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Click on the links to the left or the titles of the descriptions below to read North Shore mountain history articles or download past copies of Hollyburn Heritage Society bulletins. Use the SEARCH feature to locate information about specific people, buildings, place names, etc.

HOLLYBURN MOUNTAIN HISTORICAL TIMELINE
This timeline provides a good overview of the history of the mountains within Cypress Provincial Park and is a quick and convenient reference tool for those who need to find the date for a particular event.

a. Hollyburn Journal (1925) - Eilif Haxthow
Excerpts from Eilif Haxthow’s Hollyburn journal provide a riveting account of what life was like in “the Ski Camp at the Old Mill Site”, the first commercial ski lodge on Vancouver’s North Shore mountains.

b. The Hollyburn Pacific Ski Club of Vancouver, BC - R Verne
In the 1920’s and early 1930’s, Rudoph Jules Verne was the driving force behind the development of the sport of skiing in Vancouver. In this article, Verne, an immigrant from Sweden, explains the origins of the Hollyburn Pacific Ski Club, the first officially-sanctioned ski club on North America’s Pacific Coast.

c. The Swedes at the Hollyburn Ski Camp (1926 - 1946)
In the late fall of 2009, Monica Ronnqvist of Leksand, Sweden contacted the Hollyburn Heritage Society requesting information about the Swedes who had built, owned and operated the Hollyburn Ski Camp from 1926 to 1946. Oscar Pearson, Andrew Irving, Stina Irving (who arrived on Hollyburn in the early 1930's), Olle Anderson, and Axel Sneis had grown up in viilages close to Leksand. HHS sent Monica relevant photos and text documents and Monica sent HHS what she had about the Swedes, many of which are displayed on this web page.

d. A Sportsman Paradise
Hollyburn's first entrepreneur and enthusiastic promoter of winter sports reviews the accomplishments of the first skiers on the mountain, presents the argument that the mountains above West Vancouver have the potential of becoming a world class winter resort, and advocates the creation of a national park in the area.

e. I Straddled a Mountain - Buddy Barker
In this memoir, Buddy Barker, (Win Oliver), describes an overnight hike to the top of Crown Mountain, an experience so vivid she remembers it to this day. (On May 5, 2007, Buddy celebrated her 100th birthday.)

f. Reflections of Hollyburn - Jim Graham
As a teenager, Jim Graham made frequent trips to Hollyburn from his home on Point Grey. Included in Jim’s “Reflections” are many of his Hollyburn adventures related to cabin building, skiing, and hiking. Also included are some of his experiences and thoughts related to the protection of ‘old growth’ forest threatened by a proposed golf course.

g. Hollyburn Memoirs - Scotty Finlayson
Scotty Finlayson was Hollyburn Mountain’s first official ranger. In 1931, Scotty was hired by the District of West Vancouver to bring order to the chaos that had resulted from the rapid growth of cabin building on Hollyburn Ridge. His memoirs include a number of spellbinding anecdotes.

h. Sentimental Journey - Naomi Wilson MacInnes
For Naomi Wilson MacInnes, a visit to First Lake in 1976 brought back many nostalgic memories of Hollyburn as it was in the 1930’s and ‘40’s. She recorded these memories in a ‘from-the-heart’ article that was later published in the West Vancouver Times.

i. Hollyburn Ski Lodge (1925-1984) – Donald Grant
The restoration of Hollyburn Ski Lodge has been on the minds of many people lately. Since it officially opened in January, 1927, millions of people have visited the lodge. This article provides many details about the early history of the lodge.

j. History of Hollyburn Ridge - Ted Russell
Ted Russell, Hollyburn Ranger extraordinaire, is fondly remembered by many as a gentleman who gave generously of his time and energy. “The History of Hollyburn Ridge" was written by Ted Russell for a District of West Vancouver Committee Report in 1976 and provides an excellent account of significant events that had occurred on the mountain up to that point in time.

k. A Short History of Hollyburn Mtn – Iola Knight
This article focuses on events and controversies related to logging and the development of ski facilities on the mountains surrounding Cypress Bowl, a must read for those concerned about protecting the natural environment.

l. How We Got To Hollyburn – Iola Knight
This article describes the many, different ways people have made the trip to Hollyburn Mountain from the early 1900’s to the present day. One gets the impression Hollyburners have been very resourceful people throughout the decades..

m. The Ferry Trip to West Vancouver (1929)
A charming, personal account of the ferry trip to and from West Vancouver published in a special edition of the West Van News, July 10, 1929.

n. Walks in West Vancouver - Hikes on Hollyburn Ridge (1929)
Two articles by West Vancouver writers published in a special edition of the West Van News on July 10, 1929: "Opportunities for Recreation in West Vancouver" evoke a time when West Vancouver was a small community and the pace of life much slower. "The Ridge" provides good descriptions of hikes on Hollyburn Ridge.

o. The Saga of the Hollyburn Chairlift - Donald Grant
Many of Vancouver’s Baby Boomers will remember their ‘death-defying’ trips on Hollyburn’s “Chairway to the Stars”. For those who did not ride the chairlift, this article is the next best thing.

p. A Brief History of Ski Jumping in BC – Iola Knight
Ski jumping was a popular sport in the North America during the first half of the 20th century. This article provides some good information about ski jumping and ski jumpers in BC.

q. Tom Mobraaten - A Brief Autobiography
Tom Mobraaten, one of Canada’s premier ski jumpers, provides some details about his early life, his involvement in ski jumping, and advice about the sport.

r. Gus Johnson and Henry Sotvedt – Hiker & Skier Magazine
Three informative articles about Gus Johnson and Henry Sotvedt. In 1938, Gus and Henry opened “Two Skiers”, a popular sporting goods store in Vancouver. Gus was noted ski racer and ski instructor on the North Shore mountains. Henry was a well-known ski jumper, (one of Hollyburn’s Three Musketeers) and was a mentor to many ‘second generation’ ski jumpers including Jack Pratt, Jack Roocroft and Ron Glover.

s. Women Ski Competitors - Daisy Bourdon
In this article, published in the December 2nd, 1938 issue of "Hiker and Skier", Daisy Bourdon, one of Hollyburn Mountain's premier skiers, reviews the accomplishments of a number of women skiers from Western Canada and beyond. She encourages novice women skiers to learn to ski properly by getting proper instruction.

t. Pollough Pogue: A Hollyburn Original – Iola Knight
This short biography provides some information about Hollyburn’s Pollough Pogue - a prolific, gifted writer, a ‘larger than life’ character, and a true individualist, (some might even say eccentric).

u. The Gods Stood Near - Pollough Pogue
This short literary piece, written by Pollough Pogue in 1934, is is an evocative description of Fall on the Hollyburn plateau.

v. Lindsay Loutet: A Worker for Skiing - Hiker & Skier Magazine
A well-written, easy-to-read article about Lindsey Loutet, one of Grouse Mountain’s skiing legends who, in the 1920’s and ’30’s, did much to popularize the sport of skiing in Vancouver.

w. Harald Enquist's Mount Seymour Ski Camp
Mount Seymour was the last of the North Shore mountains to see development. In 1937, Harald Enquist opened Mount Seymour Ski Camp, the first commercial Lodge on the mountain. Two articles from "Hiker & Skier'" provide descriptions of the Lodge and the ski terrain on Mount Seymour.

x. Selected Hiker & Skier Articles - 1938/1939
From 1933 to 1940, Hiker & Skier was THE source of information for skiers in British Columbia. The magazine, created by Pollough Pogue, featured articles written by him and others who were interested in mountain recreation and ski competitions. Many ski clubs around B.C. contributed regular updates regarding club activities.

y. Past HHS Newsletters
View and/or download pdf copies of Hollyburn Heritage Society newsletters to access interesting, informative articles and summaries of HHS activities and accomplishments.

z. West Vancouver Timeline
This timeline records major events that have occurred in West Vancouver from pre-European contact days to 2000.

a1. Explorations in Garibaldi Park - 1937
"Explorations in Garibaldi Park - 1937" is a personal account of the adventures of a small group of BCMC climbers during a 12 day trip in August, 1937. This small group climbed Panorama Ridge, the Black Tusk, and Mount Garibaldi after enduring several days of cold, wet (and sometimes icy) weather at their Black Tusk Meadows campsite. Legendary Vancouver climber, Tom Fyles, led the ascent up Mount Garibaldi.

a2. The Other Side of the Mountain: The Story of West Lake Lodge (1932-1938)
In this detailed and entertaining article, Florence Brewis gives readers a unique opportunity to learn about the building of West Lake Lodge during the severe winter of 1932/1933. After reading the article, one cannot help but admire the vision, courage and tenacity of the people that constructed this historic lodge on one of the most beautiful building sites on Hollyburn Ridge.