Tag: Inge Nielsen

Whistler’s Answers: September 5, 1986Whistler’s Answers: September 5, 1986

September 4, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

In the 1980s the Whistler Question began posing a question to three to six people and publishing their responses under “Whistler’s Answers” (not to be confused with the Whistler Answer).  Each week, we’ll be sharing one question and the answers given back in 1986.  Please note, all names/answers/occupations/neighbourhoods represent information given to the Question at the time of publishing and do not necessarily reflect the person today.

Some context for this week’s question: This one seems pretty self explanatory, so we think we’ll leave it there.

Question: What new services would you like to see in Whistler?

Inge Nielsen – Retailer – Whistler

A permanent drycleaner and children’s and men’s clothing stores. A shoe store is one particular thing people ask about. Really just the necessities that we have to go into town for. As Village North comes in there will be more. We can always think of amenities that we would like to see, but the question is whether the operators could make a living. I think it’s very important that the stores stay unique and aren’t copying each other. I’ve been to resorts where they are all the same and it becomes boring. We’re all thinking in terms of making Whistler a totally unique experience, but we have to take it step by step.

Bryce Jenner – Waiter – Whistler

There are still a lot of things you have to go to the city to get. I think there could be more clothing stores selling not just T-shirts, but things like dress shirts. We could use another bank, that’s for sure. The credit union is too crowded and if this town is going places we need a choice. There’s only one cable outfit and a lot of people complain about the service. The Hasty Market was a good thing – it opens things up and makes them more competitive but we could use a big name grocery store that’s part of a conglomerate so that prices could be lower.

Diane Starling – Visitor – Toronto

Another bank for visitors would be nice, a national one, with an “interac”. That’s a machine for bank cards, so you can withdraw from any bank. Even if you don’t have the bank, you can have the machine. That’s the only thing I can think of, because you have car rentals and everything. The facilities are good, too, with lots to do. The golf course and water slide area little expensive. You have all the shops here, everything we’ve needed. It’s mainly for tourists and you’ve got all the clothing stores and shops for them. Beautiful mountains and scenery. I hope we’ll be back.

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Finding Familiar FacesFinding Familiar Faces

February 18, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

It is not uncommon to head off on a trip and find yourself running into people you know from home, no matter how far you’ve gone or how small your community is. In the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s, this phenomenon was often reported on in the Whistler Question’s “Notes From All Over,” which listed the comings and goings on of members of the Whistler community, from birthdays to gossip to sightings in other locales.

In the spring of 1984, Inge and Jens Nielsen headed off on a visit to Denmark and Germany. They came across a familiar name on their return trip when the flight crew was introduced; their flight from Frankfurt was captained by none other than Chuck Blaylock.

Chuck Blaylock stands in front of the Wedge Glacier, circa 1982. Blaylock Collection

A pilot for Air Canada, Chuck Blaylock grew up in Montreal before moving out to British Columbia for two years in 1953. He never moved back and his family instead settled in Vancouver. On a camping trip to Alice lake in the 1960s, Chuck decided to drive further up the road and ended up at Green Lake. Growing up in Montreal and seeing lots of families head off to cabins in the Laurentiens, Chuck’s father had told him that if he found somewhere that you could drive to in a few hours and be at a lake, he should build a cabin there. It happened that Capilano Highlands Ltd. was selling lots in Emerald Estates and the Blaylocks purchased one right on the lake.

Before working for Air Canada, Chuck had played Junior hockey and had played internationally. The combination of a lakefront property and winters with three feet of ice on Green Lake meant that Chuck, who remained an avid hockey player, became known for informal hockey games. He kept a light outside the house that could illuminate nighttime games and he would clean a good sized rink, eventually even buying a snowblower.

Chuck Blaylock dressed to play. Whistler Question Collection, 1993

With no hockey arena in Whistler until late 1992, Chuck was part of negotiations to have Whistler teams come down for games when the arena in Squamish opened in 1978 and helped found the Whistler Hockey Association with Bill Barrett, Tom Hickey and others. Whenever hockey was being organized in Whistler from that time on, Chuck was sure to be involved.

Chuck also instructed for Jim McConkey at the ski school on Whistler Mountain and became very involved in the small ski area community. In an oral history interview in 2011, Chuck remembered that once they got telephones installed, it was not uncommon for Emerald residents who were out of town to call their neighbours to check on their property. Neighbours let each other know where the key had been left out and Chuck would often go over to neighbours’ houses to check on their pipes and the snowload on the roof. As Whistler and its needs grew, Chuck became part of the Whistler Health Planning Society (renamed in 1985 to the Whistler Health Care Society) and volunteered his time for numerous organizations and projects.

Upon hearing that Chuck was piloting their flight, Inge Nielsen sent a note up to the captain. In return, she, Jens, and their 12-year-old niece Iben who was coming to visit Whsitler for three weeks were all invited up to tour the cockpit. Inge described it as “incredible to see the swoop of the horizon through the wrap-around windows” and the June 7, 1984 edition of the Question thanked Chuck for “safely spiriting them home.”

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Whistler’s Artistic OriginsWhistler’s Artistic Origins

March 12, 2024 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

The 1980s was an exciting decade for arts and culture in Whistler. As this article first came out in Pique Newsmagazine on International Women’s Day (March 8), we wanted to highlight a few of the women who sparked the arts scene at this time.

Whistler was in its early stages of development, dominated by sports and a lively bar scene. There were some theatre groups, dances, and musicians, and events such as the Alta Lake Community Club’s Fall Fair, a fundraiser that featured local goods and crafts. The Squamish Arts Council, which was established in the early 1970s, had a column in the Whistler Question advertising their offerings. And there were many artists in the area, including Isobel MacLaurin – Whistler’s first professional artist.

Isobel MacLaurin taught workshops at the first Whistler Children’s Festival in 1983. Whistler Question Collection.

The community recently came together to celebrate the life of Isobel. A true ski bum, she was a strong advocate for the growth of arts in the community. Her artwork is seen across the valley through murals and trail signs, she inspired others to spark their own creativity, and she was involved in almost every artistic effort that came about throughout her life (Arts Whistler/Whistler Arts Council, the Whistler Singers, The Point Artists Run Centre, and more).

After moving to Whistler in 1979, textile artist Inge Nielsen became involved in the adult education craft workshops at Myrtle Philip School, as well as hosting her own knitting workshops at the Blackcomb Day Lodge. Inge also sold her own goods at the 1980 Fall Fair, and that same year, opened Whistler’s first dedicated local artisan store, “Inge’s Gift and Craft Store,” in the Clocktower building. It was not a regular souvenir shop; all items on display were created by artists within Whistler or around British Columbia. She continued workshop offerings once her shop was opened and became further involved in the arts once Whistler’s first arts council was created.

At an art exhibit showcasing the works of Roy and Olga Tomlinson, the couple present Inge Nielsen and Glenda Bartosh a stone lithograph to be the first artwork added to WCAC’s permanent collection. The event was sponsored by Inge’s Gifts and Crafts and was held at the Delta Mountain Inn. Whistler Question Collection, October 1982

In 1981, fresh out of journalism school, Glenda Bartosh became a reporter for the Question. A year later, she bought the newspaper and became one of the youngest publishers in Canada. That same year, Glenda and other community members started the Whistler Community Arts Council (WCAC), now known as Arts Whistler. Their goal was to fulfill local needs for more artsy events.

Tuesday night craft class, part of the Adult Education courses that were offered at Myrtle Philip School. Left to right: Inge Nielsen, Jenny Busdon, Ruth Howells, Marilyn Willoughby, and Kelly Fairhurst. Whistler Question Collection, 1979.

WCAC’s introductory event occurred in the summer of 1982. It was an art exhibit at the Blackcomb Lodge and featured seventeen local artists. According to Glenda, they received an overwhelmingly positive response that showed the need for this type of organization.

By the end of the decade, the arts council had established many programs that are still running today. Margaret Long led the first Whistler Children’s Festival. Joan Richoz and Tamsin Miller organized the first Performance Series (now Arts Whistler Live!). Gail Rybar organized the first Bizarre Bazaar (now the Arts Whistler Holiday Market).

At the close of the 1980s, our own Florence Petersen opened the Whistler Museum, and Anne Popma founded the Whistler Centre for Business and the Arts. This organization further grew the cultural sector in the following years. Thanks to foundations laid in the 1980s, Whistler’s arts scene continued to grow in many ways through the 1990s and continues to thrive today.

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Whistler’s Answers: April 21, 1983Whistler’s Answers: April 21, 1983

April 21, 2022 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

In the 1980s the Whistler Question began posing a question to three to six people and publishing their responses under “Whistler’s Answers” (not to be confused with the Whistler Answer).  Each week, we’ll be sharing one question and the answers given back in 1983.  Please note, all names/answers/occupations/neighbourhoods represent information given to the Question at the time of publishing and do not necessarily reflect the person today.

Some context for this week’s question: On April 15, 1983, a four hour meeting was held between members of the WRA (Whistler Resort Association, today known as Tourism Whistler) and a panel of marketing experts. Discussions focused on what were termed two “emergency situations” (that year’s summer marketing program was described as “a shambles” and the winter campaign was behind schedule, no doubt due to the uncertainty caused by the economy and the takeover of the Whistler Village Land Co.) and debated the role of the WRA going forward, as well as the responsibilities of its members.

Question: After the WRA marketing meeting held Friday, April 15, what do you think is the Association’s role?

Sjaan DiLalla – Manager, Crystal Lodge – Alpine Meadows

We need more exposure. People in Montreal and the US know nothing about Whistler. It’s the WRA’s job to do advertising in those markets. Our big project now should be promoting the summer as I think the winter will take care of itself. Summer promotion farther afield is where they should be putting their money.

Rich Miller – Owner, Granny’s Food Emporium – Alpine Meadows

First of all, I think the WRA has done a really good job with the budget it was given. They scraped the bottom of the barrel and used all the freebies they could. As a merchant I appreciated being asked for my input as well. Right now what we have to do is pick a course and concentrate on sticking to it.

Inge Nielsen – Owner, Inge’s Gifts and Crafts – Whistler Cay

I don’t feel I got much information from that meeting. Bringing people in from outside won’t help us because they have no idea about Whistler. I think the WRA is there to provide leadership to village merchants. One suggestion I have is that they oversee a major clean-up and landscape project in the village this summer.

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