Monty Little, Designer of Whistler Skatepark, Celebrated as Park Turns 36
Monty Little, the 79-year-old designer behind the original Whistler Skatepark, is being celebrated as the park marks the 36th anniversary of its first phase. Little's history with Whistler stretches back decades. He first came at age 17, riding a motorcycle from Vancouver; a logging truck forced him off the road, but he continued to Alta Lake for a swim before heading back. In 1968, he returned and walked into the Gondola Barn in Creekside, where he met Jim McConkey and became the ski legend's first employee. Little operated McConkey's rental shop and later developed the Blackcomb Discount Lift Program in 1982 with SuperValu.
Key facts
- Monty Little designed the original Whistler Skatepark.
- Little first visited Whistler at age 17 on a motorcycle.
- He became Jim McConkey's first employee in 1968.
- He organized BC's first skateboarding competition at Stanley Park 50 years ago.
- In 1977, he co-founded the Canadian Pro-Am Skateboard Association.
- He created Canada's first skatepark in West Vancouver with the YMCA, though it was later buried.
- Whistler Skatepark's first phase opened August 11, 1990.
- The park celebrates its 36th birthday this week.
Entities
Artists
- Monty Little
- Jim McConkey
- Terry Snyder
- Jim Barnum
- Frank Hawk
Institutions
- Whistler Skatepark
- Canadian Pro-Am Skateboard Association
- YMCA
- CBC
- W5
- Blackcomb
- SuperValu
- Seylynn Park
- William Griffin Park
- The Bowl Series
- Real Wild Kittens
- Fitzsimmons Creek Skatepark
Locations
- Whistler
- Canada
- Vancouver
- West Vancouver
- Creekside
- Alta Lake
- Stanley Park
- Greater Vancouver
- Fitzsimmons Creek
- British Columbia