Top of the Pass: Whistler and the Sea-to-Sky Country.

Ann Turner is Financial and Budget Manager at the University of British
Columbia Library.

With the 2010 Winter Olympics just around the corner, this beautiful coffee table book is well timed to introduce Whistler to the world. The colour photography is outstanding, with many double page spreads presenting the spectacular mountain scenery at its best in every season. Breathtaking action shots capture skiers, snowboarders, and mountain bikers in flight on the slopes. Views of cosmopolitan Whistler Village show happy crowds enjoying the ambience and amenities in both winter and summer. Clearly there is much more to Whistler than the Winter Olympics. Journalist Stephen Vogler fills in the background with the enthusiasm and familiarity of a 30-year resident. His narrative accompanying the photographs describes how a world-class, all-season resort grew out of the wilderness retreat community of Alta Lake when developers spotted its potential in the 1960s. Hippies, ski bums, and back-to-the-landers were displaced as the resort and its new, upscale clientele expanded, but residents of Whistler and the surrounding communities of Squamish, Pemberton, Brackendale and Mount Currie have adapted and incorporated the resort into their lives. They offer many outdoor recreational opportunities year round, plus regular cultural events and festivals. This is a fine introduction to the Whistler area, visually appealing, informative, and full of ideas for planning a visit there.