interpretive panels are a great way to learn about local history, wildlife, and the natural environment. These little pop-ups of information can feel a bit like VH1’s Pop-Up Video from the 2000s, which offered quick, engaging insights that added depth and context to a song or music video, much like how interpretive panels help you better understand your surroundings or see a familiar place in a new light.

Over the Whistler Museum’s 38-year history, we’ve had the opportunity to help develop many of the interpretive panels throughout the Whistler Valley. Most recently, we’ve been involved in the creation of the panels that have appeared along the Valley Trail network and throughout the Village starting in 2018, in collaboration with the Resort Municipality of Whistler. These installations have become a wonderful way to share Whistler’s stories in the very places where they unfolded, such as the history panels in Rainbow Park.

Interpretive panel located along the cultural connecter.

Beyond traditional panels, newer forms of interpretation have used technology to share stories in different ways. A great example is the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre’s Cultural Journey, a self-guided audio tour and series of kiosks along the Sea to Sky Highway. Developed in 2010, it weaves together oral histories, traditional place names, and cultural knowledge from the Líl̓wat Nation and the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Nation. By pairing the region’s views with first-hand stories, it turns the drive between Squamish and Whistler into a richer cultural experience. More information about the tour can be found here: https://slcc.ca/cultural-journey/

Whistler’s first interpretive panels date back to 1987. Created by accomplished artist Isobel MacLaurin for the Whistler Rotary Club, these early works depicted Whistler’s landscapes, flora, and fauna. While simple in scope, mostly identifying local species, they set the foundation for what would become a long tradition of place-based interpretation in the valley.

Isobel and her husband Don MacLaurin moved to Whistler in 1961. Don, a forester and educator at BCIT, was instrumental in preserving several of Whistler’s cherished recreational areas, including Lost Lake Park. When timber licenses in the area were set to expire, developers were poised to move in. Recognizing its ecological and community value, Don worked with BC Parks to ensure the area was protected for public use, a vision that continues to benefit residents and visitors today.

One of Isobel’s hand painted signs on the Riparian trail in the Whistler Interpretive forest. 

Don also helped establish the Whistler Interpretive Forest (WIF) in the Cheakamus area during the late 1980s and 1990s. With Isobel’s distinctive artwork, the pair developed and installed interpretive signage throughout the forest. Some of these original hand-painted panels can still be found along the Riparian Trail, which was later updated and expanded with support from the Whistler Rotary Club in 2018.

At the Whistler Museum, we continue to enjoy contributing to interpretive panels throughout the valley. Each panel is a chance to build on the work started by the MacLaurins and the Rotary Club, helping residents and visitors alike deepen their understanding of this place and the stories that shape it.

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From Recruitment to Expertise: Neal Carter and Tom FylesFrom Recruitment to Expertise: Neal Carter and Tom Fyles

November 14, 2023 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Neal Carter started climbing mountains at 15 years old, after a trip up Grouse Mountain with his uncle. Over the next few years, he continued exploring the Grouse area on his own. When he met Tom Fyles, a Vancouver postman and member of the British Columbia Mountaineering Club (BCMC), in 1920, he was introduced to a world of mountaineering possibilities. Fyles, along with fellow mountaineer Mickey Dodds, took Carter on a trip up Goat Mountain. There they showed Carter the mountains the club was exploring, as well as other areas of interest. Carter joined the BCMC that week and became one of the regulars.

By joining the club and climbing with experienced mountaineers, Carter learned quickly about solid techniques and the risks of the activity. On a trip he took with Fyles up Cathedral Mountain, he slipped as he was summiting the mountain. This near-accident taught Carter about caution, but it did not deter him from building his mountaineering careers and becoming a leader within the community.

Table Mountain, a rare climb. Cliff Fenner Collection

Fyles had a similar introduction to the BCMC as Carter. Fyles moved to Vancouver from England in 1910. He was immediately awestruck by the mountains, but did not know how to “get there.” Two year later, after a failed attempt to find a way to the trails, he met a member of the BCMC at the post office where he worked. He took Fyles up to the Grouse Mountain cabin, and that was it; Fyles joined the BCMC. Though it was an adjustment at first – he had never camped before and didn’t know what equipment to bring – he was a naturally talented climber and quickly became an experienced leader.

A few years after Fyles joined the BCMC, he served as a committee member, then became their climbing director for nine years, until he left the club in 1926. He became synonymous with the BCMC, leading several expeditions and successful ascents. Fyles also solo-ascended some difficult climbs, including The Table. Though not a recommended route today, to an early 20th century mountaineer it was a welcome challenge.

After the BCMC encountered The Table in 1914, it was closely studied and had particular interest to Fyles. A few years later, Fyles and two other members made a trip out to attempt the summit. When they reached the loose and rotten rocks, the other two men stayed behind, while Fyles continued on and successfully made it up. He led more trips to The Table in the following years, including one with Carter in 1922 that was the second known ascent of the BCMC.

Right: View from the summit of Wedge Mountain; left: Back of photograph. Carter took his photographs from the 1923 expedition and wrote backwards mountains known and explored by the BCMC. When backlit, you can see these markings through the photograph. This helped him map Garibaldi Park and was likely used for presentations to others. Neal Carter Collection

Carter is reported to have said, “That’s one mountain that I never want to climb again! The only consolation was that it was in the fog, so we couldn’t see how far the drop below us was as we three clung to the loose chunks of rock that kept threatening to pull out of the sheer wall.”

Though Fyles left the BCMC, he continued his mountaineering careers through the Alpine Club of Canada. He and Carter were on many expeditions together, including the attempt on Mt Waddington in 1934, where they lost their friend Alex Dalgleish.

Many years later, Carter successfully advocated for a mountain in Bella Coola to be named in honour of Tom Fyles.

Today is the last day to check out Mapping the Mountains, the Whistler Museum’s latest temporary exhibit that tells the story of the 1923 Carter/Townsend expedition of our local mountains, so be sure to drop by!

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Carter and the MundaysCarter and the Mundays

October 31, 2023 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

In 1923, prior to his September expedition with Charles Townsend, Neal Carter spent the summer in the midst of a waterpower survey covering the area from Brandywine Falls to Green Lake. Though this work used up most of his time, Carter took every chance he could to take in his surroundings and note what peaks he was interested in climbing.

As a result, Carter wrote to his friends Don and Phyllis Munday, two experienced mountaineers living on the North Shore. In his letter, he described all the mountaineering possibilities of the local mountains, convincing them to make the trek up. While here, the couple made the first recorded ascent of Blackcomb Mountain, as well as Overlord Mountain. Though Carter could not join them for these climbs due to his work, they shared their findings, which contributed to Carter’s research of the area and, subsequently, his 1924 map of Garibaldi Park.

A photograph taken by Neal Carter of Charles Townsend, returning from the summit of Overlord Mountain on September 18, 1923. Carter Collection

The Mundays were well known and heavily involved in the mountaineering community by this time. Both were members of the BC Mountaineering Club (BCMC) and the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC).

The couple found their passion for climbing mountains prior to meeting each other in 1918. Don moved to Vancouver in 1909 and started his mountaineering career soon after, joining the BCMC in 1910. However, mountaineering was put on pause when the First World War broke out and he enlisted in the Canadian Forces. After serving for almost two years, Don suffered an injury and eventually made his way back to Vancouver. Soon after, he met Phyllis and resumed his climbing ventures.

During this time, Phyllis joined the Girl Guides and climbed the local Vancouver with her troop or on her own. She joined the BCMC in 1915 and continued to be involved with Girl Guides for more than 60 years.

Neal Carter beside a cairn on the summit of Wedge Mountain, September 10, 1923. Carter Collection

Together, the Mundays surveyed and climbed more than 150 mountains in British Columbia and Alberta, even taking their daughter Edith with them when she was just eleven weeks old.

Like Carter, the Mundays had an impact on the early development of Garibaldi Park, and the Coast Mountains more generally. Most notably, they spent nearly a decade exploring Mount Waddington (the highest peak in the Coast Mountains) and the surrounding region. Though unsuccessful in ascending what they dubbed “Mystery Mountain,” they climbed many surrounding peaks, and their meticulous surveying opened it up more for others to make their own attempts.

Carter was one of those mountaineers. In 1934, he, along with representatives from both the BCMC and ACC, started a journey that was unfortunately cut short due to tragedy. The mountain was eventually ascended two years later by Fritz Wiessney and Bill House, two American mountaineers.

According to Phyllis, “We didn’t go into the Waddington country just to climb one mountain and run out… we went into the Waddington country to find out all we possibly could about glaciers and mountains and animals and nature and everything about that particular area.”

Charles Townsend on the summit of Mt. James Turner, September 12, 1923, demonstrating the possible risks of mountaineering. Carter Collection

As mentioned in an earlier article, these mountaineers had a strong purpose to map the regions they explored and share their knowledge. Though there is a risk to this activity, the passion for outdoors exhibited by Carter, the Mundays, and many more was unwavering.

Mapping the Mountains, our temporary exhibit showcasing photographs and stories from the 1923 Carter/Townsend expedition, is on at the Whistler Museum until November 14.

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