Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Share stories about the Boot Pub

The more recent tales range from seeing The Tragically Hip play in the sweaty cramped bar to catching the jaw-dropping performances of an amateur strip night.

Everyone has a story about the Boot.

But with memorable nights dating back to the 1960s, there’s many a tale to be told about Whistler’s longest running bar and pub.

Last year however the Boot, along with Shoestring Lodge, Gaitor’s Bar and Grill and the Cold Beer and Wine, was sold to Vancouver-based firm Cressey Developments. The site is destined for re-development.

Now as the final days of the Boot Pub draw near, the Whistler Museum is hoping to capture some of the memories and preserve them forever as part of its ongoing Vanishing Whistler Places series.

They want to collect photographs and personal historical accounts from travellers and locals who stayed at the Shoestring Lodge, along with the musicians and bands who played there, the bar staff who worked there and the long-time locals who partied there.

"The Boot Pub buildings play an important role in Whistler’s social and cultural history since these buildings are one of the few surviving structures from the town’s ‘pre-incorporation’ regime," said Pina Belperio, a local writer and volunteer for the Whistler Museum who will be working on the project.

The museum will also cull historical information about the property’s ground and setting, including the exterior and interior of the buildings and any changes made to the structures.

Originally known as the Ski Boot Motel, the Boot was a place where ski bums could lay their heads for just $5 a night. It’s still a place where travellers on a shoestring budge can find a relatively cheap place to stay in an increasingly expensive resort.

The loss of the Shoestring Lodge means there is just one backpacker-style accommodation left in Whistler. "The Vanishing Whistler Series hopes to bring together elements of our local history so we can preserve and share unique aspects of the evolving community and lifestyle that is so integral to Whistler for future generations," said Belperio.

Tell your story about the Boot.

Contact Pina Belperio at pbelperio@hotmail.com or at 604-932-1969 or the Whistler Museum and Archives at 604-932-2077 or info@whistlermusuem.org.