The thought of summer camps ignites a myriad of emotions and brings back many unforgettable childhood memories such as sailing and swimming in the lakes, learning crafts, getting your hands on that bow and arrow, as well as forming deeper relationships with friends. If you lived within or near ski vacation destinations such as Whistler, your childhood could also include unconventional summer activity called skiing.
Summer skiing in Whistler existed since the late 1960’s. Roy Ferris and Alan White who owned Highland Lodge recruited Toni Sailer, an awarded member of the Austrian ski racing team, to organize and spearhead Whistler’s first summer ski camp. Toni spent more than a decade in the mountain town and mentored young ski racers under the banner Toni Sailer Summer Ski Camp.
Summer ski programs at the Whistler Mountain were initially driven by the need for competitive skiers to be in tiptop shape and improve their ski skills in preparation for upcoming competitions. Recreational skiers eventually caught the idea of ski clinics and later became active participants of the camp.
As with most ski clinics, participants of the first summer camps at Whistler were generally up at 6:30AM so they could hit the slopes at 8 o’clock. Intensive training typically usually last four hours each day that were then followed with lunch and rest period.
Apart from skiing, participants of the summer ski camps also enjoyed a multitude of activities like sailing, swimming, trailing, horseback riding, as well as volleyball. Campers were enlisted in skill-enhancing programs that included advanced racing, intermediate, recreational, and freestyle and were under the aegis of internationally acclaimed athletes such as Nancy Greene Raine, Jim McConkey, and Wayne Wong.
Early summers ski camps in the mountain town encouraged many to excel and be competitive in ski racing. One of its numerous participants was a 14-year old named Dave Murray who catapulted as one of the Crazy Canucks, a well-known Canadian ski team popular for its reckless riding style. Murray, who attended the 1968 summer camp, later retired in competitive racing and became the lead instructor the summer camp where he honed his skills. He eventually took the organization’s helm and renamed it to Atomic Dave Murray Whistler Summer Ski Camp.
Murray’s organization attracted many skiers from Europe and Japan and helped promote other sports. Snowboarding became popular in the late 1980’s and new programs such as the Snowboard Shop Camp of Champions were established. These new summer camps accommodated snowboarders and other guests who wanted to try non-traditional snow sports.
As of press time, various snow sports are now available in most ski resorts – not only on winter season but also on warm summer months. This way, individuals and families who plan to go on ski trips can have as much fun on the snow regardless of the weather condition.
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