Screened at the "Sea to Sky" film festival, Garibaldi, B.C.

This is the story of the largest ski resort facility in North America and its journey from secluded wilderness to a world class, year-round, destination resort in less than a hundred years.

You Tube View a clip from "Whistler Mountain" at my You Tube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/EcofilmsbyEHomer

In 1914, a railroad opened up the area for logging. It also brought tourism to the quiet valley and for 50 years it was the most popular summer resort west of Banff. Wealthy eco-tourists flocked to the wilderness valley for the excellent fishing and hiking. By the early 60's tourism was slowing down in Alta Lake, but in 1965 a paved road changed everything and the quiet valley would never be the same.

Whistler Mountain opened in 1966. It was developed by a group of Vancouver businessmen led by Franz Wilhelmsen, who wanted to bring the 1968 Winter Olympics to Vancouver. That bid failed, but the 2010 Winter Olympics were awarded to Whistler/Vancouver and the mountain is poised to fulfill its destiny.

This is a fascinating British Columbia story and the video is entertaining as well as informative. Includes footage that spans a hundred years; historical stills from the Whistler Museum; spectacular skiing and boarding sequences from local filmmakers; and archival footage from the seventies, eighties, and nineties.