Category: Ski-Town Stories

From Whistler to Blackcomb to Whistler Blackcomb.

Freestyle Fitness FlashbackFreestyle Fitness Flashback

November 21, 2012 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Skiing is here! As exciting as that is, it’s painfully obvious to some of us that we’re just not ready. The extended patio season we enjoyed was great while it lasted, but how it now lingers on our waistlines, not so great.

Everyone’s talking fitness. All the local gyms and trainers are hawking their get-fit-quick schemes, but let’s face it: in this drive-thru, on-line world people have become slow and soft. So where better to look for fitness tips than the old school, when everything in life was harder, especially the muscles?

Fret not. We’ve scoured our collections and found some retro ski manuals with  some fitness tips from the heyday of freestyle. They’re certain to have you schralping the slopes in style, pirhouetting around your panting pals. Here we’ve compiled the 5 most essential training techniques that we gathered from our archival research, free for your benefit:

Tip #1: First off, it’s essential to do your ski workouts ON SNOW.

Do the knee press so you ski best.

Working out in a cushy, climate-controlled gym just won’t cut it. To get maximum ski performance out of our bodies, we need to train them in the appropriate environment. Too cold?  Tough.

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Tip #2: Fundamentals. Before you dial-in your double corks, you need to learn how to do a proper helicopter. Muscle memory is key, repetition is your friend.

Forget that junk about leading spins with your head. It doesn’t matter how hard you force it, with a proper track suit every trick will look buttery smooth.

Tip #3: Strength is over-rated. Too many athletes-in-training neglect flexibility. Develop a well-rounded stretching program and stick to it. A good rule of thumb: the more uncomfortable and ridiculous the stretch feels, the more ridiculous and uncomfortable it looks.

Limber up to throw down.

Tip#4:

Self-explanatory

Tip #5: Proper turn technique is way tougher in a full-body cast. Practice falling like a Hollywood stuntman and you’ll be shrugging off your yardsales as if they’re the latest hot trick.

Break dance or break yourself.

BONUS TIP!: We all know that in reality skiing is little more than a fancy, convoluted mating ritual. So work on your kip-ups. They never fail to impress the opposite sex at apres.

For bonus points, try this move on the GLC bannister.

So ignore what your personal trainer has to say about interval training, vo2, anaerobic threshold, and all that jazz. This isn’t rocket science. With these 6 simple rules and a little ol’ school gusto, you’ll charge harder, ski longer and be the envy of your crew. As the saying goes, “first call, last chair!”

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A Sticker For Your Thoughts.A Sticker For Your Thoughts.

November 4, 2012 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Stickers have become widely used in today’s world, from brand stickers on the Chiquita banana you ate for breakfast, to the “At Least its Paid For!” bumper sticker on that rusted 1990 VW Golf you saw on the way to work. Stickers are here, and are a prevalent part of our cultural landscape.

People often find value in stickers. This can be documented in all the well-placed stickers adorning bikes, skis, and boards (many people’s most prized
possessions) found throughout the village. Many companies and organizations have used stickers as very effective marketing tools to promote their products or events.

Some examples of classic Whister Stickers we have in our collection.The Museum has a small collection of vintage Whistler stickers in our collection ranging from stickers promoting Whistler’s bid for the 1976 winter Olympics, to heartwarming advertising campaigns such as “Whistler Mountain the Big Old softie” of years gone by.


Vintage screen-printed Garibaldi lifts sticker.

One of the more interesting artifacts in the Museum exhibit is a fridge donated by Gord Harder. Covered in stickers from Whistler’s early days in the 1960s until 1998, it stands as a tribute to the spirit of the early ski bum, a chronological monument documenting whistler life from the beginnings of our ski town to the famous destination resort it is today.


Come check out Gord Harder’s Fridge at the Whistler Museum.
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Seppo Memorial VideoSeppo Memorial Video

August 11, 2012 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 2 Comments

As part of our involvement with the Seppo Makinen memorial sculpture, built and unveiled this past May, the museum was asked to create some on-line content to compliment the public art piece.

Since I began working at the museum, Seppo has been the name that comes up most frequently when people start reminiscing about the good old days at our events. Clearly, Seppo made a huge impression on our community.

Because I moved to Whistler after he passed away, it only seemed right to have those who actually knew Seppo share their own memories of the man.

During and after the unveiling ceremony, Museum staff asked a number of Whistler locals to explain, simply, “What made Seppo special?” The enthusiastic and far-ranging responses we got show how  Seppo was a lot of things to a lot of people.

The end result is the  short video. Much thanks to all those who got in front of the camera to share their stories and pay tribute to the Whistler icon.

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Franz “The Overachiever” WilhelmsenFranz “The Overachiever” Wilhelmsen

August 4, 2012 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Recently the Collections department has been sorting through a collection of archival material and artifacts belonging to Franz Wilhelmsen.  Most people know him as the father of Whistler, the man responsible for transforming it into best ski resort in North America.  With such an amazing life accomplishment came a plethora of awards and honours inside and outside the Whistler community.  In 1966 he was named Man of the Year by the Greater Vancouver Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Franz Wilhelmsen! Man of the Year! On the right Annette Wilhelmsen, on the left Ms. British Columbia, 1966

In 1981 Franz received the Jim Marshall award which is given to a member of the Canada West Ski Area operators who has contributed the greatest effort in the public enhancement and enjoyment of the sport of skiing in Western Canada.  In 1983, Franz was named a Freeman of Whistler.  A title not often bestowed on inhabitants of the area, joining other members such as Myrtle Philip.  In 1984, Franz received the Canadian Tourism Medallion for his development of Whistler Mountain and the successful bid to bring the World Cup Downhill competition to Whistler.  Franz was nominated in both 1991 and 1998 for the Order of British Columbia but was not chosen as a recipient.  In 1996, Franz was part of the class inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame.  Then in 1998 he was also inducted to the BC Sports Hall of Fame, through which he received the W.A.C Bennett Award, an award recognizing a person who has made significant contributions to sport in British Columbia.  As if all this weren’t enough, in 1998, Whistler honoured its father by naming his favourite ski run “Franz’ Run”.

Franz takes a drink during the ceremonial naming of his ski run.

Franz’ life accomplishments and contributions to Canada and the province British Columbia are immense and the recognition of his very successful endeavours are all very well deserved.  But the truly lasting legacy of Franz’ life, the one that is and will always be visible to all peoples living and visiting the Whistler area, is the mountain that he saw such great promise in.  It is this lasting legacy that will win him the gratitude of generations to come.

It was a good day to be the Father of Whistler!

 

For more see www.whistlermuseum.org

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