Whistler was born for the Games; Olympics some 40 years in the making
November 20, 2008
Kim Thompson , THE CANADIAN PRESS WHISTLER, B.C. - If Whistler, the host mountain resort for the 2010 Winter Games, had a motto it would be “if you build it, they will come.” Whistler was always destined for the world stage. In fact the entire resort was built with the Olympics in mind. In 1960, a group of Vancouver businessmen skiing at Squaw Valley, host of that year’s winter Olympics, had an epiphany. Vancouver and the mountains to the north would be a perfect place to hold the 1968 Games. All they needed was a mountain. The businessmen began a search for suitable terrain, but one, Norwegian Franz Wilhelmsen, already knew the ideal location. He was crazy about skiing and spent many…
