Whistler Museum Preserves Whitewater Kayaking History Through Oral Histories

The Whistler Museum has begun collecting oral histories from local kayakers to document the region's whitewater history, focusing on the Cheakamus, Callaghan, and Soo rivers—the 'Triple Crown' of local runs. The project traces back to the formation of the Whistler Kayak Club (Kayaklub) in 1988 by a handful of riverrats, including Shawn 'Puddles' Hughes, a founding member who moved to Whistler in 1977. The club raised $2,500 from the municipality and $2,500 from a logging company to clear a choked section of the Upper Cheakamus below the MacLaurin's Crossing Suspension Bridge. Hughes recalls the work involved lowering people with chainsaws from ropes in a hostile environment. The clearing opened the river for kayaking and led to careers in film safety and stunt work for the crew, as Hollywood filmmakers began using the Cheakamus as a destination site. The museum's initiative also highlights the impact of glacial recession on river flows, with kayakers serving as firsthand gaugers of environmental change. Hughes, now 68, continues to paddle daily and is one of the few remaining original kayakers still mentoring younger generations.