The summer of 1976, two young adventurers were busy scrambling around in the Coast Mountain Range having spent the winter skiing Whistler and now, between contracts for forest fire fighting, busied themselves by bagging peaks. Nic Slater and Brad Sills were childhood friends whose appetite for challenge was just incubating.
Not too long after a failed alpine resort proposal had punched a road to Callaghan Lake, the two would discover the Upper Callaghan Valley. There, they spent four years walking the terrain and laying out the Mad River Nordic Ski Centre and adjacent ski touring routes. In 1981, they applied for and were issued a Land License to conduct all forms of “Free Heel” skiing and to build a warming hut. For the next sixteen years, the two found themselves engaged in an endless series of public processes ranging from mineral rights, public recreation, wildlife, habitat, and First Nations considerations, all in a convoluted effort to determine appropriate use of land. The naming of Conflict Lake was a direct result of this period. Having sat for five years on a Provincial Government Steering Committee to ensure that logging and mining would not occur, Sills and other backcountry enthusiasts were rewarded in 1997; a portion around Callaghan and Cirque Lakes was placed within a Provincial Park designation.
With the major land use question seemingly answered and having spent the intervening time operating a very rough-and-tumble ski touring operation in which there had never once been a repeat customer, the two re-examined their business model. They approached the Province with the idea of creating a commercial backcountry ski operation that promoted accommodations based on Norwegian and Swiss Alps models. The concept of a full-service mountain lodge–complete with indoor plumbing, chef-prepared dining and cozy, private rooms–hit a niche yet growing market with those who valued an option other than the traditional mountain club hut.
With the major land use question seemingly answered and having spent the intervening time operating a very rough-and-tumble ski touring operation in which there had never once been a repeat customer, the two re-examined their business model. They approached the Province with the idea of creating a commercial backcountry ski operation that promoted accommodations based on Norwegian and Swiss Alps models. The concept of a full-service mountain lodge–complete with indoor plumbing, chef-prepared dining and cozy, private rooms–hit a niche yet growing market with those who valued an option other than the traditional mountain club hut.
Sills and Slater, who by this time, had each built successful construction companies in Whistler and who had, in doing so, gained a large posse of die-hard skiing tradesmen most of whom had pioneered many of the first descents in the area on telemark skis, found themselves in a unique position. The stable and quality of the tradesmen who were prepared to live in tents, work in the snow, and schralp everything in sight was truly phenomenal. Unbridled by the pure passion of the project, the quality of the workmanship continued to excel with each group of trades trying to match or beat the standard of the work that preceded them. Hand-crafted bannisters, cozy sleeping cubbies, and crown mouldings are all testimony of the attention to detail afforded to the project by these gifted craftsmen.
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This was truly a community effort. Most of the labour and materials were contributed in exchange for equity shares. Carpenters, plumbers, roofers, sparkies, stone masons, hoe operators, and building supply owners all came together as one. The Journeyman, as they became to be known, received credits for time worked on the lodge. This could be used later for time in the lodge and the opportunity to quench some of their insatiable adventure thirst. Apparently, no challenge was too big. Being towed by snowmobile for 25 kms on skinny skis was the norm. Tales of wild creek bed descents and freefalling couloirs grew into scotch fuelled legends of lore and even larger half-truths. Many nights were spent around the sauna regaling guests in the ways of the wild west before collectively plunging naked into the darkness of the snowbound creek. It was a time when men were men and the goats were nervous.
Not long after the Lodge opened in 1998, Sills was approached by a citizen group interested in hosting the 2010 winter Olympics. It had been suggested that the Mad River Nordic Center might be a venue candidate for the cross-country ski events. The next four years were filled with technical delegate evaluations, preliminary designs, and presentations aimed at winning first the domestic bid and eventually the IOC award.
Having forfeited all of the land required to host the Winter Games, the company re-branded itself to more accurately reflect its core values of wilderness exploration, environmental stewardship, and to the collaborative effort of working with its neighbours in creating North America’s most comprehensive Nordic ski facility. Callaghan Country Wilderness Adventures has continued the advocacy for low impact backcountry recreation at every land use decision process over the past forty years. The company is proud to have been part of the Olympic movement and the preservation of significant natural landscapes for generations to come.
Having forfeited all of the land required to host the Winter Games, the company re-branded itself to more accurately reflect its core values of wilderness exploration, environmental stewardship, and to the collaborative effort of working with its neighbours in creating North America’s most comprehensive Nordic ski facility. Callaghan Country Wilderness Adventures has continued the advocacy for low impact backcountry recreation at every land use decision process over the past forty years. The company is proud to have been part of the Olympic movement and the preservation of significant natural landscapes for generations to come.
The spirit of Journeyman Lodge and the early community of Coast Mountain ski tourers, climbers, hikers, riders, and border line crazy people intent on living a life with purpose continues to flourish within the walls of this truly unique institution.
Written by Brad Sills, Callaghan Country Wilderness Adventures General Manager
Written by Brad Sills, Callaghan Country Wilderness Adventures General Manager
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