A couple of the museum’s own (super tough) gapers.
The ski season wouldn’t be complete without an excess of vividly dressed–though sometimes undressed–snow-seekers zipping down Blackcomb Mountain. The final day of the season is of course known as Gaper Day; a glorious day filled with retro ski gear, animal costumes and slushy events.
Above we have Collections Manager Brad Nichols and our new Collections Summer Student Alyssa Bruijns after enjoying their final runs of the season. We hope everyone had as much fun as these two did!
Find us on Instagram @WhistlerMuseum for more snazzy snaps!
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Peak to Valley race, taking place January 31st and February 1st 2014.
The Peak to Valley race is a very unique race that has a definite place in Whistler’s history. The brainchild of legendary ski-racer, Dave Murray, the race starts at the (almost) top of Whistler Mountain at the Saddle and finishes at Creekside.
Peak to Valley Race, ca. 1988. Photograph by Greg Griffith Griffith Collection, Whistler Museum
The average GS race has 35 gates and a vertical drop of 250 metres. The Peak to Valley race has a vertical drop of 1,443 metres, with 180 gates and a course that’s over 5 km long.
Judging by interviews with the racers a lot of the Peak to Valley is about overcoming pain. Whistler resident Sarah Lynch described the experience in 2010 “I was just trying to remember to breathe and then your legs are just burning.”
Alongside the pain however comes a lot of fun and camaraderie. The Peak to Valley is not just for professional racers; anyone can join in – if they dare! The fastest time on record is 4.52.03 – the longest – 29.03.50. Despite these discrepancies both record holders had an awesome time taking part.
The race is a team effort with four people per team. Teams must have at least one woman and all must be 19 or over. Two team members race on the first day and two more race on the second. Their times are combined and the winning team is crowned.
There have been some questionable conditions facing the racers over the years, but to date, no race has ever been cancelled. In 1991 the weather was so stormy that the entire mountain was closed, but the race still went ahead. Racers could upload on the Olive chair and then get a snowcat the rest of the way up, as the conditions were too dangerous for a lift to be run. One racer, Simon Wiruntene from the New Zealand National Ski Team even hiked up, as he knew he was one of the last to start, and actually managed to get the fastest time of the day!
Quilt up for auction: Made out of the race T-shirts spanning the entire history of the Peak to Valley Race
To mark the 30th anniversary Whistler Blackcomb has commissioned a quilt made out of the race T-shirts spanning the entire history of the event. The result is an impressive memento of one of Whistler’s best-loved races. The quilt will be auctioned off to raise money for the Whistler Museum. To make a bid for this piece of Whistler racing history check out the Whistler Museum website (www.whistlermuseum.org) or call us on 604 932 2019. The quilt will be displayed at the Peak to Valley race itself and then afterwards at the Whistler Museum. Bidding will close on February 8th, 2014.
We’re really excited to announce that we are on schedule to re-open the museum next weekend with our brand new exhibit “The Evolution of Skiing”! Almost 50% of our exhibit space has been revamped, renovated and replaced, making this our most significant exhibit upgrade in over 3 years. The project was made possible thanks to generous support from the Whistler-Blackcomb Foundation.
Our new display case! Curious as they look, these humans won’t be on display once we re-open to the public.
Our re-arranging made room for some new non-ski content as well. This panel shares some of the joys of exploring our mountains in summer.
There are a whole slew of new informative panels, display cases full of artifacts, interactive displays, and some pretty big surprises that we just can’t wait to share. We don’t want to give away all our secrets, so you’ll just have to come and see them for yourselves!
While we think our new exhibit is plenty of an attraction in itself, we’ve decided to sweeten the pot and have a full program of launch events that will compliment our displays and give you even more reason to pay us a visit. Here’s a quick overview. Expect more details in the coming days.
November 23 – Feeding The Spirit. Our annual Welcome Week extravaganza, featuring free food provided by the fine folks at Creekside Market and tons of door prizes from awesome local businesses. Everyone welcome, from new arrivals to long-time residents. 5:30-8pm. Free!!!
November 28 – Official Exhibit Launch. We’re dying to show off our new exhibit, come check it out! There will be some short speeches by museum staff & board, but the focus for the evening will simply be on exploring the additions and updates to our permanent exhibits, particularly our new section exploring “The Evolution of Skiing in Whistler.” 6pm- 9pm. Admission will be free to all.
November 30 – Backcountry Skiers Alpine Responsibility Code. We all know the Alpine Skiers Responsibility Code, that yellow card that lists the rules to abide by when at a ski resort. Well, what about the backcountry? Increasing crowds and obvious safety concerns mean a backcountry code of conduct is in order. This evening we will craft a draft of this code, featuring a very esteemed panel and a healthy dose of audience participation. 7-9pm. Tickets: $10/$7 museum members.
Filmer Garry Pendygrasse, one of our “Filming Mountains” presenters, hauling gear around the Tantalus Range. Dan Milner photo.
December 8 – Filming Mountains. This new event, in partnership with the Whistler Film Festival, celebrates our town’s proud history at the forefront of the ski and snowboard film industry. Heralded filmmakers will share clips and stories from the past that will entertain while giving unique insights into the filmmaking experience. 3-6pm, Tickets: $10/$7 members.
December 11 – The Whistler vs Blackcomb Debate. Without a doubt the most important topic yet to be tackled by our Whistler Debates series. With your help, this evening will decide, once and for all, which is the superior mountain in this valley (and, therefore, on Earth). Heavy stuff, indeed. 6:30-9pm. Tickets: $7/$5 members.
Two huge mountains, but only one can reign supreme. On December 11th help us decide!
It’s as good time as any to look back at the origins of the Whistler Bike Park.
One of Whistler’s first mountain bike operators was Whistler Backroads, started by local resident and disillusioned breakfast server Eric Wight in 1982. They offered mountain bike rentals, sales and guided tours, operating from a number of different locations throughout Whistler during the 1980s.
As early as 1985 Eric approached Whistler Mountain about the potential of using chairlifts for summer trail access within the resort. It was obviously a great idea, but a little ahead of its time. There was still too much of a disconnect between what the average biker on the average bike could handle, and the experience that Eric was trying to provide.
Early mountain biking on Blackcomb Mountain. Greg Griffith photo.
Sometime around 1990 (dates can get a little fuzzy after a few decades) Whistler Mountain approached Eric about the possibility of taking over the guided bike tours they had been offering for the last few summers. Eric agreed, secured permission to build bike-specific trails (including Bear Cub), and within a few years (definitely by 1993) he finally succeeded in convincing the ski resort to run the chairlifts in summer for bikes. Blackcomb Mountain also experimented with lift-accessed mountain biking for a few years during the early 1990s.
The genius of Eric’s idea was becoming apparent by 1996 when opening weekend in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park drew more than 500 opening weekend riders. Yes, some riders will always appreciate the physical and technical challenge of a good uphill slog, but the comfort and convenience of a chairlift became a surefire driver of growth in the mountain bike world, just as it had for skiing decades earlier.
An early design for a Whistler Bike Park ad, courtesy Whistler Backroads. Circa 1996.
Lift-accessed trails started from Olympic Station, most running down ski runs, while “two of the new routes even [took] riders right into the forest, with designers opening up old logging roads for the two-wheeled, knobby-tired set.” Also in 1996 in a separate guided tour for advanced riders, Eric’s guides invited guests to “bike the peak” by climbing access roads from the Roundhouse all the way to Whistler Peak. It wasn’t until 2012 that the Whistler Bike Park began offering lift-access to Whistler Summit and the new “Top of the World Trail.”
Despite this early success, Whistler Backroads was forced to change paths in 1998, when Intrawest purchased Whistler Mountain. Their contract was not renewed, despite the considerable efforts invested in building trails and growing the operation. They continued to offer guided mountain biking throughout the valley, but over time their focus shifted to water sports, especially guided canoe and kayak descents down the River of Golden Dreams, which they still offer to this day.
