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After driving a few hours drive north of Vancouver on a winding, hilly,
two-lane road, you arrive at Whistler. Despite the weather being a
comfortable 70-something, after taking the gondola up the mountain a few
thousand feet, the temperature drops. And the views are wonderful.
Here are some pictures from up Whistler Mountain.
History...
Whistler Mountain officially opened on Feb. 15, 1966, and ever since,
Whistler Resort has been known for its exceptional skiing. But the
history of Alta Lake, as the are was originally named, reveals nearly a
century of tourism in the valley.
In 1914, Alex and Myrtle Philip, encouraged by the development of the
Pacific Great Eastern Railway, opened Rainbow Lodge on the northwest corner
of Alta Lake. The Philips' hospitality, coupled with the spectacular
setting and great fishing, allowed expansion of the original lodge until it
could accommodate more than 100 people. For a time, Rainbow Lodge was
the most popular summer resort west of Banff.
Over the years, several other lodges were built around Alta and Nita
Lakes, even though the railway continued to be the only link with the
outside world.
In 1960 a group of Vancouver businessmen, inspired by the Winter Olympics
at Squaw Valley, California, went looking for a site to develop for their
bid to host the 1968 Winter Olympics. They were guided to London
Mountain, known locally as Whistler Mountain because of all the whistling
marmots on its flanks. That first Olympic bid was unsuccessful but
Whistler, as both a winter and summer resort, has flourished.
And decades after the first Olympic dream for the area,
Vancouver/Whistler were awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics. |
