Whistler: Our Story

This place has always had a story to tell. Long before it became Whistler, these lands were, and remain, the shared territories of the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Nation and L̓il̓wat7úl Nation. Their enduring connection to the mountains, rivers and forests continues to shape the culture of this region today.

Over time, Whistler has grown from a remote valley to a global destination, built by visionaries, artists, athletes and a community that’s never lost touch with the land that inspires it, nor the responsibility to protect its natural environment, celebrate its culture, and nurture the youth who carry its spirit forward. From Olympic milestones to everyday mountain moments, our story is one of heritage, resilience and a collective spirit that runs deep.

Dreams Take Flight. Whistler – 50 Years and Beyond.

It's the Resort Municipality of Whistler's fiftieth anniversary this year and everyone is invited to celebrate the milestone. We've created a video that tells the story of Whistler's transformation, from building our village on a garbage dump to creating a world-class mountain town, with roots that run even deeper (like thousands of years deep). Special thanks to Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, Resort Municipality of Whistler, Whistler Blackcomb, Whistler Museum and MMGY Origin.

Roots, Runs and Remarkable People

Discover the stories, past and present, that have shaped Whistler’s character, from the trailblazers who laid its foundations to the culture that continues to define it.

Charlie Doyle, one of the creators of the Whistler Answer in the 1970s.

Whistler's Key Dreamers and Freethinkers

Whistler’s first homegrown, professional artist was the always delightful Isobel MacLaurin, painter, skier, friend and artist about town since the early 1960s.

The Art of Whistler

First Nations ambassador Georgina Dan dances in front of the roost of the Thunderbird.

The Legend of the Thunderbird

Two red Whistler Blackcomb Peak 2 Peak gondola cabins suspended over a snow-covered Coast Mountain forest in Whistler, BC, with panoramic snowy peaks in the background.

Trailblazing Innovations That Shaped Whistler

Vintage black-and-white photograph of two hikers standing on a rocky Whistler mountain ridge, gazing toward distant snow-capped peaks.

History of Whistler: Beginnings

Vintage black-and-white photograph of skiers loading skis into a gondola cabin at a Whistler ski resort lift station.

Ski Bums, Marmots & Dual Mountain

A snowboarder in a teal, spider-web–patterned race suit carving down a snow-covered Whistler, BC slope under a clear blue sky.

Legends are Born, Snowboarding Booms

Winter sports athlete wearing an Olympic competition bib and ski goggles holding a Canadian flag on a snowy slope.

Whistler History: Fun and Games

Clocktower Hotel under construction in Whistler Village, BC, in 1979, showing its wooden frame, work trucks on the cleared site, and forested Coast Mountains in the background.

The Design Mind Behind the Village Stroll

Vintage ski trail map of Whistler Mountain showing a central lift line with numbered runs winding through snow-covered, forested slopes.

What’s in a Name? Whistler Ski Runs

A mountain biker navigating a dirt trail beneath a chairlift in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park in the early 2000s in Whistler Village, with alpine lodges and forested Coast Mountains beyond.

Whistler Bike Park: 25 Years of Progression

Step Inside Whistler's Story

Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre

Museum exhibit of Rainbow Lodge artefacts at 2,200 ft in Whistler, BC, featuring a hand-lettered “Rainbow Lodge Altitude 2,200’” sign, rustic wooden chairs draped with crocheted blankets, vintage skis and poles, enamelware coffee pot, lantern and other period pieces.

Whistler Museum

Outdoor Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics medal ceremony at Whistler Medal Plaza, BC, with spectators waving Canadian and Polish flags under bright stage lights and a blue-lit “Vancouver 2010” stage bearing the Olympic rings.

2010 Winter Olympic Games

Whistler Then and Now

For thousands of years before European contact, the land we now call Whistler was home to the Coast Salish and Interior Salish peoples, who lived in deep connection with the seasons, moving through the region to hunt, gather and sustain their communities.

The Whistler area was often a waypoint for First Nation trading routes between the Squamish Nation and Lil'wat Nation, as it was rich with wildlife and resources. At one time, tens of thousands of Coast Salish First Nations people lived, traded and thrived in the areas between Vancouver, Howe Sound and Lillooet. In fact, some of the hiking routes between Howe Sound and Deep Cove (east of Vancouver) are the traditional routes travelled by the Coast Salish First Nations peoples.

The award-winning Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre is a stunning space that honours the living cultures of the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Nation and the L̓il̓wat7úl Nation. Through art, stories and interactive exhibits, visitors gain insight into the deep connection these communities have with the land – past, present and future. It’s a rich and eye-opening experience, offering a powerful perspective on place.

From its early days as a remote fishing lodge in 1914 to the global spotlight of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Whistler has evolved with purpose and passion – long known as a place that draws in adventurous spirits and leaves a lasting mark.

Significant Events

1877: The Pemberton Trail is completed linking the Pemberton valley to the Pacific coast, north of Vancouver.
1900: Trappers and prospectors settle in the area which was originally known as Alta Lake. They begin calling it "Whistler" because of the shrill whistle sound made by the western hoary marmots who live among the rocks.
1910: Myrtle and Alex Philip arrive in Vancouver from Maine. They hear about Whistler's spectacular beauty.
1912: Construction begins on the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (now BC Rail) from Squamish to Prince George.
1911: Myrtle and Alex take the three-day journey to Whistler: a steamer ship from Vancouver to Squamish, overnight in Brackendale, and a two-day horse trek to Whistler. The journey from Vancouver to Whistler these days is a short, 120 kilometre (75 mile) drive on the beautiful Sea to Sky Highway.
1914: Myrtle and Alex buy ten acres of land and build the Rainbow Lodge on the shores of Alta Lake. The Pacific Great Eastern Railway is built to Alta Lake and links the valley to the outside world. Whistler becomes a base for logging and mining. Myrtle and Alex's Rainbow Lodge is the most popular resort destination west of Banff and Jasper.
1926: The Parkhurst Mill opens on Green Lake (today’s Parkhurst "Ghost Town" hike). It closes for the final time in 1956.
1950s: Other lodges open throughout the valley. The abundant fish stocks make Whistler a summer resort destination long before it is considered a winter destination. Winter travel becomes possible when a gravel road to Squamish is carved from the cliffs of Howe Sound.
Early 1960s: During the early 1960s a group of Vancouver Businessmen formed the Garibaldi Olympic Development Association (GODA) to develop a site to host the 1968 Winter Olympic Games and selected London Mountain (Whistler Mountain’s former name) as the preferred venue.
1964: The single-lane road is extended to Whistler because of the ski area development, and to Pemberton later that same year. The trip from Vancouver to Whistler took 5 - 6 hours.
1965: Whistler Mountain finally gets the name "Garibaldi Whistler Mountain". Development of the ski area on the south side of Whistler Mountain began. What is now called Creekside was once the original Village and featured a four-person gondola to the mountain’s mid-station, a double chairlift to the alpine tree line, and two T-bars.
1966: Whistler officially opens for skiing.
1969: A two-lane gravel road built in 1965 is paved to Whistler and then to Pemberton.
1975: The Resort Municipality of Whistler is formed and its the first resort municipality in Canada. The municipality is given 53 acres of Crown land to develop a town centre. Whistler holds its first municipal election.
1977: Rainbow Lodge burns down.
1978: Construction begins on the new town centre that will eventually become Whistler Village.
1980: Blackcomb Mountain (right next to Whistler Mountain) opens creating one of the largest ski areas in North America.
1982: Whistler hosts its first successful International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Alpine Ski World Cup Downhill event.
1983: Whistler Golf Club officially opens and it's Arnold Palmer's first Canadian design.
1985: Blackcomb Mountain opens its 7th Heaven T-bar and becomes North America’s only "Mile High Mountain" with a vertical mile of lift-accessed terrain.
1986: Whistler Museum and Archives Society founded.
1987/88: Blackcomb Mountain builds a new base at today’s Upper Village and invests in new chairlifts. For the first time, Blackcomb Mountain receives more skier visits than Whistler Mountain (winter season ending 1988).
1989: Rob Boyd becomes the first Canadian to win gold in a World Cup Downhill event on Canadian soil during a race on Whistler Mountain.
Late 1980s / Early 1990s: Whistler Village is expanded and Village North and Marketplace are built.
1992: Snow Country Magazine votes Whistler the "Number One Ski Resort in North America" and the trend continues through to today with the resort earning the top spot for destination resort and its incredible skiing in numerous industry magazines and readers’ polls.
1996: Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains officially merge under Intrawest Corporation and form Whistler Blackcomb. Whistler Blackcomb ranks Number One on SKIING Magazine’s Top 25 Resorts in North America list for the first time.
1999: This summer saw the official opening of Whistler Mountain Bike Park, a lift-assisted network of trails for mountain bike enthusiasts.
2001: Sk̲wx̲u7mesh Úxumixw and L̓il̓wat7úl sign a historic protocol agreement. They formally agree, once again, to live and work together in Whistler.
2002: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) shortlists Vancouver/Whistler as a Candidate City for hosting the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
2003: Vancouver/Whistler win the bid to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
2004: First Crankworx event is held in Whistler. Whistler Mountain Bike Park opens the Garbanzo Zone.
2008: The peaks of Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains were linked with the opening of the brand new PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola. This multi record-breaking lift allows skiers, snowboarders and, in the summer, hikers, faster access to the award-winning terrain on both mountains.

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre opens to the public and is the first centre of its kind in Canada, located on the shared, traditional territories of the Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation. It embodies the spirit of partnership between two unique Nations who wish to preserve, grow and share their traditional cultures.
2010: Whistler takes part in the Winter Olympics as an Official Olympic venue. Although the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have come and gone, Whistler's spot on the world stage is firmly established. Fantastic Olympic legacies like the Whistler Sliding Centre, Whistler Olympic Park and Whistler Medals Plaza, as well as the Mountain Bike Park and the record-breaking PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, make Whistler a world-class, year-round destination.
2012: Top of the World Trail opens in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.
2016: Whistler Blackcomb Holdings is purchased by Colorado-based Vail Resorts Inc. for $1.4 billion.

The Audain Art Museum opens its doors to the public. Located by the Village, the iconic building houses a permanent collection of artworks from British Columbia as well as rotating exhibitions from leading museums around the world.
2017: Vail Resorts, Inc. invests $66 million in three new lifts for Whistler Blackcomb for the 2018/19 season. Upgrades include a new 10-passenger Blackcomb gondola, a new six-passenger high-speed lift on Whistler Mountain and a four-passenger, high-speed lift on Blackcomb Mountain. The changes create the first three-gondola connection in the world, allowing guests to upload, connect between the mountains via the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola and download in a gondola for a weather-protected experience.
2018: In the summer of 2018, Whistler Blackcomb unveils the new Cloudraker Skybridge. It stretches 130 metres (427 feet) from the top of Whistler Peak to the West Ridge, crossing over Whistler Bowl at 2,182 metres (7,160 feet) above sea level. At the far end is the Raven’s Eye lookout, a 360-degree platform for uninterrupted views of the surrounding mountains.
2021: Whistler adopts First Nations territorial statement which speaks to the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation report and helps to increase awareness about Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and also encourages both those making and listening to the statement to learn more about whose territories they reside upon. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is grateful to be on the shared, unceded territory of the Lil’wat people, known in their language as Lilwat7úl, and the Squamish people, known in their language as Skwxwú7mesh.
2022: Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Founding Patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, announces that the bid for the Invictus Games 2025 has been awarded to Vancouver and Whistler, in partnership with True Patriot Love Foundation.
2023: The 2023/24 season is the debut of the newly upgraded Fitzsimmons Express chairlift, a high-speed, eight-person chair – the first of its kind in North America across Vail Resorts. It cuts back on wait times, improves uploading efficiency, and serves to significantly support Whistler Mountain Bike Park operations.
2025: The Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, an international, adaptive sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and Veterans, takes place in February. The Games incorporate winter adaptive sports for the first time. 532 competitors from a record 23 nations compete in both Vancouver and Whistler, with 1,100 family and friends supporting and cheering them on.