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From the early days to present...
The mountain was named after Rear Admiral John Washington, official Hydrographer, British Royal Navy, by Captain Richards while charting the West Coast in the 1860's. Located 25 kms west of the Comox Valley, the mountain is situated in a unique snow zone.
1970's
Plans for the development started in 1976 by two Campbell River businessmen, Henry Norie and Alex Linton. Construction started in 1977. Paul Mathews and his new company called Ecosign produced a master plan for the future resort. This was the first planned ski resort in BC. Blackcomb was the second. Land in the Village (Strata 799) went on the market in the fall of 1979. The entire offering was sold out in three hours. The Resort opened in December 1979. It was an instant success with two lifts, the former Blue (now the Eagle Express) and the Green. The Lodge was considered to be state of the art, including the first indoor washrooms of any ski facility on the Island.
1980's
In the summer of 1980, the Red Chair was completed and the Village (Strata 799) saw a large number of units built. Mount Washington started charging for groomed XC trails and built the Nordic Lodge. The Whiskey Jack lift, Maintenance Shop expansion and Reception Building were completed for the 1984-1985 season. The RV Park and Building were built in the summer of 1986. The sites were originally planned to be strata title units. In 1989 Alex and Henry sold their controlling interest in Mount Washington Ski Resort Ltd. to George Stuart and a group of shareholders and Mount Washington opened for its first summer. The Master Plan was updated by Paul Mathews and Ecosign, now an international company.
1990's
From 1990 to 1996 George and his group expanded the Alpine Lodge, built the Bradley Centre, constructed the Sunrise Quad, expanded terrain including the Discovery Platter, had the road dramatically improved from a private logging road to the Strathcona Parkway and sold property for development on Henry and Foster's roads. In 1991, Mount Washington was given a national award from the Canadian Ski Council for having the best skier development program in Canada. A state of the art Sewage Treatment Plant was installed in the summer of 1996, putting in place the infrastructure for future expansion. An agreement was reached with Appia Developments to start construction on the Village Core. Deer Lodge was completed for occupancy November 1997. In 1997 the O-Zone Snow Tube Park was completed. The Alpine Lodge was upgraded with the addition of "Fresh" Restaurant and Fat Teddy's Bar & Grill. The Alpine Cafeteria received a face lift, as well as a major investment in new equipment to provide a higher quality of food service. Finally, Altitude Sport & Gift, our retail store, was expanded and renovated. In the summer of 1998 the Eagle Express High Speed Quad was installed; terrain was widened and expanded in preparation for increased skier visits. The Lupin Garden was planted in the court yard. "Fresh" Restaurant was spiffed up with a Cappuccino Bar and The Marmot's Food Bar was remodeled into the Hungry Marmot. The old Blue Lift Operators shack was turned into our Mtn Tek centre which offers sales, demos, boot fittings and all equipment repairs. In the summer of 1999 the Lupin Garden started to sprout and further landscaping development improved the courtyard. The deck of Fat Teddy's Bar & Grill was covered in to provide more seating for guests.
2000 and on
The past few years have seen a rush of development. One of our proudest achievements is the opening of the new Raven Lodge, a world class cross country facility. Another major achievement is the purchase of 600 acres to the west. This area is where the Outback terrain is now situated. A new natural luge track opened four years ago. A truly unique development is the Tony Barrett Marmot Recovery Foundation Centre, hidden away from view. The centre is home to 100 hibernating marmots. The Foundation has long term plans to re-establish Island marmot populations. Summer development has included the expansion of our mountain biking trails, the introduction of disc golf and continual "greening" of the Courtyard and surrounding areas. The resort continues to develop and change. In December of 2002 the new "Hawk" high speed six pack chairlift opened. This $5,000,000 investment opened up 200 acres of new terrain for all levels of skiers and boarders. During the 2003/2004 season Mount Washington celebrated its 25th Anniversary, 1979 - 2004. Summer 2004 saw the installation of Canada's first over and back chairlift, the Boomerang, bringing lift access to Mount Washington's incredible backside terrain, called "The Outback". This area boasts incredible black and double black diamond terrain through a forested bowl that is naturally ski-able and additional areas that will be gladed to enhance terrain. During Summer 2007 night skiing was expanded to include the Whiskey Jack chair allowing access to the trail Coaster and the Stomping Ground Terrain Park. The Whiskey Jack Conference Room was also renovated and expanded to provide more enhanced event services.