Fortress Mountain – Whistler Museum and Archives Society

Building a Fortress: Part IIIBuilding a Fortress: Part III

July 29, 2025 Whistler 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.

Building a Fortress: Part IIBuilding a Fortress: Part II

July 22, 2025 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

When Lynn and Dave Mathews and Hugh Smythe arrived at Snowridge in September 1974, the Albertan ski area was not in the best shape (find out more about how they ended up there here). The lifts had stopped operating following the 1970/71 ski season and the lodge building was described as “just a total disaster.” The three were there to reopen the ski area and make it saleable, which meant that they had until the beginning of the ski season in December to turn it into a going concern.

There was a lot to get done in a short amount of time and in an oral history interview Hugh looked back at this time as “drinking from a fire hose, to say the least.” The trio were taking on all of the operations of the ski area, including the lifts, ski school, retail, hotel, restaurant, and more. According to Hugh, this experience was where he got his “MBA in ski management by trial by fire.”

The 7th Heaven T-bar installed on Blackcomb Mountain in 1985 was originally a lift from Fortress Mountain. Greg Griffith Collection.

The cable of the chairlift at Snowridge had been blown off the tower and chairs were lying on the ground. Doppelmayr took on the refurbishment of the lift and Snowridge’s two T-bars (they were, after all, Doppelmayr lifts), marking the beginning of a long relationship between Doppelmayr and Hugh.

Birds had been searching for larva in the wooden siding of the lodge and other animals had been making themselves at home inside. Designed by Calgary architect Joseph K. English, guest services, retail and rental space, hotel accommodations, and food services were all included in one unique building. According to Lynn, it featured a “big copper fireplace going up three floors” and had a confusing layout. She recalled at one point seeing Hugh on the second floor and asking, “How did you get there?” His reply was, “I don’t know.” Though Dave referred to the building as a “Monument to Insanity,” they soon learned their way around.

In 2023, someone filmed their walk-through of the abandoned lodge and included some historical images of it in its heyday. The lodge is no longer accessible and is reportedly slated for demolition.

In order to open a ski area in three months, Lynn, Dave and Hugh did not come along and some familiar faces from Whistler Mountain came to work with them at Snowridge. Little Mary, who had been known for her cinnamon buns at Whistler, joined them in the cafeteria. Roger and Jan Systad, who had both worked at the Cheakamus Inn, came as well, Roger as the restaurant’s chef and Jan to run some of the hotel operations. Rich Miller was their electrician and John Garrity was in charge of maintenance. Munro Pickering, who had been a lift operator for the Green Chair, was in charge of the lift crew. Though not from the Whistler area, Hugh’s high school friend Garry Davies was also hired to create the new trail signs.

Like many of those who went to Fortress, Rich Miller returned to Whistler in the 1970s. (L-R) Drew Meredith, Jack Greenwood and Rich Miller pose in the midst of official Chamber of Commerce business. Whistler Question Collection

With a lot of work and long days, the ski area was ready to open by December 1974. They renamed the operation Fortress Mountain and branded themselves as “Alberta’s Friendly Mountain.” To that end, they hired high school kids to work on the weekends who they bused in and would have stay at Fortress Friday and Saturday nights. Fortress also employed over 40 full-time staff who lived at the ski area. As the managers, one of Dave, Lynn or Hugh was always on duty. Looking back, Lynn recalled going to bed at 4 am and then getting back up to work at 11am, remembering “I have never worked so hard in my life.”

Fortress had turned around by the spring of 1975 and was operating successfully. All that was left for HUMAT Management and Consultants Ltd. was to sell the ski resort for the Federal Business Development Bank.

Building a Fortress: Part IBuilding a Fortress: Part I

July 15, 2025 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

In 1974, a closed ski hill in Alberta developed a surprising number of connections to the Whistler area.

Snowridge Ski Resort opened in Kananaskis County in 1968 as a family ski area. A daylodge designed by Joseph K. English had been constructed the previous summer and included hotel rooms, a restaurant, and a cafeteria that could seat up to 300. Two t-bars and a chairlift had also been installed and Snowridge advertised “acres of exotic powder and undulating packed runs.” Located along the gravel and rarely-plowed Kananaskis-Coleman Forestry Road, it wasn’t the easiest to access, but it was close enough to Calgary to attract skiers, many of whom would come for the day.

Snowridge closed at the end of the 1970/71 ski season and didn’t reopen. In 1973, the bank foreclosed on its mortgages and Snowridge declared bankruptcy and was put up for judicial sale by the Federal Business Development Bank (FBDB; then called the Industrial Development Bank. That same year, construction began on Highway 40, which would have provided more consistent access to the ski hill. By 1974, Snowridge was still for sale.

Patrol at the top of the Red Chair in 1967, years before Hugh Smythe moved to Snowridge. Photo courtesy of Cliff Jennings

Over in British Columbia, Hugh Smythe took the summer of 1974 off from Garibaldi Lifts Ltd. and took a trip to Alberta. On his trip, he stopped at Fairmont Hot Springs and visited with the owners, the Wilder family. The Wilders were interested in purchasing Snowridge and Hugh decided to go take a look. According to an oral history interview with Hugh, he thought, “Maybe this is something that could be intriguing” and he was still thinking about Snowridge when he returned to work at Whistler Mountain in August.

Dave Mathews was operations manager for Whistler Mountain at the time and so was Hugh’s boss. Not wanting to take on “a derelict ski area” alone, Hugh talked to Dave about his interest in Snowridge and they and Dave’s wife Lynn formed HUMAT Management and Consultants Ltd. They didn’t have the financing to purchase Snowridge, so Hugh and Dave approached the FBDB. Though they didn’t really expect that their pitch would go anywhere, they were contracted to get the ski area up and running and turn it into a saleable prospect. That September, Hugh, Lynn and Dave left their jobs at the lift company and moved to Snowridge, along with the Mathews’ two small children.

As Lynn was the editor of the Garibaldi’s Whistler News during her time at Garibaldi Lifts Ltd., the Mathews children sometimes featured in promotional photos such as this one. Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation Collection

According to Lynn, she and Dave had sold some properties in Whistler and had a bit of money put by and so were open to taking on something new. Hugh was interested in learning more about the operation of a ski area. Garibaldi Lifts Ltd. is often described as being “in the uphill transportation business.” They ran the lifts on Whistler Mountain and looked after the grooming and patrolling while the food operations, ski school and ski shop were contracted out. At Snowridge, they had the opportunity to “do all of it,” from running the lifts to running a hotel, restaurant, bar, ski school, and rental and retail shop. As Hugh recalled, “I felt that’s something that I really wanted to get involved with, was all of the aspects of running a resort.”

Upon arrival, Hugh and the Mathews were confronted with a chairlift whose cable had been blown off the towers and whose chairs were lying on the ground and a hotel that was “just a total disaster.” It was already snowing in the first week of September and the area needed to be operational by December. Keep reading next week for tales of their efforts and some more familiar faces from Whistler Mountain.

Blackcomb’s 40Blackcomb’s 40

December 8, 2020 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

Over the past few months we’ve been sharing stories about Blackcomb Mountain and its early days of operations. Last Thursday (December 4) marked 40 years since Mayor Pat Carleton cut through the ribbon on Lift Two using a chainsaw and officially opened Blackcomb Mountain to the skiing public.

The opening ceremonies at Lift Two on Blackcomb Mountain. Greg Griffith Collection.

This did not technically mark the beginning of organized skiing on Blackcomb Mountain. The day before, on December 3, a limited opening had welcomed Whistler residents to test out Blackcomb’s operating systems. The previous winter Blackcomb had offered Snowcat tours for twelve skiers at a time, promising fresh powder and a hot lunch on the mountain. December 4, however, was the culmination of a lot of hard work in a very short time.

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

In 1978 the Province of British Columbia put out a call for development proposals for Blackcomb under the direction of Al Raine, then a consultant for the British Columbia Ministry of Lands, Provincial Ski Area Coordination. Two companies expressed interest: one led by Paul Mathews, who later founded Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners Ltd., and the other put forward by Hugh Smythe and Fortress Mountain Resorts Ltd. (FMR). As Smythe recalls, it was on October 12, 1978 that they were told they won the bid, only just over two years before opening day.

Opening day, when it arrived, was accompanied by 18 feet of cake from Gourmet Bakery. Whistler Question Collection, 1980.

Smythe had previously worked for Whistler Mountain, first on the ski patrol and then as mountain manager. In 1974 he left Whistler to run Fortress Mountain in Alberta, which was owned by the Federal Business Development Bank (FBDB) (today known as the Business Development Bank of Canada) after going into bankruptcy in 1971. When the FBDB asked Smythe to find a buyer for Fortress Mountain, Aspen Skiing Corporation was brought in and FMR was formed, jointly owned by the FBDB and Aspen Ski Co.

After the success of Star Wars in 1977, 20th Century Fox began diversifying under the direction of Dennis Stanfill and, in 1978, bought Aspen Ski Co. Before FMR could begin work, Smythe had to go to Hollywood to make the case for spending $11 million developing Blackcomb Mountain. According to him, his pitch was “It doesn’t cost as much as a movie, so you guys should do it.” Luckily, they did.

The Blackcomb snowcat tours promised skiers fresh snow and a hot lunch. Whistler Question Collection, 1980.

Along with the many practicalities of starting a new venture, the winter of 1978/79 was spent exploring the mountain and designing trails. Smythe set up in a house at the end of Fitzsimmons Drive in White Gold and kept a fuel tank and a Tucker Sno-Cat in the front year. The trails were cut in 1979 and the winter of 1979/80 introduced skiers to Blackcomb through their snowcat tours. The summer and fall of 1980 saw lifts installed on the mountains. In what appears to be an incredibly short time, Blackcomb Mountain was ready to open.

The 18 foot cake prepared by Gourmet for the opening of Blackcomb Mountain.

The original target date set in 1978 was December 1, 1980. Blackcomb Mountain opened just three days later, a feat described by the management as “not bad.” Lift One from the (still under construction) Whistler Village was not yet open and capacity was limited to those who could find parking at the daylodge base (now known as Base II) or get dropped off with their equipment but, by all accounts, the first day of skiing was a success.