Skating in the VillageSkating in the Village
Skating and hockey have been popular winter sports in the Whistler area for over a century, especially when weather conditions make for less than optimal skiing. The Woods and Jardine-Neiland children played hockey with shovels on Alta Lake ins the 1920s and 30s while in the 1960s the Alta Lake Community Club reported on Friday nights spent skating at the “Rainbow Rink” with hot dogs and hot chocolate from Rainbow Lodge. Until 1978, most of the skating rinks were built on frozen ponds and lakes by residents and community groups.
While November 1978 started off looking promising for the upcoming ski season, the snow turned to rain by November 6 and the freezing level rose, melting much of the snow that had accumulated on the runs. The temperature then dropped to about -8°C overnight, leading to frozen pipes and 8cm of ice on some of the lakes and streams.
The weather stayed cold and clear through mid-November, which was great news for those interested in ice stock sliding or skating, but terrible for Whistler Mountain and their expected opening date of November 18. In a statement from November 22, 1978, a lift company spokesperson told the Whistler Question they still needed “about 50 cm of new snow to make the upper areas anywhere near skiable and probably closer to one metre to make the mountain operational.” The season was being compared to that of 1976-77, when Whistler Mountain had closed for three weeks in January due to lack of snow but the cold temperatures had made for amazing skating and a perpetual hockey game on the local lakes.
Whistler residents took advantage of the cold weather of November 1978 by skating on Alta Lake and Nita Lake, playing hockey on the Alpine Meadows pond, and ice stock sliding on the River of Golden Dreams. The municipality also began construction of an outdoor skating rink adjacent to Municipal Hall and next to Myrtle Philip School (MPS).
Unfortunately for the municipal crew led by Cliff Jennings, as soon as they began to flood the rink, the temperature rose and it finally began to snow. The rink was still not finished by December 6, when a Question “School News” report written by MPS student Lance Bright stated, “We would like to thank the person responsible for the skating rink by the school. We hope it will be completed soon.”
While the change in the weather delayed the ice rink, it was good news for Whistler Mountain, which was finally able to open on December 15. The snow continued through much of December but by the end of the year the temperature had dropped again and 1979 started off cold and clear.
Skating at the municipal rink became a popular activity for residents and holiday visitors. The rink’s regulations allowed hockey to be played on the rink until 1pm; from then on, it was recreational skating only. Lights were added and bonfires lit to attract skaters in the evenings. The rink was always intended to be temporary, lasting only the 1978-79 season. Though the original plans for the Whistler Resort Centre (now the Whistler Conference Centre) included an Olympic-sized ice rink, the plans for the building were changed dramatically following a recession in the early 1980s and the rink was among the features that were cut. Whistler’s first indoor municipal ice rink, the rink at Meadow Park north of the Village, opened in in 1992, with the pools and recreation facilities added in the following years. Walking through the Village today, however, you are likely to see people skating in Olympic Plaza, not far from the first outdoor rink built by the municipality.