Smythe honoured by Canadian Ski Hall of Fame

A local resident that was instrumental in shaping Whistler into the ski mecca it is today finally received his induction into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame last week near Ottawa.

Hugh Smythe, who had an accomplished career in the ski industry spanning more than 40 years, was part of the 2009 class of inductees but had to wait until last Wednesday (Nov. 2) to be officially added to the Hall during a ceremony in Gatineau, Que. that also honoured the 2010 inductees.

“It’s a tremendous honour,” he said. “I was really lucky to have a wonderful career over (close to) 45 years.”

Smythe joined the Whistler Mountain Ski Patrol in 1966, its first year of operation, at age 19 and played a huge role in the resort’s development from then on.

It was Smythe who convinced the Aspen Skiing Company to successfully bid on the Province’s call for proposals to develop Blackcomb as a ski area in the late 1970s. He was later named president of Blackcomb.

Smythe then recalled a “chance meeting” with Joe Houssian that led to Intrawest acquiring Blackcomb in 1986 and getting into the business of ski resort development. The success of Blackcomb eventually led to Intrawest purchasing Whistler, a transaction facilitated by Smythe, and turning it into the dual-mountain area it is today. Smythe also played a key role in Intrawest’s acquisitions of Mont Tremblant, Blue Mountain and other notable ski resorts across North America.

Eventually becoming president of resort operations for Intrawest and holding the post for 20 years, Smythe oversaw 13 resorts in Canada and the U.S., reaching a single-winter peak of a combined eight million skier visits.

“These opportunities (came) from being in the right place at the right moment, so there was some luck involved,” he said. “Early on, when I started off, it was all about the skiing. But I fell in love and was passionate about the business of skiing, so it was fantastic to have a career for so many years that I was passionate about while working with a ton of great people. It takes a whole team of people to operate, construct, build and plan these resorts.”

Smythe retired in 2009 as senior vice-president of Intrawest Mountain Resorts. When asked what accomplishments over his career he was most proud of, Smythe said the development of Blackcomb, particularly once acquired by Intrawest, was “one of so many.”

“We did a big construction project in 1987… and that’s when Wizard, Solar and 7th Heaven (chair lifts) went in and we worked really closely with Paul Matthews of Ecosign — they were the planners,” Smythe said. “That was a major highlight.”

Fellow local resident and longtime colleague Roger McCarthy introduced Smythe at the event, which honoured a total of six individuals from the two induction classes.

“It was really neat. I didn’t know what to expect and it was a fantastic evening, especially listening to and seeing the achievements of some of the other inductees who I didn’t know personally,” Smythe said of the festivities.

Smythe also had an opportunity to tour parliament with Sen. Nancy Greene-Raine, herself a key figure in Whistler’s growth.

Since retirement, there’s been no keeping Smythe away from the mountains in the community he continues to call home.

“I’m really enjoying, I guess, the fruits of my labour (from) over the years,” he said. “I skied over 100 days last year and intend to have another one of those this year. So I’m just doing lots of skiing and enjoying Whistler. It’s a great place to live, a great community with great people and I’m really passionate about the place.”