This week seems to be full of races! With the Garibaldi Cup, Molson’s Whistler Bike Race and the beginnings of the Whistler Half Marathon all making appearances, July would seem to have always been a very active month in Whistler.
1979
Paul Tattamanti and Eugene Rochfort at the Stage 1 turnaround at Whistler in the rain on Saturday. By the end of the weekend, Rochfort was celebrating as part of the Anglia-Norco team that won the Garibaldi Cup.
Mayor Pat Carleton and Alderman Al Raine with Minister of Municipal Affairs Bill Vander Zalm and his wife Lillian.
The Blackcomb view from the 4,000 ft. level looking down one of the runs towards the school and the Town Centre.
Vic Hurford’s crew at work on the Blackcomb Road.
1980
New location for Town Hall puts municipal buildings adjacent to the Public Safety Building (PSB) on the north side. Upstairs meeting room in the PSB will be used for Council Chambers.
Blackcomb’s mountain top restaurant takes shape before a shrinking backdrop of peaks and glaciers.
The wedding hall in Whistler set with finery ready for a post-nuptial feast.
Betty Vogler slams a service over to her opponent during the first women’s open tennis tournament on Sunday.
Dale Arsenault completing the first hang-glide journey from the top of Whistler to the base facilities near Highway 99.
1981
Cyclists climb as part of Molson’s Whistler Bike Race.
The $300,000, three-room addition to Myrtle Philip School begins to take shape.
Betty Vogler, winner of the women’s singles.
Birthday boys Murray Coates (left) and Doug Schull cut their giant cake.
Peter Andrew, Willy Schaeffler, Nelson Bennett, Bob Bartley, Bill McCance, Lorne O’Connor, Boyd Stuwe and John Hanna discuss the new downhill course plan.
1982
Delta Mountain Inn’s General Manager John Pope surveys the main lobby of the hotel as workmen add finishing touches.
The guest rooms at Mountain Inn feature luxurious appointments, including original artwork. This one was decorated in tones of royal blue with beige and rose bright lights.
Molson’s Whistler Bike Race passes through the Whistler Village.
Phil Anderson of West Point Cycles could have stolen the show in the Celebrity Race with this two-star wheelie. Celebrities, including Whistler’s Mayor Pat Carleton, tested their skills on similar race vehicles during the Sunday afternoon race.
In honour of the first annual ‘sailpast’ of the newly formed ‘Whistler Yacht Club’. Commodore Jan Holberg takes the salute as the motley array of boats passes the reviewing stand on July 12.
With the families and godparents gathered together, Rev. Ed Wallace recites the baptism service to the Roberts family (left) and the MacKenzies on the occasion of the christening of their children on July 10.
Under a Rest lifted their voices in perfect harmony to give Whistlerites a taste of a capella singing on Friday.
1984
Whistler T.V. Society members Floyd Eclair, Richard Heine and Albert Bryjack went up to adjust the society’s channel 6 antenna atop Sproat Mountain last Sunday.
Whistler’s Bottlemaster Harry Carman with just some of the new-fangled bottle types that have flooded the market.
Ready to go! Finishing in a time of just over 1:12, Alan Carr won the second annual Whistler Half Marathon last Sunday, beating out a crowd of more than 200 other runners. Carr says that the course was as hilly as he’d ever seen, adding that he trains only about four or five days a week, one half hour a day. Neil Waken placed second in the 13.1 km race.
Stew Muir gets a shot of diesel from Art Den Duyf’s tank at Mons.
Someone is chopping down trees on Ruth Buzzard’s property. Buzzard recently received permission to build a campground on a 15.3 ha (38 acre) site between White Gold and Mons. But despite no trespassing signs and notices asking that trees not be cut, at least a dozen trees have disappeared. Now a large area of the future campground is almost bare.
Whistler landscaper Leigh Finck donated time, plants and energy over the weekend to spruce up the Chamber of Commerce Information Centre at the gondola.
Sherri Bilenduke smiles during the Pemberton parade on July 1st.
Workers (currently on a break) sweat under the sun at the scene of the new Hydro substation expansion project. Some locals are involved.
The BC Rail bridge over the Fitzsimmons Creek showing how the gravel buildup has drastically reduced the space between the water & the bridge.
1980
The Valleau Logging Truck float rounds the bend carrying the new Miss Pemberton, Kristi King.
Ron Jensen and Larry Packer pause before continuing their Utah to Alaska bike or two years on the road, whichever comes first. Malmute huskies carry their own food and water.
(L to R) John Derby, Andrew Nasedkin and Jeff Stern enjoy the Toni Sailer Summer Ski Camp now in progress.
(L to R) Narumi Kimura, Al Karaki and Masahito Tsunokai stand beside the Subaru-donated vehicle for their use while they train in Canada for the FIS freestyle circuit.
Sid Young hoists one of his 120 East Coast lobsters he had airlifted in for his summer party. Each one of the crustaceans weighed near 1.5 pounds.
Too many trucks and cars parked in “no parking” areas means no clear sightlines for drivers trying to enter Highway 99 from Lake Placid Rd.
1981
Picnic site at Daisy Lake – soon to be one of the many recreational facilities closed by the provincial government.
The sunworshippers poured out of the shadows and onto the wharf of Lost Lake on July 5 to enjoy a bit of Old Sol, whom some believe to be on the endangered species list.
Diver leaps from “swinging tree” at Lost Lake.
Paving helps smooth things out in the Village entrance.
Florence Corrigan, Whistler’s new pharmacist.
Looking like the stark rib cage of a whale, the support beams to the roof of the Resort Centre are put in place.
Stuart McNeill and 16 of his sunny students take to the shade on the first day of Camp Rainshine. McNeill is assisting Susie McCance in supervising the program.
The first Miss Bikini of Whistler, Keli Johnston, 19, of Whistler won herself a crisp $100 bill in the Mountain House’s first bikini contest held July 6.
1982
Alta Lake hosted the District 11 Windsurfing Championships over the weekend. First overall went to Thierry Damilano.
Strike up the band and pedal a brightly-decorated bike for Canada Day! These kids were only too eager to parade their creations around Village Square July 1.
Wow! Eyes agog, patient cake lovers were distracted for but a split second by a passing batch of bright-coloured balloons at Canada’s birthday party. The wait in line proved well worth it.
A birthday party deserves lots of bright colours and fun, and these kids weren’t disappointed by the Happy Birthday Canada celebrations held July 1 in Village Square. Const. Brian Snowden in full dress uniform gave Willie Whistler a hand passing out balloons.
Any explanation of this photograph would be greatly appreciated.
1984
Whistler Mountain’s Village Chair is now open for rides aloft for picnics and sightseeing. The chair opened Saturday, and will be running Thrusday to Monday, 11 am until 3 pm all summer.
Mountain bike racers competed Sunday and Monday in a pair of contests around the valley.
Tony Tyler and Linda Stefan, along with the invaluable help of Willie Whistler, drew the names of two lucky North Shore Community Credit Union customers Tuesday morning. Winners of the credit union’s opening draw are Fred Lockwood and Heather McInnis, both of Whistler. Lockwood receives a dual mountain ski pass and McInnis a summer’s windsurfing.
Canada’s birthday didn’t go unnoticed in Whistler, where a Maple Leaf cake baked by The Chef & Baker was distributed after birthday celebrations. RCMP Constable Russ Grabb managed to take a moment away from posing for tourists’ snapshots in his full dress uniform and cut the cake.
It’s not just what you make, it’s how you make it! Winner of showmanship laurels for Sunday’s chili cook-off went to the Medics, whose chili didn’t go down well with the judges, but at least stayed down.
Winning team (The Gambling Gourmet) consisting of (l to r) Ted Nebbeling, judge Dean Hill, Wendy Meredith, Sue Howard, judge Phil Reimer, Val Lang.
Power lines dip treacherously after Sunday’s strong winds knocked large pieces of deadwood onto the line.
The district track meet in Squamish got lucky with its weather.
Someone was practicing their glass breaking at the liquor store last week. RCMP are investigating.
A new BBQ ready to be installed at Alta Lake Wayside Park.
Sarah, Wendy and Sid try to decide what to do with that nosy photographer during a party Friday.
1980
Arnold Palmer chats with the crowd towards the close of the official ceremony at the Whistler Golf Course.
A chopper spins and dips above Whistler benchlands as the lowest lift of the three chair north face lift system is installed from top down.
Casey Simpson, Eric Bredt, Devin Turner, Rachel Roberts, Corinne Valleau & Stephanie Simpson head out for their sprint with Terry Alway & Alex Marshall officiating.
Phase II Parcel 16 takes shape with Whistler Chairlift N-14 rising through the trees on the left.
Heavy Duty flat deck pulls out the last of two trailers that served as council chambers before Town Centre road construction forced the move.
1981
With a landscaped area, seed for lawn and new curbing in, Sunshine Place takes on a new look. Paving will add a finishing touch and should be completed by the end of July.
Myrtle Philip looks on as Greg Beauregard receives the first ever Myrtle Philip Award. Mother Pat smiles proudly.
Not to be outdone by the Myrtle Philip staff who were in last week’s paper, the staff from Signal Hill Elementary School in Pemberton pose for The Question.
Contestants for the Miss Pemberton Contest look on as BC Minister of Highways, Alex Fraser, explains the provincial grant for Pemberton Airport.
Madeline Domries and her pal Curly Jones wait with great expectations for their fourth prize at Dog Days in the Village Square.
Dressed up at the Alta Lake Community Club Roaring Twenties Pot Luck Dinner, left to right: Max Maxwell, Kelly Maxwell, Diane Smith and Ken Domries.
Susan McCance will run Whistler’s new daycare program.
1982
A chopper heads out with a bucket of water to help squelch the recent forest fire in Cheakamus.
Jan Naylor displays some of the strawberries now ready for picking at the Naylor Berry Farm 3 km north of Pemberton.
Stubborn as a mule! In spite of the efforts of the ‘D’Arcy Prospectors’ this donkey refused to cross the BCR tracks during the Pemberton Parade in celebration of Canada week.
New stop signs often get ignored so the municipality placed reminders in front of this sign on the intersection of Rainbow, Matterhorn and Camino Drive.
Not even the rain stopped these kids from a practice paddle on Alta Lake for the Whistler Country Guides Kids Races. Bad weather postponed the races to Saturday, July 3 at 9:30 at Wayside Park.
1983
Long-time Whistler residents Paul Mathews and Margot Sutcliffe shared a smile on their wedding day Saturday, June 25 at Whistler. Over 150 guests joined the celebration at the Sundial Restaurant.
This house has found its new home on the streets of Whistler.
Round and round and round they danced in celebration of summer. Whistler’s first Midsummer Fest, June 25-26, caught the imagination of hundreds, whether they were Scandinavian or not.
Toni Sailer, six-time Olympic gold medalist, comes to Whistler from Austria every year to run the ski camp.
Dave Murray and Floyd Wilkie have a pre-session consultation at the base of the t-bar.
The Tapley’s Pub softball team poses for a group photo.
Ken Harrop of Singapore Airlines showed his staff and took to the air Saturday during the obstacle race – part one of the three-part Battle of the Travel Stars. Thirty-seven travel agents took part in the two-day fun-filled FAM tour of Whistler.
1984
Scandinavian dancers and musicians filled the village over the weekend for traditional Midsummer festivities. Saturday and Sunday afternoon dancers in garb of the old country whirled about Village Square to folk tunes.
Pemberton Mayor Shirley Henry officially opened the Pemberton Museum Saturday with help from West Vancouver-Howe Sound MLA John Reynolds and his wife Yvonne. Museum curator Margaret Fougberg says most of the collection, which features artifacts dating from the 1860s until the 1950s, was donated by townspeople. The museum building itself has a long history. It was built around 1895 and has been moved twice. It’s permanent location is on Prospect Street in Pemberton.
Whistler Mountains’ miniature golf course at the gondola opened last week and immediately attracted a steady following. The 18-hole course costs $2 a round for adults, $1 for children and is open all day.
Grade seven students went on a computer tour Friday, visiting municipal computers, Twin Peaks Property Management computers and the phototypesetting systems used by the Whistler Question. Pauline Wiebe, Question typesetter, shows students how the machine works.
This week in the 1980s was apparently all about the kids of Whistler, with the majority of the photos having to do with the Myrtle Philip School sports day, ballet recitals and the Whistler Children’s Art Festival.
1980
Refuse lies scattered all over the Rainbow substation bin site as a result of crows, people and bears. Council has promised to put a compactor in this location.
The buildings and chairlifts on Blackcomb begin to take shape. The mountain is set to open for skiing this winter.
The female half of the 58-member Kildala choir from Kitimat. The school group sang a number of popular tunes.
Carol Fairhurst (left) and Cathy McNaught plan to continue their education – one in Mexico and the other in Calgary.
A classic example of the Gothic arch home. Though not as common today, houses like these can still be found throughout Whistler.
It’s not clear if this is a Whistler Question staff meeting or staff meal. The best part, however, may be the “No Smoking” sign on the table that threatens those who try will be hung by their toenails.
1981
Whistler’s new mascot (the as yet un-named marmot) shows off for students.
John Reynolds, co-owner of Tapley’s Pub, presents Robert Miele, treasurer of the Whistler Athletic Association, with a cheque for $1000. The donation will go towards funding amateur athletics in the valley.
Myrtle Philip Elementary School principal Alex Marshall is surrounded by his Angels at his ‘roast’ on Wednesday night.
Whistler Ballet students who performed in Garibaldi School of Dance production of “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” and “Little Matchgirl”. The performance on Sunday, June 21 at The Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver was a complete sell out. Left to right: Brie Minger, Corinne Valleau, Jodi Rustad, Rachel Roberts and Melanie Busdon; Peaches Grant sitting.
Hot Wheels – Students at Myrtle Philip Elementary School show off their creative talents in the bike decorating contest. The event was scheduled in conjunction with Sports Day which was moved inside because of the weather.
A beer bottle was thrown through the window of the information centre.
1982
Competitor in the First Annual Whistler Off-Road Bike Race soars over a bump en route to Lost Lake and 25 miles of heavy pedalling.
1983
Captain Beckon rings out the good word on the Children’s Art Festival.
Isobel MacLaurin shares her sketching talents with larger artists during one of the many workshops.
Martial arts are also included in the Children’s Art Festival at Myrtle Philip School.
The Pied Pear duo, Rick Scott and Joe Mock, perform with a little help from some members of the audience.
Three Whistler divas (l – r) Melanie Busdon, Jodi Rustad and Corinne Valleau took part in the Garibaldi Shcool of Dance performance of “The Sleeping Princess” in Squamish and North Vancouver June 17 and 18. All shows, directed by Lynnette Kelley, were sold out.
Clearing in by a mile Sean Murray (11) heads back to each leaving the high jump pole standing at 100 cm. It was a dripping wet sports day for students at Myrtle Philip School Wednesday but all events went on without a hitch under the eaves and in the school gym instead.
Champion of the Tournament of Champions Brian Sandercock (right) accepts the trophy for low gross score from organizer Don Willoughby. The match first competition on Whistler Golf Course, which opened three days earlier, was held in drizzling rain June 17 and drew 140 swingers.
1984
The Extraordinary Clown Band was one of the highlights of this year’s Children’s Art Festival held Saturday and Sunday. While the band entranced youngsters with feats of juggling and slapstick, 65 workshops featuring pottery, break dancing and writing as well as many other artistic pursuits took place in Myrtle Philip School.
Harley Paul and Bryan Hidi were just a ‘hanging’ around Friday in between events at the Myrtle Philip School sports day. Sports day events included a three-legged race for parents, nail-banging contest, long jumping and, of course, balloon sitting.
A team of BMX freestyler cyclists added to the weekend’s festivities and gave Whistler just a taste of what things will be like here next summer when the BMX World Championships come to town. Two young performers on BMX bikes travelled from Pitt Meadows to represent the Lynx factory team.
Staff of The Whistler Question, who recently received word that the newspaper has won a first-place national award for the second year in a row, are: (bottom row, l to r) Janis Roitenberg (office manager); Shannon Halkett (typesetting and graphics); Pauline Wiebe (typesetting and graphics); (top row l – r) Stew Muir (reporter); Glenda Bartosh (publisher); Kevin C. Griffin (editor).
