Claim OwnershipWhistler Stories That Need To Be Told
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© 2025 Whistler Stories That Need To Be Told
Description
Oral history is important and this podcast captures the confidence and culture that shaped Whistler into a #1 world class resort ... it captures the people and their history from 1969 to now and what it took to develop a unique Western Canadian resort that draws mountain enthusiasts from all over the world for a “quick visit that lasts years”.
“I want a record of what happened here and why it happened in such a short time and how successful we were. I want to interview people that lived here through the development of Whistler.” ~ Bruce Watt, Whistler REALTOR® with RE/MAX Sea to Sky Real Estate
20 Episodes
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Michael d'ArtoisDestination Resort Specialist - 5 decades in North America's #1 Destination Resort, Whistler, BC. "I can't predict the future but I have experienced the many changes of growth in a small Community. The road ahead is now far shorter than the road travelled." Community engaged in the many aspects of a fast growing Community and Resort. Still living the dream.
Anton Horvath retired at the end of the 2021-22 season after more than 40 years working for the Whistler Mountain ski patrol. Anton joined the patrol team in 1979 and became a senior avalanche forecaster in 1993. He successfully supervised one of North America's biggest avalanche programs for almost 30 years. As a senior avalanche forecaster at Whistler, Anton was a constant mentor and leader for his team. His efforts helped keep them and the public safe throughout his career. Anton has been ...
Ann Chiasson has been in Whistler since 1977 and in real estate since 1981. With a background in management consulting, Ann brings a unique perspective to the real estate industry. She is a problem solver, a negotiator, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a volunteer, a RE/MAX real estate broker and a business owner who works hard to ensure her clients, agents and family experience and appreciate all that Whistler has to offer.
Meet Trudy Alder, a long time Whistler local, who immigrated to Canada in 1966 and came to Whistler in 1968. She and her husband worked as the caretakers at the Tyrol lodge from 1968 to 1970, were one of the first residental developers in Whistler and Trudy's Landing on Green Lake is named after her.
Brad Sills has been a notable figure in Whistler's history since the 1970s. With a background in forestry, he arrived when it was the primary industry, predating the rise of the ski and snowboard sectors. Transitioning to home building, Brad capitalized on the community's growth and established himself as a premier local luxury builder. Recognizing the need for a skilled Search and Rescue team, he became instrumental in assisting Whistler Mountain and the RCMP in locating and rescuing lost an...
Living, working and recreating in Whistler is a lifestyle choice for Karen, a two-time Olympian in Alpine Skiing. Her love for Whistler began as a young girl where, even before the first chair lift was built, she was featured in promotional material to attract investors in the development of Whistler Mountain. Her family had a long history and love for skiing with her father owning the very first ski shop in Vancouver. Following a successful ski racing career Karen went on to university wher...
Cathy Jewett was in the forefront on many social issues in the 70s & 80s and still is as a Councillor on the Resort Municipality Of Whistler council. She was one of the first females (3 in the 60s & 70s) to become a Professional Ski Patroller with Whistler Mountain and created the conditions for equality for future female ski patrollers at Whistler/Blackcomb Mountains. It wasn't was an easy, gentle journey but with endless energy and tenancity, she achieved many of her career goals ...
Part two of the interview with John Hetherington, Bruce's Ski Patrol Boss from back in the seventies plus so much more. John was and is an integral part of Whistler’s history and development. An original Whistler Counciler. An original Search and Rescue volunteer. An original Whistler Heli Ski Owner and Guide. John has done so much for Whistler as a voluneer that he was the recipient of the Governor General’s Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers in 2017. A well deserved honor John!
Introducing John Hetherington, Bruce's Ski Patrol Boss from back in the seventies plus so much more. John was and is an integral part of Whistler’s history and development. An original Whistler Counciler. An original Search and Rescue volunteer. An original Whistler Heli Ski Owner and Guide. John has done so much for Whistler as a voluneer that he was the recipient of the Governor General’s Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers in 2017. A well deserved honor John!
In Episode 12 I continue my conversation with Cliff Jennings - A Man with a lot of Whistler History to share starting from 1965. Cliff has had an Epic Whistler Journey of Being the First... Employee for Garibaldi Lift Co. - Groomer and Builder of the 1st Gondola Barn and T-BarsEmployee of Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW)Hotel ManagerSearch and Rescue VolunteerClimbing GuideHeli-Ski GuideHome sold over $1MHe documented his love of Whistler and the outdoors with his passion for pho...
Introducing Cliff Jennings - A Man with a lot of Whistler History to share starting from 1965. He was one of the first for many things ... Employee for Garibaldi Lift Co. - Groomer and Builder of the 1st Gondola Barn and T-BarsEmployee of Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW)Hotel ManagerSearch and Rescue VolunteerClimbing GuideHeli-Ski GuideHe documented his love of Whistler and the outdoors with his passion for photography by sharing all that he could then and now. Background of the early...
Chris Stethem - Honorary Member of The Canadian Avalanche Association Chris Stethem is a retired avalanche protection consultant living in Canmore, Alberta. A graduate in Geography from Queen’s University, Chris spent the 1970s overseeing the avalanche program at Whistler, BC, and completing research projects for the National Research Council of Canada and Environment Canada. This work included a compilation of the first two volumes of Avalanche Accidents in Canada (Stethem and Schaerer 1979,...
Chris Stethem - Honorary Member of The Canadian Avalanche Association Chris Stethem is a retired avalanche protection consultant living in Canmore, Alberta. A graduate in Geography from Queen’s University, Chris spent the 1970s overseeing the avalanche program at Whistler, BC and completing research projects for the National Research Council of Canada and Environment Canada. This work included compilation of the first two volumes of Avalanche Accidents in Canada (Stethem and Schaerer 1979, 19...
Check out what happens when you believe in your dreams and you DO NOT give up. 1 - get to raise your children on the only island in Whistler - YES! Whistler does have an island 2 - get to bring Scandinave Spa to Whistler https://www.parkbridge.com/en/resort/resort-detail/riverside https://www.scandinave.com/en/whistler/ 3 - get to grow your business to the benefit of future Whistler generations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAUOvo8wkJI Listen to part two of Bruce's interview with Nigel Woo...
Meet Nigel Woods, Chairman/Director of Coastal Mountain Excavations Ltd. One of the best employers in the Sea to Sky corridor. https://www.coastalmountain.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/coastalmountainexcavations/ Listen how Nigel tells of his Whistler beginnings in the early 1970’s and how he quickly realized that he wasn’t leaving. He bought a backhoe and began clearing driveways of snow in the winter and digging holes in the summer. From the humble beginnings of being ...
Bruce continues his interview with Paul Mathews of Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners Ltd from Whistler, BC. Learn how The Peak 2 Peak Gondola was born. "Creative" "Innovative" "Courageous" Are words used by Ecosign's clients to describe their services and design solutions. The Peak 2 Peak Gondola is a tricable gondola lift at Whistler Blackcomb Resort in Whistler, British Columbia, linking Whistler Mountain's Roundhouse Lodge with Blackcomb Mountain's Rendezvous Lodge.
Introducing Paul Mathews of Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners Ltd from Whistler, BC "Creative" "Innovative" "Courageous" Are words used by Ecosign's clients to describe their services and design solutions. Listen how you start a company with $1 and 10 years later you are designing Blackcomb Mountain Resort and becoming one of the most respected and sought after resort planners in the world.
Hear how you go from operating the Whistler T-bar to becoming one of the most influential executives in the global mountain tourism business. Bruce Watt, our host, and Roger McCarthy are long time friends having met in Whistler 40+ years ago when they first arrived. Roger is described by many as an easy-going, endearing, inquisitive, driven, energetic, focused, and fun figure. Listeners will clearly hear these qualities throughout as Bruce and Roger discuss with great enthusiasm their passio...
Hear how you go from operating the Whistler T-bar to becoming one of the most influential executives in the global mountain tourism business. Bruce Watt, our host, and Roger McCarthy are long time friends having met in Whistler 40+ years ago when they first arrived. Roger is described by many as an easy-going, endearing, inquisitive, driven, energetic, focused, and fun figure. Listeners will clearly hear these qualities throughout as Bruce and Roger discuss with great enthusiasm their passio...
Bruce Watt, the host, is interviewed by Stef Hostetter, CEO of RE/MAX Sea to Sky Real Estate and kicks off his podcast “Whistler Stories that Need to be Told” with funny and emotional stories of his first decade in Whistler as a Professional Patroller on Whistler Mountain and how being buried in 1978 from a large avalanche began his commitment to learning more about avalanche search and rescue which resulted in CARDA – The Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association, a non-profit volunteer sear...
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