Category: Ski-Town Stories

From Whistler to Blackcomb to Whistler Blackcomb.

The Great 2×4 Race: Part IIThe Great 2×4 Race: Part II

December 24, 2024 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Last week we introduced “The Great 2×4 Race,” a ski challenge to Dave Murray from Whistler Question sports columnist Doug Sack in 1984. As a very new skier, Sack’s challenge to the Crazy Canuck was ambitious, even if Murray would be strapped to two 2×4 planks.

On December 13, 1984, Sack used his “Inside Edge” column to report on his first experience on the hill. According to him, his first bash at skiing last week could roughly be called a success in that I got back down alive off Whistler.” It wasn’t all bad and Sack was determined to continue, despite the steep learning curve, adding that “the scenery ain’t bad either.” Sack continued to report on his skiing progress over the next few months, building up interest in the coming race by exaggerating his failures, triumphs, and the developing worrylines of Murray.

Early in the new year, Sack got some professional help with his endeavour, beginning with a lesson on Skidder on Blackcomb Mountain from Nancy Greene and leading to his announcement on January 17 that we “the weekday King of Lower Gandy Dancer!” (Sack also, in the same article, addressed Greene to ask “What are the poles for?”) Continuing to practice on Blackcomb (specifically on Skidder for two weeks), Sack progressed to longer runs and longer skis, trying out blue runs and 190s in February and likening the experience to “driving a load of timber downhill with no brakes.”

Doug Sack shows off his “ski look.” Whistler Question Collection, 1985

In March, Sack finally got his own brand new pair of skis instead of the rentals he had been using. While attending the Volvo Ski Show, Sack got talking to Casey Niewerth, owner of Skyline Sports stores in Vancouver, Whistler’s Mountain’s original Jolly Green Giant, and, luckily for Sack, then the Canadian sales rep for RD (Research Dynamic) Skis’ new Coyote skis out of Sun Valley, Idaho. Niewerth arranged for a pair of 200 Coyotes for Sack as he set about learning the art of gates from Blackcomb Ski Club coach Dave Kerwynn.

Gate training began with a run down the GS course with no instruction, letting Kerwynn get an idea of what he was working with. From there, the pair worked to correct mistakes and improve Sack’s time. His first runs and wipe outs down a race course gave Sack a new perspective on ski racing, a sport that he had not previously spent much time following. On March 28, Sack wrote: “Ski racing very well could be the ultimate pinnacle of athletic challenge and satisfaction. The thin razor’s edge is so clearly defined: if you go too fast, you wipe out; if you don’t go fast enough, you struck out.”

Casey Niewerth holds a ski as Dave Murray “cuts the ribbon” at the opening of the Kerrisdale Skyline Sports in 1979, six years before he arranged skis for Doug Sack. Whistler Question Collection, 1979

Over the early months of 1985, plans for the race solidified. A date was chosen (April 22, 1985) and a format decided on. Though Murray nixed the anvil and anchor that Sack had originally proposed, he did consent to race on the two 2×4 planks that had been dubbed “Crazy Canuck Demos.”

Despite challenging a former national ski team member and current Director of Skiing to a race, Sack did not expect to become a highly proficient or technical skier in his first season, calling that goal “hopeless.” Instead, he reportedly wanted to claim bragging rights by being able to “ski gates fast enough to make Murray wipeout on his 2×4’s” and become a good enough skier to “cover the national championships on mountain and get back down to the bottom alive,” a reasonable goal for a sports reporter in a town that hosted World Cup races and took skiing and ski racing quite seriously.

We’ll be back next week with race results and a conclusion to the unique race on Whistler Mountain.

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The Great 2×4 Race: Part OneThe Great 2×4 Race: Part One

December 17, 2024 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 2 Comments

On November 29, 1984, the Whistler Question published the first “Inside Edge” column by Doug Sack, a new addition to the local paper. Doug Sack came to Whistler from the Yukon where he had been working as a catskinner in the mines. His first job in Whistler was working as a catskinner for Art Den Duyf in gravel pits, which Sack once described as “gold mines without the pipelines and sluice boxes.”

Sack, who also had some experience in sportswriting, was taken on by Question editor Kevin Griffin and owner/publisher Glenda Bartosh to provide dedicated and comprehensive sports coverage for the paper for the winter of 1984/85. Perhaps unexpectedly for a town that had by then successfully hosted two FIS World Cup downhill races, Sack was not a skier.

Dave Murray racing down a course. Murray Collection

In his first column, Sack wrote that he intended to “open lines of communication that will facilitate the flow of sports news into the office.” According to Sack, this line of communication also brought him an offer of ski instruction from none other than Nancy Greene. Sack had declared his intent to take up skiing “in a personal quest to bring Skidder and Ego Bowl to their knees.” Greene’s offer was fortuitous as in his next column Sack issued a unique ski race challenge to Dave Murray, at the time the Director of Skiing for Whistler Mountain.

During a meeting in Murray’s office, Sack had reportedly noticed two 2×4 planks with bindings mounted and a hand-painted label that read “Crazy Canuck Demos” that had been given to Murray when he retired from ski racing. According to Sack, the planks “looked skiable.” On December 6, 1984, Sack used his column to issue this challenge for a spring race: “I get to do whatever I want (or can) and you [Dave Murray] have to wear 2×4’s for skis, carry an anvil and drag an anchor down the course.”

Dave Murray instructing on Whistler Mountain as the Director of Skiing. Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation Collection

The odds might seem to have been stacked in Sack’s favour, but he wasn’t proposing to race against just any skier. Born in Abbotsford, Dave Murray grew up skiing on Whistler Mountain and started racing as a teenager, even attending the Toni Sailer Summer Ski Camp. He joined the national ski team in 1971 and through the 1970s became known as one of the Crazy Canucks, alongside teammates Ken Read, Dave Irwin and Steve Podborski. Murray represented Canada at the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games and in 1979 was ranked third in downhill by the FIS and named British Columbia’s Athlete of the Year. Even though Murray retired from ski racing in 1982, he didn’t exactly stop skiing or racing.

The Crazy Canucks: head coach John Ritchie, Ken Read, Dave Murray, Dave Irwin, Steve Podborski, assistant coach Heinz Kapler. Murray Collection

When he was hired as Whistler Mountain’s Director of Skiing, Murray already had a vision of using race training techniques to help improve the abilities of recreational skiers, in part through organized recreational races. Murray became the National Chair of the Canadian Masters Alpine Series (an adult recreational racing series) and took over the summer ski camps on Whistler Mountain. Two years into retirement, even skiing on wooden planks (the anvil and anchor were dropped as race details were nailed down), Murray was a formidable opponent for a skier who had only just begun learning the sport.

Next week we’ll take a look at how Doug Sack prepared for “The Great 2×4 Race” as he ventured into the world of skiing.

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Ski Trails and Whistler’s First SeasonSki Trails and Whistler’s First Season

December 10, 2024 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

In January 1966, skiers in the Lower Mainland saw the beginning of two new ventures: Whistler Mountain held its opening day on January 15 and Ski Trails published its first issue on January 20 (although a typographical error dates the first issue as January 20, 1965). Luckily for us at the Whistler Museum, this means that the opening season of Whistler Mountain is documented throughout the first volume of Ski Trails, which was published every two weeks.

The aim of Ski Trails, according to editor Michael Horsey, was “to provide an informative and entertaining service for BC skiers” while targeting “the average recreational skier who wants to know about new skiing areas, new products and what other skiers are thinking about.” To that end, they published longer pieces detailing specific resorts and ski areas and what they had to offer, beginning with Whistler Mountain in their first issue. They also published articles on new ski signs and ski fashions, regular columns that listed new developments and events, and letters from readers, as well as more comical pieces that commented on the ski culture of the 1960s. Throughout their first volume, Ski Trails also published race results for the various races and ski clubs in the province, often including names that would become very familiar in the Whistler area such as Andree Vajda (Janyk), Bob Calladine and Karen Dokka (Vagelatos).

The cover of the first issue of Ski Trails, including the erroneous date. Ski Trails, Vol 1, No 1

In its first issue, Ski Trails announced that “The hottest skiing news for Lower Mainland skiers is coming from the cold, cold slopes of Whistler Mountain” and listed the different facilities, accommodations and apres options available. It would appear that the early season did not go off without a hitch, however, and by the second issue of January 29, Ski Trails reported on long line ups for the gondola and T-bars that still weren’t in operation. This trend continued into February, with a photo caption that read “Backed up like rush hour traffic, these skiers queue at Tower 9 at the Whistler chairlift.” Because Ski Trails reported on ski areas throughout the province, we know that this problem was not unique to Whistler Mountain and that all of the mountains considered local to the Lower Mainland were experiencing capacity difficulties. The staff at Ski Trails attributed this to a “ski boom” of about 80,000 skiers in the area, leading to “predictable results” including long lineups and crowded slopes.

This photo of Tower 9 of the Red Chair appeared in the third issue of Ski Trails. Ski Trails, Vol 1, No 3

For Whistler Mountain, this problem was partially alleviated by the February 26 issue, which reported that “the opening of the two T-bars at Whistler has reduced line-ups and is giving skiers a full day of skiing.” At that time Whistler had one T-bar located at the valley and another above the chairlift (today’s Red Chair) near its current location.

Throughout Whistler Mountain’s first season, Ski Trails continued to update skiers about new developments and events such as the First Aid Ski Patrol fundraiser to help build a ski patrol cabin, road conditions and plans for the next season, while continuing to situate the ski area within the context of other ski areas in the province.

Ski Trails also reported on what the ski patrol was up to at Whistler Mountain. Ski Trails, Vol 1, No 6

As we head into another winter season in Whistler, skiers (and now snowboarders) are sure to experience a very different Whistler Mountain than the one reported throughout Ski Trails in 1966. While we have quite a few issues of Ski Trails in our collection spanning from 1966 to 1973, we do not have a full run. If you happen to come across an issue while cleaning out an attic or crawlspace, we would love to see it!

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Between (Ski) FriendsBetween (Ski) Friends

December 3, 2024 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

In the winter of 1987/88, a new group of uniformed skiers could be found on Whistler Mountain helping to create positive experiences for skiers on the hill. Known as Ski Friends, the program was somewhat modeled largely on the volunteer Ski Friends program at Lake Louise, even borrowing the name.

Over a decade before Ski Friends appeared on Whistler Mountain, many of the roles that they would come to fill were provided by Mountain Hostesses. Developed in 1974 by Leanne Dufour at the request of Jack Bright, the Mountain Hostess program provided twice daily guided tours around Whistler Mountain, helped run special events, and filled some of the roles provided by guest services today. Mountain Hostesses attended ski shows on behalf of the lift company and Dufour even traveled to Japan with Jim McConkey to promote Whistler Mountain to skiers there. Unlike the Ski Friends program, however, Mountain Hostesses were all paid employees of the lift company.

The Ski Friends program was not entirely dissimilar to that of the Whistler Mountain hostesses, which had been a position with the lift company for over a decade. Greg Griffith Collection, 1982

In February 1987, Mary Read, who with her husband Preston was an original investor in Whistler Mountain, asked her sister-in-law in Calgary for information about the volunteer Ski Friends program as Whistler was looking to form something similar. A Ski Friend herself, Dorothy “Dee” Read (member of the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame and mother of Crazy Canuck Ken Read) obliged by sending Mary a copy of the 1985/86 Ski Friends reference manual, a daily roster sheet, a Skiing Louise trail map, and a copy of “Amongst Friends,” the Ski Friends newsletter. These documents, along with Whistler Mountain Ski Friends manuals that belonged to Mary, were donated to the Whistler Museum and Archives in the 1990s and together clearly show the similarities of the two programs.

The Skiing Louise Ski Friends was founded in 1977/78 by the wives of ski patrol members who wanted to contribute to the resort. By 1985, Lake Louise had up to ninety members “of both genders, all ages and from numerous walks of life.” The stated aim of the Ski Friends was “to enhance the enjoyment of the skiing public at Lake Louise” and they did this by conducting free guided tours of the ski area, providing skiers with information such as directions and trail maps, and generally being a positive presence and friendly faces on the ski hill.

While Ski Friends had various responsibilities around the ski area, it appears that the guided tours were one of the most important parts of being a Ski Friend. Tours met at the Ski Friends sign multiple times each day and Ski Friends would take groups of 8 to 10 skiers, most of whom were new to the area. According to the manual, “A new area is overwhelming to first-timers, so the tour should be designed to show participants where to ski when they’re eventually on their own.” Ski Friends also pointed out facilities and provided additional information on the area and its history, much of which was outlined in the manual.

The Whistler Mountain Ski Friend jacket. Whistler Blackcomb Collection

The Ski Friends program at Whistler Mountain, as outlined in its 1987/88 manual, included many of the same responsibilities and expectations as the Lake Louise program, though it also involved being a bit of a salesperson. According to the official position summary, “The Whistler Ski Friend is expected to sell to the public the services, programs, benefits and qualities of Whistler Mountain; and to ensure, by dispensing accurate information and generous assistance, that the guest has the best ski experience possible.”

Looking through the 1987/88 manual, some familiar names show up as Ski Friends, including Mary Read, Isobel MacLaurin (who acted as a “float”), and BJ Godson, who led the program before leaving Whistler in the late 1980s.

The Ski Friends used to help Santa out around the holidays. Photo courtesy of BJ Godson

Like in Lake Louise, Whistler Ski Friends led tours of the ski area. They also helped with crowd control in lift lines, handed out maps and brochures, assisted with on-hill races and picnics, and generally worked to make guests’ ski days more pleasant by assisting in any way they could (the manual pointed out that the map at the Alpine Lightboard was “a good place to find confused and lost skiers”). Ski Friends were provided with up-to-date information on grooming, events, and weather conditions, as well as historical and general information about the resort and the mountain.

Today, there are still friendly uniformed faces on Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains who lead tours and offer information, though the program is now known as the Mountain Hosts. The Ski Friends program at Lake Louise is still going strong, offering tours and information to visiting skiers and snowboarders.

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