IF YOU can’t enjoy yourself in Whistler, you’re dead and you don’t know it. For Whistler, like Mecca, is one of those fabled places, and one to which adventurers flock year-round to indulge in the invigorating powers of the great outdoors. In fact, on the sky-blue morning of July 2, 2003, Whistler’s Village Square was the place to be. That’s when the International Olympic Committee announced that Vancouver-Whistler would host the 2010 Winter Games. Thousands of people jammed the square to cheer the news with the same over-the-top enthusiasm accorded local hero Rob Boyd following his historic World Cup downhill ski victory on Whistler Mountain in 1989, and snowboarder Ross Rebagliati when he returned home after his gold-medal-winning run at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.
Village Square will undoubtedly be the scene of more such gatherings in the years leading up to 2010—and beyond. For just as the square anchors the heart of British Columbia’s stellar resort municipality, Whistler’s world-class reputation as a four-season outdoor recreation hub energizes the entire Sea to Sky corridor, from Squamish to Lillooet.
As tourism replaces logging and mining as the key employer in the Sea to Sky corridor, the average age of those living in the region is continually dropping. Kids around the world dream of making a career here—and not just on the slopes of Whistler Blackcomb in winter but as river guides and mountain bike instructors in summer. Therein lies the major shift that has occurred here in the past decade: Whistler’s metamorphosis from a winter resort to an internationally renowned year-round destination.
Many of the young professionals fueling this all-season boom first experienced Whistler as kids while vacationing with their families, whether they drove up from the Lower Mainland or flew in from halfway around the world to catch the buzz. Over the years, they’ve personally witnessed the amazing growth in both winter and summer activities in Whistler, as snowboarding, mountain biking, and kayaking have become as popular today as hunting, fishing, and skiing here were with their grandparents.
The Whistler Book is written with this new breed of outdoor adventurer in mind. Every chapter details the activities best suited to each locale within the Sea to Sky corridor, but the focus is squarely on those outings most likely to bring family and friends together regardless of individual ability. After all, it’s not just how skilled you are, it’s how much fun you’re having that’s important.
I hope this book will lead readers to places of tranquility and reflection, places where the rewards far exceed the effort spent in reaching them.
Enjoy.
Creating The Whistler Book required encouragement and patient assistance from many, especially my wife, Louise, whose photographs are a constant reminder of our good times in the Sea to Sky region. Special thanks to Rob Sanders of Greystone Books for keeping the faith. Anne Rose, Naomi Pauls, and Derek Fairbridge provided staunch editorial wisdom while Susan Rana managed this edition with a steady hand. David A. Lewis mastered the maps.
Over the past three decades I’ve been grateful for the encouragement from local pioneers, such as the late Rose Tatlow, editor emerita of the Squamish Times, and Florence Petersen, founder of the Whistler Museum. Nora Gamboli shared memories of her mother, Joan Matthews. In Pemberton, Molly Ronayne and Margaret Fougberg answered many questions.
Timely advice came from Charlie Hou on the Gold Rush Trail; Perry Beckham of the Squamish Rockclimbers Association; B.C. provincial toponymist Janet Mason; Vicki Haberl at BC Parks; and forester Don MacLaurin.
Many thanks to Whistler Blackcomb, including Christina Moore, Tabetha Boot, Michelle Leroux, Amber Tourau, Ryan Proctor, Arthur DeJong, Rob McSkimming, Brian Finestone, and Stuart Osborne; Jan Jansen and Randy Simmons at the Resort Municipality of Whistler; Cindy Burr, Janice Greenwood-Fraser, Carla Mont, and Mika Ryan at Tourism British Columbia.
A tip of the hat to Mike Duggan, Paul Morrison, Jacquie and Juergen Rauh, Doug Perry, Irene Wolf, Brigit and Bill Sirota, Fred and Lori Xavier, Jane McRae and Gordon White, Larry Emrick, Ruth Tubbesing, Brian Jones, Dave Sarkany, Charles Campbell, Bob Purdy, Brian Murfitt, Monica Hayes, and Kirsten Hodge.
On-going thanks to Dan McLeod and Yolanda Stepien, Charlie Smith, Martin Dunphy, and staff at the Georgia Straight; Bob Barnett at Pique Newsmagazine; Mark Forsythe at CBC Vancouver.
The works by the following have all been helpful resources: Frances Decker, Margaret Fougberg and Mary Ronayne at Pioneer Pemberton Women Publishing; Grant Lamont and Charlie Doyle; Dawn Hanna; Jim McDonald; Kevin McLane; Anne McMahon; Maggie Paquet; Betty Pratt-Johnson; Randy Stoltmann; William Mathews; Wayne Suttles; Gordon White; Michel Beudry; Cheryl Coull; Richard and Sydney Cannings; Stephen Vogler; Brian Finestone, and Kevin Hodder.
THE THIN veneer of civilization around the Sea to Sky corridor suggests a coziness that can be deceptive. Even here in the southwestern corner of the province, where half of B.C.’s population resides, those who do not respect the wilderness often face uncompromising consequences. Venture much beyond sidewalk’s end and you come face-to-face with a landscape shaped by thick pans of glacial ice that until quite recently covered the entire landmass. So strong was the force exerted by this ice that, as it retreated, it cast a ragged impression in the bedrock.
Travelers can get an inside look at these fantastic features without being extreme adventurers. Although you will experience the churning natural forces still at work in the aftermath of the most recent ice age, with proper preparation and a confident spirit you can negotiate this landscape safely. Guaranteed you will emerge with vivid memories of your encounter with the wild side of life.
Weather: Current weather information for the Sea to Sky region is available from Environment Canada. For recorded weather forecasts for Howe Sound–Whistler Village, call 604-664-9021. Online weather information is available from Environment Canada’s website: www.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca. Generally speaking, November and February are the two wettest months in coastal British Columbia, while May and September—when the weather is at its best and there are fewer travelers—are two of the most enjoyable months for exploration.
Campground Reservations: Travelers can reserve campsites in three provincial campgrounds in the Sea to Sky region up to three months in advance of a visit and can stay as long as fourteen days. The BC Parks reservation line—1-800 -689-9025 throughout Canada and the United States, or 604-689-9025 in Greater Vancouver—operates daily between March 1 and September 15; for detailed information, call between 7 AM and 7 PM Pacific time Monday to Friday, and between 9 AM and 5 PM Pacific time on Saturdays and Sundays. If you are reserving on one of the three long weekends in summer, there is a minimum three-day charge. Long weekends during reservation season occur on Victoria Day (the Monday nearest May 24), B.C. Day (the first Monday in August), and Labor Day (the first Monday in September). At present, a surcharge of $7 per night is added to the regular camping fee of about $20 per night, with a maximum surcharge of three nights even if you are reserving for a longer stay.
No-Trace Camping: According to ancient Chinese philosophy, a good walker leaves no tracks. The same could be said about camping. A good camper leaves no trace. There are six basic principles of limited-impact camping:
> Plan ahead and prepare
> Camp and travel on durable surfaces
> Pack it in, pack it out
> Properly dispose of what you can’t pack out
> Leave the landscape undisturbed
>