| ICEBOATING |
| One winter Myrtle hurt her leg and was unable
to partake in any activities. She stood on the shore and watched with envy
as her friends and family skated and skied past her. Seeing this, her father
Sewell snuck off to his work shed and began to hammer away. After lunch
he presented Myrtle with his masterpiece. Using the sail from Alex's sailboat,
affixed to a triangular contraption and fitted with skate blades along the
bottom, Sewell had built Myrtle an iceboat! |
 |
| "When I got the hang of it, I never had such
a good time. It skimmed along at such a speed. A friend was watching from
the dock, and he timed me coming across the lake. 'Do you know how fast
you were going?' he said. 'More then 40 miles an hour!' He seemed to think
that was too fast for a convalescent." |
| Myrtle was not the only one to enjoy the iceboat.
Her friends began to try it out and soon iceboating became a regular winter
pastime at Rainbow Lodge. |
| SKATING |
| Skating was a popular winter activity at Rainbow
Lodge. During the cold, mountain winters the snow was cleared from the surface
of the lake in front of Rainbow Lodge, leaving a smooth, glassy surface
that was perfect for skating. During long cold snaps, guests could meander
on their skates down the River of Golden Dreams or Rainbow
Creek. Bob, the workhorse, would also tow
skaters around the lake, an ideal activity for the lazier guests. |
|
| SKIING |
| In the snowy winter season, early residents
at Alta Lake used skis mainly as a means of transportation. They were handmade
from wood, with a leather
free-heel binding, and much longer than today's modern versions. Rather
than using two poles to push, one
very long pole was held diagonally across the body, propelling the skier
forward by pushing it into the snow. In the late 1920's cross-country skiing
became increasingly popular as a recreational pastime. Groups of guests
began to visit Alta Lake in the winter to explore the powdery countryside
by ski. Although the Philips and their guests did use skis to explore the
surrounding mountains, Myrtle and Alex did not foresee downhill skiing as
ever becoming a popular sport. The equipment was expensive and they did
not think that people would want to spend the money. Although downhill skiing
has certainly flourished in the Whistler area, cross-country skiing remains
a popular pastime as well. |
|
| "I had joined the B.C. Mountaineering Club and
the Alpine Club of Canada and in the 30's most mountaineers thought that
skiing was impure and indecent. But a few of us being frivolous, realized
the fun and value of skis for winter touring." (Feb 11, 1988 a letter
written by Pip Brock to Florence Peterson.) |
| "What the hell you got them planks for? I can
get around twice as fast on my snowshoes as you can on them slitherin' boards!"
(Comment from Harry Horstman as recalled by Pip Brock.) |
| Tobogganing |
| Many winter days at Rainbow Lodge were spent speeding
down the snowy slopes on wooden toboggans. The younger guests had an especially
good time making long
toboggan courses that ran from the tree-line above the railway tracks,
past the Philip family home, all the way down to the lodge. When the snow
pack was big enough, the
roof of the lodge became a steep runway, shooting the toboganners down
and out across the grounds. Sometimes on special occasions, Bob the horse
would tow
the guests around the lake on their toboggans. |
|
 |
|
|
| |
