Category: Museum Musings

These articles have also appeared in the Whistler Question or Pique Newsmagazine in the Whistler Museum’s weekly column.

A Rainbow Lodge WranglerA Rainbow Lodge Wrangler

August 19, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 2 Comments

Horses were a vital part of life at Alta Lake in the early half of the 20th century, facilitating transportation, construction, agriculture, leisure, and exploration. David Esworthy, who passed away in 2015, was a highly respected figure in the Canadian equestrian scene whose beginnings can be traced back to Rainbow Lodge. He went on to amass an impressive score of accolades, including president of the Canadian Equestrian Federation and Horse Council BC, and member of the BC Sports Hall of Fame. 

David as a toddler on horseback, held there by Myrtle. Philip Collection.

David was born on January 29, 1929, in Victoria, B.C. His mother, Margaret Esworthy (née Tapley), had travelled to Alta Lake from Maine to help her sister, Myrtle Philip, set up Rainbow Lodge in 1914. Photographs from the Philip collection reveal that David very quickly became acquainted with the lodge’s horses. 

Growing up in the Lower Mainland, David spent summers at Rainbow Lodge. As a teenager, he worked as the lodge’s wrangler. During that era, guests could sign up for early morning trail rides, which meant employees like David rose at 4 o’clock to prepare the horses. Lodge guests could pre-book their breakfast rides to Lost Lake or Green Lake, or opt for midnight trail rides complete with campfires, singing, and toasted marshmallows. 

Margaret Tapley Esworthy holding her son David, on a hill overlooking Rainbow Lodge. Philip Collection.

Moira McCarthy, who tended to the horses with David, remembered how Myrtle once caught them jumping the horses over logs, and the pair received a healthy scolding. Still, a 1974 article in The Province announcing a Rainbow Lodge reunion fondly remembered David as “the summer wrangler [who] had all the young things scrambling to ride along with him when he rounded up the horses at 4 a.m.” 

David as a baby on horseback with his aunt, Jean Tapley. Philip Collection.

After leaving the lodge, David worked on a ranch in the Interior for two years and studied agriculture at the University of British Columbia. In 1949, he married Patricia Howat, and the couple naturally chose Alta Lake as their honeymoon destination. 

Myrtle and David in Vancouver, circa 1940s. Philip Collection.

David, Patricia, their son Philip, and dog Sandy continued to visit Myrtle and would often travel to Alta Lake in the summers. The Alta Lake Echo’s December 18th, 1960 edition described how the Esworthys got stuck on the PGE when a bridge over Cheakamus Canyon caught flame, arriving so late for dinner at the Philips’ that there was no time to help wash dishes before they had to turn around and return home!

Seeking to spend more time with his young family, David joined North Vancouver’s Northridge Riding Club, and soon became its instructor and buyer. For the next fifty years, he dedicated himself to the sport, teaching clinics internationally and serving as judge, a horse show chair and an organizer. He was one of the few Fédération Equestre Internationale stewards to hold tickets in all three disciplines, a director on the Canadian Horse Council, and he assisted in the preparations for the equestrian events in the 1976 and 1984 Olympics in Montreal and Los Angeles. David’s vast resumé of volunteer work was merely in addition to his 40 year career with the Hastings Brass Foundry, the last four serving as president and CEO. 

Alex Philip and great nephew Philip Esworthy.

David was undeniably influential in Canada’s equestrian scene, and, if stories of his indomitable aunt are to be believed, he certainly came by his penchant and inclination towards horses honestly!

Logan Roberts is the Summer Program Coordinator at the Whistler Museum through the Young Canada Works Program.

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Having a BallHaving a Ball

August 12, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

When the Alta lake Volunteer Fire Department (ALVFD) was formed in 1962, it had five members and was supported by donations from community members. Alta Lake residents contributed axes, mattocks, shovels, stretchers, first-aid kits, hoses and more. When the ALVFD made their first purchase of a Wajax pump and 400 feet of hose for $305, Florence Petersen collected $15 from each property owner along Alta Lake Road. Regular fundraisers were established to provide funding from the ALVFD and the money raised was used to supply the firefighters with necessities. Members of the fire department continued to volunteer their time.

The fire department remained a volunteer organization for some years the Resort Municipality of Whistler was formed in 1975 and fundraisers continued to be an important source of funding. One fundraiser was the annual Ice-Break-Up raffle held in the spring. Each year, a barrel would be set out on the ice of Alta lake and tickets were sold with guesses of when the ice would break and the barrel would fall into the water (in 1976, Bob Dufour was announced as the lucky winner, though it was later revealed that an error had been made and the raffle should have been won by Guy Baervoets; both worked for the Whistler Mountain ski school). This tradition continues today, though it is now a fundraiser for the Point Artist-Run Centre rather than the fire department.

Volunteer firefighters Jim Crichton and Rick Crofton battled high winds and slippery ice to place the barrel in the centre of Alta Lake to mark the beginning of the 1984 Ice Break-Up Derby. Whistler Question Collection, 1984

Another annual fundraiser for the fire department was the Fireman’s Ball. This event was reportedly first held at Rainbow Lodge in support of the ALVFD, though it appears to have stopped by the mid-1970s. The Fireman’s Ball, however, was revived in 1985 to raise money for the Whistler Volunteer Fire Department’s (WVFD) Life Saving Equipment Fund. Specifically, the fire department wanted to purchase a Jaws of Life, a tool described to the Whistler Question by Fire Chief Lindsay Wilson as a “hydraulically operated cutting and spreading device used to gain entry to damaged vehicles, thereby facilitating speedy and safe rescue.”

Vancouver band Station to Station performed at the 1992 Fireman’s Ball, a masquerade held on October 31. Whistler Question Collection, 1992

The 1985 Fireman’s Ball on September 21 was one of the first community events to take place in the Conference Centre, which had held its official opening ceremony just two weeks earlier on September 7. Tickets were sold at local businesses and directly by members of the fire department. There was even a weekly Top Ticket Seller competition reported on in the Question.

With the support of volunteers and sponsorships from the community, the Fireman’s Ball was reported to have been a success, raising about $15,000 for the fire department. There was dancing the ballroom to the sounds of the Bobby Hales Orchestra, a full-service casino in the atrium area, a cash bar, and hors d’oeuvres. Organizers had promised it would “be THE social event of the year” and its popularity guaranteed that it would return in 1986.

Over 800 people turned out for the 1986 Fireman’s Ball, which included a casino in the atrium and the Dal Richards Band in the ballroom. Whistler Question Collection, 1986

Due to the success of the Fireman’s Ball, the fire department was able to purchase its Jaws of Life. On September 11, 1986, the driver of a 1985 Jaguar left the road while turning left at the intersection of Village Gate Boulevard and Highway 99. This was the first time that the fire department put its Jaws of Life to use, allowing them to remove the driver from the vehicle with a broken femur much more quickly than they otherwise would have.

Fire Chief Lindsay Wilson demonstrated the use of the Jaws of Life apparatus in front of the firehall. The equipment was purchased with funds raised from the first Fireman’s Ball in 1985. Whistler Question Collection, 1986

In 1998, the Ball was a smaller affair held at the GLC and the money was split between the fire department and the school’s Parent Advisory Committee. According to Alex Bunbury, who had then retired from the WVFD, the Ball had become less profitable for the department over the years as more events sprung up and the Ball was no longer “the only event of the year where Whistlerites dressed formally.” As Whistler grew, the fire department became a combination of paid and volunteer firefighters. The Ball became known as the Whistler Firefighters’ Ball as women such as Sheila Kirkwood joined the department and continued in different forms into the 2000s.

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Losing the UCI MTB Triple CrownLosing the UCI MTB Triple Crown

August 5, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Back in 2001, Whistler was slated to host the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) MTB World Cup Triple Crown event, but it did not go ahead. According to The Province, the UCI had received 11 bids to host the event from various Whistler groups between 1991 and 1999. Only one was successful.

In 1998, Marika Koenig and Claire Bonin founded TEAM Management, an events and festivals company focused on mountain biking. That same year they executed the inaugural Whistler International Classic, an internationally-sanctioned race where pro riders could build up UCI points. Over the next two years, TEAM added the race to their new event, Summer Session, a multi-day festival that revolved around mountain biking, cycling, skateboarding, and general summer fun. From fun and competitive races to bachelor auctions, the week was jam packed with events. Through this, TEAM showcased Whistler’s capability of hosting a World Cup event.

Mountain biker Dave Wastson competes in the 1999 Summer Session. He later won the 2001 Joyride Bikercross. Bruce Rowles Collection

TEAM invested their time and funds to submit an extensive bid to UCI in September 1999. It was endorsed by Cycling BC, the Canadian Cycling Association (CCA), and W3 – Whistler Blackcomb, Tourism Whistler and the Resort Municipality of Whistler.

Four months later, UCI awarded the bid to Whistler. Unfortunately, the dream of hosting a World Cup in Whistler did not come to fruition, as W3 wanted to take over ownership from TEAM, but did not have the expertise to do so. In December 2000, 7 months out from when the Triple Crown event was supposed to take place, W3 and TEAM withdrew their intention to host the World Cup.

The Whistler community expressed disappointment, outrage, and confusion, writing letters to the local papers in support of TEAM’s role and success with other MTB events. Many questioned the real reason for backing out. The fallout caused TEAM to cancel their events planned for the summer, including the third-annual Summer Session, and end their business.

Promotional video for Summer Session (2000). Koenig Collection

There were also concerns that this fallout would affect Whistler’s bid for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, since UCI President, Hein Verbruggen, sat on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was not too pleased with the outcome. The Olympic bid, however, remained unaffected and was awarded to Vancouver and Whistler in 2003.

In the meantime, two other resorts competed to take on this opportunity – Sun Peaks and Grouse Mountain. In March 2000, Grouse Mountain was confirmed to take on the Triple Crown from July 4 – 8, 2001, as well as events in the 2002 and 2003 World Cups. There were concerns initially with lack of on-mountain facilities and accommodations, but the Vancouver mountain assured UCI that the Skyride could transport 1,200 people per hour to make access for athletes and spectators easier. They also brought in Gestev Inc., an experienced organization who did World Cup races at Mont-Ste-Anne (Quebec) and Mazatlan (Mexico). Though the event was successful, mountain biking on Grouse died down after these World Cups, until this year when their new Bike Park opened this summer.

The podium for the cross-country event at the 2002 World Cup on Grouse Mountain. That year the downhill and four-cross events were cancelled. Makarewicz Collection

Back in Whistler, this left a void that needed to be filled by a large summer event. Since the 1980s, mountain biking had become a staple of Whistler summers, with several attempts at hosting annual events, so what was next?

Paddy Kaye and Chris Winter formed Joyride Productions in 1997 with the goal of bringing freeriding MTB events to Whistler. They helped build many of the trails on Whistler Mountain prior to Whistler Blackcomb taking over the park, and assisted with events and trail maintenance during the Summer Session festival. With the lack of major events in the summer of 2001, they brought Joyride Bikercross to the forefront and it was a massive success. The event took place a day prior to Grouse Mountain’s World Cup, a strategic choice on their end since pro riders would be close by to attend both events.

This homegrown event got bigger and better, and the slopestyle competition was introduced in 2003 when Joyride was incorporated in the Whistler Gravity festival. A year later, the festival was rebranded to Crankworx – Whistler’s largest summer festival that now has a multi-stop world tour.

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Building a Fortress: Part IIIBuilding a Fortress: Part III

July 29, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

When Dave and Lynn Mathews and Hugh Smythe arrived at Fortress Mountain in September 1974, their goal was to turn the ski area around and make it saleable. Snowridge, as it was called at the time, had declared bankruptcy in 1973 and been put up for judicial sale by the Federal Business Development Bank (FBDB). Over the 1974/75 ski season, Dave, Lynn, Hugh and their employees turned Fortress into a successful ski resort, which meant that the time had come to sell the operation for the FBDB.

When Dave and Hugh met with Ken Miller of FBDB about selling Fortress, they suggested that they approach Aspen Skiing Corp (later Aspen Ski Co), then the largest ski company in North America and considered “the top of the pecking order.” A small ski area in Alberta seemed like an unlikely investment for Aspen, but a series of events in Colorado made it a surprisingly good time to approach the company.

According to Hugh, they had heard that Darcy Brown, the president of Aspen, was having trouble getting some approvals for developments they wanted to do at Snowmass and so was looking at other potential projects. He was even reported to have made a statement at a public meeting about taking Aspen’s money out of not just the county but the country, which made it seem like an ideal time to approach the company. They traveled to Colorado to pitch Fortress to Darcy and in 1975 Aspen decided to buy half of the ski resort, leaving the other half with the FBDB.

Aspen President Darcy Brown, Mayor Pat Carleton and Aspen’s Jerry Blann at breakfast in Whistler. Whistler Question, 1979

Once the sale was completed, Dave and Lynn took a bit of time off and then returned to Whistler to manage the Whistler Inn and Resort for Jack and Ann Bright. In June 1975, Aspen asked Hugh to continue managing Fortress. He decided to stay and, like he had while working for Garibaldi Lifts Ltd., began taking night school classes to learn more about the business side of skiing, this time at SAIT in Calgary.

Over the next few years at Fortress, Hugh got Aspen to invest in the resort’s first triple chair (Aspen needed some convincing that with mazing, singles lines, and clear instructions, triple chairs could be fully loaded) and Fortress began to make a profit. Then, in 1977, a couple of things happened that would influence Whistler’s development; Paul Mathews contacted Hugh and suggest that they work together on a development proposal for Blackcomb Mountain and 20th Century Fox made a lot of money off of the success of Star Wars merchandising.

Jerry Blann and Hugh Smythe from Fortress Mountain Resorts present the Blackcomb development to the public in November 1978. Whistler Question Collection, 1978

Though the official call for proposals for Blackcomb had not yet been put out by the province of British Columbia, Paul and Hugh, along with engineer Ken Farquharson, began putting together a bid. To secure financing, they decided to pitch it to the Aspen board of directors. While that pitch didn’t get very far with the board, Al Raine, then in charge of provincial ski area coordination, reached out to Jerry Blann, who worked in planning for Aspen. Aspen then became interested in Blackcomb and Hugh had to make what he described as “a critical decision in [his] career,” whether to continue with Paul and Ken or stick with his employer. Like at Fortress in 1975, he decided to stay with Aspen.

Skiers head up on Blackcomb’s opening day, December 4, 1980. Greg Griffith Collection

In 1978, 20th Century Fox used the profits from Star Wars to diversify and bought Aspen. Also in 1978, the province chose the bid from Aspen and development began on Blackcomb Mountain, meaning Hugh returned to Whistler as competition for his previous employer, Garibaldi Lifts. The opening of Blackcomb Mountain on December 4, 1980 was part of an era of huge change and development in Whistler when, with the construction of the Whistler Village, Whistler began to look more like the resort you see today. It is possible, however, that Whistler would be quite different if Dave, Lynn and Hugh hadn’t decided to reopen a “derelict ski area” in Alberta back in 1974.

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