Vancouver Symphony Orchestra – Whistler Museum and Archives Society

Blackcomb Mountain: The Summer of ’89Blackcomb Mountain: The Summer of ’89

June 4, 2024 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

While we might be used to busy summers in Whistler these days, in the 1970s and into the 1980s visitor numbers would drop dramatically after the ski season ended in the late spring. As Whistler grew, the Whistler Resort Association and other businesses and groups worked to make summers busier and transform Whistler into a four-season resort (you can learn more about the activities of the WRA on June 12 when the museum will be joined by Al Raine and Drew Meredith to discuss the origins and early years of the WRA). By 1989, it appears that their efforts had been somewhat successful, at least when looking at the summer season on Blackcomb Mountain.

Hikers and bikers meet on a trail during the summer months. Blackcomb Mountain Collection, 1989

According to the Blabcomb, Blackcomb Mountain’s employee newsletter, the summer of 1989 got off to a chilly start and, though there were good days, the colder than usual weather continued throughout the season. During the previous summer, Blackcomb had received 30,107 skier visits and 61,598 non-skier visits. In 1989, however, they expected the numbers to be slightly lower as the season would be a couple of weeks shorts and Whistler Mountain would be competing for visitors (the construction of the Whistler Express gondola meant that Whistler Mountain had not been operating as usual over the summer of 1988).

Along with sightseeing and hiking, Blackcomb offered various activities and events from June through September 4 when summer operations ended. Ski school programs continued on the glacier with beginner lessons for $35 (including lift ticket, lesson and rentals) and private lessons ranging from $80 to $210. There were also various camps throughout the summer that operated on the glacier. The Labatt’s Blue Summer Challenge Ski Race Series ran throughout July and the Canadian Summer Snowboard Championships took place on Blackcomb from July 13 to 15.

Competitors head up Blackcomb Mountain next to the giant Labatt’s can during the 2nd Annual Labatt’s Can-Am Mountain Bike Challenge. Blackcomb Mountain Collection, 1989

Skis and snowboards were not the only equipment transported up lifts that summer. Though the Whistler Mountain Bike Park is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, bikes were transported up lifts well before 1999. The summer of 1989 was at least the second year that mountain biking played a large role in Blackcomb’s operations. Bikes were uploaded via the Wizard and Solar Coaster Chairs (and, later in the summer, 7th Heaven, though that was for expert riders only) from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. $5 tours ran twice daily from the Rendezvous Lodge, though riders could also purchase a sightseeing pass and try out the Blackcomb bike trails on their own. If you had your own bike and seasons pass, it could cost as little as $5 to head up the lifts.

Like the Ski Race Series, the BCR Mountain Bike Race Series ran throughout July and into August. This was followed in mid-August by the 2nd Annual Labatt’s Can-Am Mountain Bike Challenge, which included the World Mountain Bike Polo Championship, and later by the Kokanee Glacier Light Prestige Biathlon, which featured running and biking.

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performed to thousands by the Rendezvous Lodge. Blackcomb Mountain Collection, 1989

The biggest event to happen on Blackcomb Mountain that summer did not involve skiing, riding or biking as almost 6,000 people attended the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s performance 4,000 feet above Whistler Village on August 12. The performance featured conductor Peter McCoppin and violinist Patricia Shih as well as some familiar pieces such as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. According to the Blabcomb, the concert went smoothly, though the line up to download at the end was quite long.

Though Blackcomb stayed open until September, the T-bars stopped running by August 20 and events began to wind down. By August 31, Blackcomb had received around 42,000 non-skier visits (well up over the expected 35,000) and 24,100 skier visits (slightly lower than expected due to the earlier closure) and the Blabcomb declared the summer season a success.

The Hills Were Alive… With the Sound of MusicThe Hills Were Alive… With the Sound of Music

March 24, 2018 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

In September 1988 an article written by Joanna MacDonald about a performance by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra appeared in The Vancouver Sun. This might not seem noteworthy or appear to have anything to do with Whistler’s history except that the concert written about took place 1850m above sea level on Blackcomb Mountain.

This was not a typical concert for the VSO, nor was it a typical year. From January to July of 1988 the organization’s growing deficit had halted VSO performances. In July, after creditors had forgiven the deficit and financial assistance was acquired by the symphony, the VSO began a series of outdoor concerts. Their summer performances included concerts at Ambleside, English Bay and Granville Island, but none of these required transporting a $500,000 sound system, a 14-tonne stage and two tonnes of instruments up a mountain.

While the first performance on Blackcomb took place in the heat of summer, the VSO also played in the rain some years. Whistler Question Collection.

The weather made the stage on Blackcomb Mountain an interesting venue to perform on. The VSO had though about the implications of wind and low temperatures, but didn’t expect 32 degree heat at the top of the mountain. While the musicians were under cover and didn’t get too hot (despite wearing formal dress) audience members were encouraged to bring hats and sun screens.

Concertgoers on the mountain sat on hay spread around a 1.4-hectare site within an alpine meadow, a ver different arrangement than the Orpheum Theatre, the VSO’s usual venue. According to Nancy Spooner, a VSO spokesman, “One family had the full red and white checkered tablecloth and a wine bucket with glasses. There were families with grandparents and kids, and people were wearing everything from bathing suits to hiking gear. Some people even brought up some mountain bikes and went riding before the concert.” 5,238 people were recorded as attending the performance.

A mountaintop performance on Whistler, 1995. Whistler Question Collection.

The VSO continued to perform annually on top of the mountain, first on Blackcomb Mountain and then switching to Whistler Mountain. In 1998 their concert on Whistler was postponed as the mountain was closed for the summer due to the construction of the new Roundhouse Lodge. This postponement lasted fourteen years.

In 2012, after an absence of over a decade, the VSO returned to perform in Whistler. Instead of the top of a mountain, performances took place in Olympic Plaza over a weekend in late July. In 2014 the VSO began performances on Canada Day and announced the creation of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute at Whistler, both of which have continued each summer.

The VSO performs in Olympic Plaza. Photo: John Alexander

Unlike the first performance in 1988, today’s VSO performances in Whistler are not held in an alpine meadow and the audience does not pay to attend. In other ways, however, the concerts are still very similar. The VSO still attracts of crowd of thousands and a mix of visitors and residents. Groups still bring picnics, families attend with kids and grandparents, people wear bathing suits and hiking gear, and quite a few people look like they just got off their bikes.