WHISTLER, B.C. - If Whistler, the host mountain resort for the 2010 Winter Games, had a motto it would be “if you build it, they will come.”
Whistler was always destined for the world stage. In fact the entire resort was built with the Olympics in mind. In 1960, a group of Vancouver businessmen skiing at Squaw Valley, host of that year’s winter Olympics, had an epiphany. Vancouver and the mountains to the north would be a perfect place to hold the 1968 Games.
All they needed was a mountain.
The businessmen began a search for suitable terrain, but one, Norwegian Franz Wilhelmsen, already knew the ideal location. He was crazy about skiing and spent many weekends at Alta Lake, getting out of bed at the crack of dawn and hiking through thigh deep snow to the top of London Mountain. Only a chairlift could make Wilhelmsen’s ritual complete.
The Garibaldi Lift Company was formed with the aim of developing an alpine ski area on London Mountain, which was later renamed Whistler Mountain in honour of a local alpine marmot, which “whistles” when it communicates.
It was actually fishing that drew the first tourists to Whistler, more specifically to Rainbow Lodge on Alta Lake. In the early 1920’s, Rainbow Lodge was the most popular summer destination west of the Rocky Mountains. No one could have guessed that 50 years later the winter would overshadow the summer in Whistler.
“Originally Whistler was known as a destination for fishing thanks to world-class anglers Alex and Myrtle Philip.
“The community has always had a pioneering spirit so building an entire ski resort on an Olympic dream is not that surprising,” said Jehanne Burns, Whistler Museum and Archives education programmer.
The excitement surrounding the new Whistler ski resort spread and in 1961 an audacious bid was put forward for Whistler to be the Canadian nominee for the 1968 Olympic Winter Games. The lack of good road access, sewage, power, chairlifts or people didn’t keep the promoters back but it did tip the balance in favour of Banff as the Canadian nominee. Meanwhile, the Garibaldi Lift Company set about raising the cash to start a ski resort.
“More than 50 years later Whistler has come full circle with the 2010 Winter Games. The Olympic Games are really the foundation of this ski resort,” Burns said.
Proposals were submitted, rejected, modified, researched, rejected again and finally lift construction began in 1965. Whistler didn’t host the 1968 Winter Games and failed in the next bid attempt too. Though Olympic plans never came to fruition, Whistler quietly grew into a world-class ski resort.
In 1991, Whistler Resort became the first mountain resort outside of the U.S. to be named No. 1 by a major American ski magazine. But the biggest news was yet to come.
In March 1997, Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation (which owned Whistler) merged with Intrawest Corporation (which owned Blackcomb) to create one of the biggest mountain resort complexes in the world. By 2000, the number of annual visitors surpassed two million and the permanent population had grown to 9,500.
Whistler also became a destination famous for fostering Olympic talent. Local rider Ross Rebagliati became the world’s first snowboard gold medallist at the Nagano Olympics in 1998. He is one of many sport heroes to call Whistler home, joining alpine racers and Crazy Canucks Steve Podborski and Dave Murray as well as current World Cup champions Britt and Michael Janyk to name a few.
Nowadays if you throw a rock in Whistler, you’re liable to smack a former Olympian in the head.
Podborski, member of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation, said in 50 years the idea of hosting the Olympics never fizzled in Whistler. But while Whistler may be steeped in Olympic history, he said organizers had to prove that Vancouver and Whistler could put on an extraordinary event.
“It’s true that we had a compelling story but we have to prove that we could host the world. That meant everything from transportation planning to the construction of the athlete’s village,” Podborski said.
Vancouver 2010 bid officials had to commit to a major upgrade of the Sea to Sky Highway between Whistler and Vancouver and the construction of venues such as the Whistler Sliding Centre and the Whistler Olympic Park.
“Hosting the 2010 Winter Games is not without its challenges but as a Whistler resident, I see a lot of things coming to us that will make our community better,” Podborski said. “Hundreds of people are working to make this happen and it is a very good thing for Whistler.”
Most fittingly, after a third attempt, on July 2, 2003, more than 5,000 residents gathered in Whistler’s Village Square to cheer Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee speaking live from Prague, as he announced Vancouver/Whistler as the host of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Though Franz and most of his friends are gone now, Canadians owe them a debt of gratitude for having a grand vision and the determination to make it come true.
“The road leading to the 2010 Winter Games is really the story of this place,” Burns said. “Whistler was literally born for the Games.”
admin | 
11 20th, 2008| 