Whistler tourist information

The Whistler valley was a traditional trading route of the Squamish and Lil'wat First Nations long before the arrival of Europeans; in the late 19th century, a trail was cut through the valley, linking Pemberton with the coast. The trail was completed in 1877, but because of the difficult and unforgiving terrain, it was only used once for its intended purpose, which was to drive cattle. The area began to attract trappers and prospectors (such as John Millar and Henry Horstman) who established small camps in the area in the early 20th century. The area began to gain recognition with the arrival of Mrytle and Alex Philips, who in 1914 purchased 10 acres of land on Alta Lake and established the Rainbow Lodge.

The Philips had relocated from Maine to Vancouver in 1910, and had heard rumors of the natural beauty of the area from John Millar. After an exploratory journey, the couple was convinced. The completion of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway in the same year greatly reduced the travel time from three days, providing ease of access from Vancouver, and the Rainbow Lodge gained a reputation as the most popular vacation destination west of the Rockies. The lodge was primarily a summer destination, with boating, fishing and hiking among the most popular activities, and soon other lodges began to open not just on Alta Lake, but on other valley lakes as well. Appreciation of the outdoors was not the only activity in the valley, however; logging was also a boom industry, and during the first half of the 20th century, most of the lower slopes of the surrounding mountains were cleared of old growth.

At its peak, four mills were in operation, most located around Green Lake. Prospecting and trapping were pursued as well, though no claims of great value were every staked. Until the 1960's, the quiet area was without basic infrastructure; there were no sewage facilities, water, or electricity, and no road from Squamish or Vancouver. In 1962, four Vancouver businessmen began to explore the area with the intent of building a ski resort and bidding for the 1968 Winter Olympics. Garibaldi Lift Company was formed, shares were sold, and in 1966, Whistler Mountain opened to the public.

A variety of factors have negatively impacted Whistler over the last five years; a decline in tourism from the United States and rising Canadian dollar have been among them. Additionally, the winter season of 2004-2005 was unusually warm and wet; very little snow fell for the Christmas season, and rains in January melted most of the artificial snow base. March did see a significant increase in snowfall, but it went largely unnoticed by destination travellers. Christmas of 2005 saw a similar situation; after the earliest opening on record (November 5th) the mountains received little snow in the run-up to Christmas and were struck by torrential rains on Christmas eve. The weather rebounded in January however, and the area received a record amount of snowfall for a single month, with over 460 cm.