Ski-Town Stories – Page 14 – Whistler Museum and Archives Society

A-frames About TownA-frames About Town

October 17, 2023 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

When Whistler Mountain was first being developed as a ski resort in the 1960s, A-frames were a popular design choice, whether building a ski cabin or a Skiers’ Chapel. A-frames could soon be found throughout the valley, partly because of their relatively simple construction and the availability of kits that could quickly be assembled.

In 1996, an inventory of A-frames in the Alta Vista neighbourhood was compiled by Rosemary Malaher, a volunteer for the Whistler Museum. Each A-frame structure that was still standing in Alta Vista at the time was photographed and, where possible, additional information about the building was gathered from its owners, such as when it was built or by whom. Malaher also noted unique or unusual features, such as a stained glass window in the front door, a metal roof with skylights, or modifications and additions. While some of these structures stand today, others have been redeveloped or torn down and replaced over the last few decades.

*BJ Godson’s miniature A-frame on Nesters Road. Photo courtesy of BJ Godson.*

BJ Godson moved to the Whistler area in 1974 and lived for a time in an A-frame on Alta lake Road. Around 1977, she moved into another A-frame, this one located where Nesters Market it today. In a recent interview, she described this A-frame as a “little hobbit house” with a bathroom at the back that was on “a bit of slant” and said that everything inside was miniature, including the woodstove. Despite the woodstove, BJ recalled that the house wasn’t intended to be a winter cabin and the pipes weren’t insulated underneath the building. This meant that she often had to go under the A-frame with a torch to warm up the pipes, though this turned out to be a good way to save money. When she first moved in, BJ paid $157/month; she remembered that one day, her landlord Rudy Hoffmann (of nearby Rudy’s Steak House) came by and told her, “Ok, your rent is now lowered to $75 a month and I don’t want to hear about frozen pipes. You’re on your own.”

BJ lived in the little A-frame for about four years. When her partner moved in, however, it proved too small for the two of them, their cat, and the guitar, and they moved down to the Garibaldi townsite.

Another A-frame that we have heard stories about was supposedly the smallest house in Whistler in 1988. After sharing a photo of the A-frame, we received more information about it from Rich Miller, who lived in the building in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

*This A-frame was once a show home located in Vancouver before moving north to Alpine Meadows. Whistler Museum Collection.*

Miller remembered that the A-frame had been used as a display home at the end of Denman St. in Vancouver by Capilano Highlands Ltd. to promote their new Alpine Meadows development in the later 1960s. It was later moved to the corner of Alpine Way and Highway 99 before being moved further into Alpine, where it stood aorund 1978 when Miller was looking for a place to live. He had been renting a basement suite for $125/month, which was a good deal, until his landlord raised his rent to what Miller remembered was the going rate of $450/month. Over a beer with Jack Bright and Peter Soros, Bright suggested that he buy the A-frame and the lot it was on. After figuring out the financing and completing the $6,000 worth of work for Soros for the down payment, Miller was able to call the little A-frame home.

Miller later decided to build a “real” house behind the A-frame and had to come up with a creative solution to keep the A-frame. Bylaws at the time did not allow for two separate dwellings on one lot, but they allow for a workshop. According to Miller, “you were allowed a bathroom in a shop and a sink for cleaning up and storage, but no cooking facilities… so I disconnected the stove and ‘put it in storage’.” The stove would sometimes come out of storage when making a meal and then be returned. Eventually, the A-frame was allowed to stay.

If you’d like to share the story of your favourite A-frame (or other kind of structure), we’d love to hear it!

Blackcomb Helicopters: A Short HistoryBlackcomb Helicopters: A Short History

October 10, 2023 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

Recently at the Museum, we acquired a collection of documents related to aviation in the Whistler valley from Brent Wallace. This collection is very extensive and contains many files from many of the aircraft companies in Whistler such as applications for Commercial Air Service Licenses from Corporate Helicopters Ltd. and Airspan Enterprises Ltd., brochures from the charter aviation companies, proposals and documents related to the Whistler Municipal Heliport, some interviews from Myrtle Philip about early aviation in Whistler, and a collection of news clippings from 1977 all the way to 2023 about aviation in Whistler. One company we wanted to focus on that is frequently mentioned is Blackcomb Helicopters, who started a little later than some other companies but still made a big splash amongst all the competing charter aviation companies.

Blackcomb Helicopters was founded in 1989 by experienced helicopter pilot Steve Flynn. Steve managed a number of other bases throughout BC before settling in Whistler, where he worked at Pemberton Helicopters before applying for his own Operating Certificate in 1989 to start Blackcomb Helicopters. Blackcomb Helicopters began performing mostly technical operations such as fighting forest fires and helping with a number of construction projects, as well as search and rescue operations. They also got involved with the growing tourism industry, offering a wide variety of services to customers from all over the world.

*BUCKETS FROM ON HIGH: Blackcomb Helicopters assisted in the pouring of concrete for lift-tower foundations at Whistler’s Creekside base. Whistler Question Collection, 1991*

Blackcomb Helicopters was up and running by 1991 and construction aid was one of the many services they provided to contractors in Whistler. In 1991, Blackcomb Helicopters aided with the construction of the Whistler Heliport and even flew in the windsock for the opening ceremony of the heliport. In 1992, they airlifted a 16-man hot tub to the Glacier Lodge. However, construction wasn’t all they did. They also helped with conservation efforts such as transporting bears out of Whistler, like they did in 1994 when they airlifted a four year old male black bear out of the landfill to the Upper Squamish Valley. Blackcomb Helicopters also offered a wide range of heli-touring services to people in the Whistler area and still continues to offer services like heli-biking, heli-skiing, and heli-picnics, as well as more specialized services such as search and rescue, medevac, environmental surveys, flights to and from Vancouver, and even film production.

Things have not always been easy for Blackcomb Helicopters. In 1996, an unidentified party placed a muffin into the fuel tank of one of their helicopters, causing an engine failure and leading to an emergency landing at Squamish Elementary School (after this event, some more security was put in place at the heliport). Blackcomb Helicopters also had trouble finding a permanent heliport. They were in a bidding war with Whistler Air for a heliport near Nicklaus North golf course that was ultimately won by Whistler Air, which was acquired by Harbour Air in 2012 and became the floatplane dock on Green Lake. Blackcomb Helicopters ultimately settled in the Whistler Municipal Heliport just north of Green Lake.

*CEMENTING THE FOUNDATION: Blackcomb Mountain picks up a load of cement. Whistler Question Collection, 1994*

In 2006, Blackcomb Helicopters was brought by MCM Aviation, a joint venture between the McLearn Group and Omega Aviation. Steve Flynn stayed on as general manager but Blackcomb Helicopters was now owned by John Morris, Jason McLean, and Sacha McLean. Nowadays, Blackcomb Helicopters still works with Whistler Blackcomb and helps with construction, environmental management, emergency services, and film services (they have worked on many Hollywood films such as The A-Team, Godzilla, and the Deadpool films, just to name a few). They still operate at the Whistler Heliport just north of Green Lake and will still take people on helicopter adventures to take in the beauty of the Whistler Valley and see it in a way few people are able to.

Liam McCrorie was one of two summer students working at the Whistler Museum this summer through the Young Canada Works Program.

Expanding the RoundhouseExpanding the Roundhouse

September 12, 2023 Whistler Museum 2 Comments

The Roundhouse that sits atop Whistler Mountain today bears little resemblance to the original Roundhouse built during the summer of 1966. Based on the design of a similar building in the United States, the “round” structure is easily recognized in photographs from past decades. However, almost as soon as it was built, the lift company began changing and adding on to the Roundhouse.

The Roundhouse on Whistler Mountain, before the external additions. George Benjamin Collection.

Following its first season of operations, the lift company began construction of a warming hut to provide skiers with respite from the cold and snow. The Roundhouse featured a huge fireplace in the middle where skiers could warm their feet, though from stories we’ve heard at the Whistler Museum, only the first ring or two of people around the fire really got all that warm. The building was not designed to include food service or running water, though there were outhouses built on the hill below the Roundhouse.

The next summer, Hugh Smythe remembered being present when a dowser was used to locate water in order to install running water at the site. According to Smythe, the water was successfully found using a willow stick as a dowsing rod and a pump was sunk the next spring. The Roundhouse underwent quite a few changes over the next few years as the lift company removed the fireplace, added a kitchen, installed indoor toilets (though they kept the outhouses as well), dug out and enclosed a lower level, and even wired the building for electricity, installing a diesel generator in the basement (which was stolen one winter).

The Roundhouse under construction in September 1979. Whistler Question Collection, 1979.

The summer months were an opportunity to upgrade facilities on the mountain for the next ski season. During the summer of 1979, with the opening of Blackcomb Mountain for the 1980/81 season looming, there was a lot of work done, especially around the Roundhouse. Quadra Construction was employed to build a new building beside the Roundhouse that was to house extra washroom facilities, a new ski school office, a ski repair shop, and a sewer plant, topped off with a sun deck on the roof. Over the years, this building also housed a snack bar and Jim McConkey’s Alpine Ski Shop and became known as the Squarehouse. Quadra Construction also leveled the road that led up to the Roundhouse, raising the building eight feet without actually moving the building.

The view from the Roundhouse showing the new washroom building under construction in September 1979. Whistler Question Collection, 1979.

Other work done by the lift company that summer included seeding some runs and widening others, filling in gullies, cutting a new entrance to Green Acres, installing new engines on some of the chairlifts, and replace the original chairs of the Red Chair (the chairs were sold for $10 and marketing director John Creelman reported that they would “make a great conversation piece.”) At the gondola base in today’s Creekside, the bottom of the Olive Chair was remodeled, the Whistler Skiers’ Chapel was moved next to the Whistler Mountain Ski Club cabin, and L’Après and the cafeteria were renovated. According to lift company manager Peter Alder, all of these improvements and maintenance work came to over $1.5 million (adjusted for inflation, that would be about $5.9 million today).

The Roundhouse and the “Squarehouse” from the air during the 1980/81 season. Whistler Question Collection, 1980.

The new building at the Roundhouse was completed shortly after the 1979/80 ski season began. More changes were made to the Roundhouse area over the years, especially when the Whistler Express Gondola opened in 1988. In 1998, the Roundhouse Lodge was completely rebuilt, retaining the name of the structure but changing the shape.

The Skiers’ ChapelThe Skiers’ Chapel

September 5, 2023 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

The Whistler Mountain Skiers’ Chapel was one of the most iconic buildings from the early development of Whistler as a ski resort. Remembered for its distinctive A-frame design, the building was one of the first skier chapels in Canada, as well as one of the first interdenominational churches in Canada.

The chapel was designed from conception to be integrated into the ski culture blossoming in Whistler. Franz Wilhelmsen, president of Garibaldi Lifts Ltd, set aside a small parcel of land for an alpine skiers’ chapel. Wilhelmsen had fond memories of skiers’ chapels in the alpine villages of Norway, his home country, and envisioned something similar on Whistler Mountain. Likewise, the chapel’s status as an interdenominational chapel was envisioned since its beginning. Marion Sutherland and Joan Maclean, who formed the original board of trustees and established the fundraising committee in 1966, ascribed to different denominations of the Christian faith; Sutherland was a Protestant and Maclean belonged to the Roman-Catholic Church.

A section of the original blueprints by Asbjorn Gathe for the skiers’ chapel.

Fundraising began in 1966 with Sutherland and Maclean seeking support from local faith communities, approaching both the Vancouver Council of Churches and the Kamloops diocese, both of which agreed to support the effort by supplying ministers. Architect Asbjorn Gathe contributed by donating plans for the chapel’s design, a simple A-frame, the layout left intentionally devoid of specific denominational features. A stained glass window designed by Donald Babcock was donated by the Southam family. Support for the chapel’s construction also came from local ski culture. Warren Miller, colloquially referred to as “dean of ski cinematographers,” held a benefit screening of his film Ski on the Wild Side and donated a portion of the proceeds to the construction of the chapel.

Warren Miller’s advertisement for his charity screening, with proceeds going to the Skiers’ Chapel and Ski Patrol, in Ski Trails Volume 1, No. 10, 1966.
The chapel’s iconic stained glass window by artist Donald Babcock. Wallace Collection

The $15,000 needed was swiftly raised, and the chapel’s construction was completed in December, the first service being held on Christmas Eve 1966. The dedication ceremony included representatives from Lutheran, United, Anglican and Jewish faiths. As Whistler expanded over the years, the chapel also grew and changed. It held regular services for many denominations, ranging from Catholic to Seventh Day Adventist. It also became a de-facto community center, as local groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and community health services utilized the space.

The chapel with skis and a map of Whistler Mountain in the foreground. Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation Collection.
A view of the chapel’s entrance. Wallace Collection

The growth of Whistler and the chapel’s evolving role exposed the physical limitations of the A-frame building, forcing some groups such as the Whistler Community Church to split up services. Additionally, as the Creekside location developed, the chapel was forced to relocate multiple times, and was finally given the option to move to the new Village Centre. However, the projected moving cost of $10,000 and the growing spatial limitations prompted the Skier’s Chapel Society to launch a fundraising campaign for a new building in 1989.

The Skiers’ Chapel being moved to a new location adjacent to the Whistler Mountain Ski Club Cabin in 1979. Whistler Question Collection.

The vision for what the new chapel would be had changed by 1991, becoming more ambitious with the hope of constructing a building that could fulfill the needs of both secular and faith communities in Whistler. The committee also exchanged their plot of land in Village Centre for one in Village North in 1996. Both the Catholic Church and the Whistler Community Church, two of the chapel’s larger congregations, decided to pursue their own buildings, but the Whistler Skiers’ Chapel Society continued to fundraise for a new interfaith building in the Village, spearheaded by members of the Jewish faith and United Church, as well as community members with no particular religious affiliations.

By 1999, the majority of the funds for a new building in Village North had been raised through donations from organizations including the Chan foundation, the RMOW, and the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, as well as more personal donations. $2 million was donated by the Young and Barker families in honour of William Maurice Young, who had been the president of the Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation. When the new interfaith building opened, it was named Maurice Young Millennium Place (the building is now known as the Maury Young Arts Centre). The last service held in the original skier’s chapel was for Easter of 2000.