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: Vancouver hosted the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, usually referred to as Expo ’86, from May to October 1986. With over 40 nations participating, it was expected that Expo 86 would increase international awareness of Vancouver and the surrounding areas and many hoped that tourism would increase as a result. Find out more about Whistler’s contribution to Expo 86 here.
Question: Have you had many customers as a result of Expo 86?
Jade Bullpit – Retail Clerk – Alpine Meadows
I think Expo has made a difference. There have been a fair number of customers through from Expo. Two weeks ago there seemed to be quite a few, even before the summer school break. There have been a lot of Americans, too.
Bob Daniels – Waterslide Manager – Tapley’s Farm
There has been a small amount of traffic but it’s only been in the last week that things have started to improve. We’ve had a lot of Expo staff. Our summer traffic really hasn’t arrived yet. It’s mainly Lower Mainland and local people.
Mike Patton – Retail Clerk – Whistler
Not as many as expected. There have been more families up from Expo with the school break but most of our business comes from convention-goers. A lot of their spending is on souvenirs but it depends on the type of conference.
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: In June 1986, Chris Wilcox was convicted of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and became the first person in Canada to be convicted of a criminal offence following a ski accident. Wilcox had struck Whistler Mountain Ski Scamps instructor Ingrid Wypkema in March 1985, leaving her with multiple injuries. The verdict was welcomed by some in the ski industry, including Whistler Mountain lift and safety manager Roger McCarthy, as it was expected to give them more power to ensure safer skiing.
Question: Do you think the Wilcox verdict will have any effect on skiing?
Mark Patton – Artist – Whistler
I don’t think it will have much effect on skiers who want to ski radically. It won’t make much difference; they’ll do it anyway. Once they get the urge, they’re not going to worry about getting charged.
Stephen Coroner – Landscape Worker – White Gold
I don’t think it’s fair to skiers who want to ski fast. I think it will set a precedent in the event of any future accidents but I don’t think it will stop people from skiing fast.
Bill Aback – Carpenter – Whistler Cay Heights
I come from Ontario where they’ve got a real head start on BC because of more crowded skiing conditions. I agree with the way the court came down on him and there will be a stronger awareness of safe skiing as a result.
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: In mid-June 1986, the federal Ministry of Employment and Immigration announced it would contribute $27,000 to match the amount contributed by Capilano College to establish a “resort awareness program” in Whistler. The program would be for front-line staff and would provide training on dealing with the public, though details of the course curriculum had not yet been determined.
Question: What would you like to see in a tourism education program? Would you enroll?
I would hope that they make people aware that people are people and it doesn’t matter where they come from. As for tourism training, it’s well known that most resort owners and businesses don’t have well-trained staff and they get away with paying dirt wages. There’s such a transient population in Whistler. You’ve got to pay more to keep people here. I think the police could use some resort training, too.
Troy Lehnhoff – Maintenance Man – Squamish
I would enrol in the program definitely. There is a need for it, although most of the services I’ve seen are pretty good, but then I just started.
Jim Budge – Ex-Movie Mogul – Brio
You’d have to look at the curriculum and see how practical the courses are going to be. It has to be really practical for people to be interested. It has to apply specifically to their jobs. I agree there is a need for a resort awareness program. There is a cycle now where a lot of places don’t pay high wages because they figure they don’t have the staff who are worth it. It’s a Catch 22 situation.
In the late 1960s, when Al and Nancy Raine first bought property in White Gold, there had been multiple years of talk about building tennis courts in the Whistler area but none had yet materialized. Wanting to play tennis, the Raines (who had purchased two lots) built a clay court next door to their house. According to a 2018 interview with Al, as the owners of the only tennis court in the valley (the clay courts at Rainbow Lodge no longer being maintained), he and Nancy soon found that they “had more friends for some reason.” In the spring, summer and fall months, friends (and maybe some acquaintances) would come over for a game frequently.
A few years later, John Taylor, then the owner of over 160 acres in today’s Creekside area, built tennis courts at Jordan’s Lodge on Nita Lake. These courts were used by residents, visitors, and even campers from the Toni Sailer Summer Ski Camp. When Myrtle Philip School opened in 1976, four tennis courts were built next to the school. Clearly, the appetite for tennis in the valley was growing.
The tennis courts at Jordan’s Lodge on the shores of Nita Lake, 1978. Whistler Question Collection
In 1978, Michael D’Artois remembers getting together with other tennis players at JB’s and forming the Whistler Valley Tennis Club. Using the courts at Nita Lake, they began hosting lessons and tournaments, including the first tournament of the 1978 season over the May long weekend. The tennis tournament (part of larger celebrations that weekend that included the Great Snow Earth Water Race and a belly flop competition) cost $3.50 to enter and, according to the Whistler Question, the winner got to keep the balls used and was presented with a “Whistler original perpetual trophy.” Over the following year, the Club would continue to host a tournament over the May long weekend, as well as other events throughout the season.
From stories from members of the Club, players were competitive (some more than others) but also friendly and social. Al remembered that the deck of JB’s (today Roland’s Pub and the Red Door Bistro) was located alongside the courts, which meant that people could sit on the deck to have a drink and watch the tennis games below. According to Al, this was “actually pretty ideal.” In order to play a game, you didn’t necessarily have to organize with a partner ahead of time; instead, a member of the Club could go over to JB’s, go out on the deck, see who was playing and who was around, and pick a partner.
The tennis courts overlooked by JB’s patio. Whistler Question Collection, 1979
Tennis grew throughout the 1980s and over time John Taylor (also a member of the Club) added an additional two courts and added a small building that could be used by the Club (he also added a fifth covered court in the 1990s). Club membership grew and the Whistler Valley Tennis Club became officially recognized as a non-profit society. Members paid dues, a pro was hired, and volunteers maintained the courts (some years the Whistler Fire Department would help out by washing the asphalt).
Esther Gorman moved to Whistler full-time in 1985 and joined the Club in the summer of 1987. Looking back in 2018, she recalled that the Club was where she met most of her “lifetime friends.” (She also remembered playing in a mixed doubles tournament with John Taylor and that, after they won, he named one of the courts after her.) Her husband, John Koenig, echoed her feelings. He joined in 1992, when the Club had 250 adult members and a waitlist, and made many close friendships through tennis, as well as meeting Esther.
A friendly game on the courts. Whistler Question Collection, 1980
Through the 1990s, after the new tennis facility opened next to the Whistler Village, members began to move to the new tennis club, through some maintained memberships in both. In the 2000s, Nita Lake Lodge was built on the site of Jordan’s Lodge and John Taylor’s tennis courts and today a house sits atop the Raines’ clay court. Though it eventually stopped hosting tournaments or organizing lessons and camps, the Whistler Valley Tennis Club maintained its non-profit status for many years in order to act as an advocate for the sport in Whistler. Today, tennis and other racket sports continue to be competitive and social (and often both) pastimes in the valley.
