Macleod, Rod

Rod Macleod was a ski patroller, construction manager, ski race manager and Whistler resident in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s before moving to Squamish, where he worked as an engineer. He arrived in Whistler in 1968 with Chris Speedie and Barry Fowlie. He lived in the stable at Toad Hall in the spring of 1970, then lived in a teepee at Tod Mountain (now Sun Peaks ski resort) during the winter of 1971/1972 while working as a ski patroller. While living at Tokum Corners in 1971, Rod was homebrewing based on knowledge gleaned from Bill Chaplain. Rod lived at Tokum Corners well into the 1980s. He worked as a carpenter and at Tapley's Neighbourhood Pub for its opening in Whistler Village in January 1981. Rod worked as a packer driver for several years on Whistler Mountain and helped lay out and name the ‘Tokum’ ski run (named for Tokum Corners) on Whistler Mountain with Bruce Prentice. He became project manager for the construction of the Peak Chair in 1986 and helped manage World Cup ski races for Whistler Mountain as alpine sports operations manager. In the 1990s, he was the slopes manager and mountain planner for Whistler Blackcomb, continuing his work preparing lifts and ski runs for each winter season. He has three daughters with former wife Patty. Rod was project manager for venue construction of the alpine skiing events in Whistler and the freestyle ski and snowboard events at Cypress Mountain for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. He has consulted on and managed a wide range of resort projects such as snowmaking infrastructure, reservoir construction, and venue construction. He moved to Squamish in the 2010s, moving on to work in the engineering department for the District of Squamish. In 2013, he was promoted to the Director of Engineering for the District of Squamish. In 2016, he retired. Rod then became vice president of planning at Aquilini Group, which is leading the push for the creation of the Garibaldi at Squamish ski resort project on Brohm Ridge. Rod retired as project director of the Garibaldi at Squamish project in 2020.

Whistler
Sun Peaks, BC
Squamish

Engineer
Ski patroller
Construction manager
Ski race manager
Carpenter
Bartender
Homebrewing
Skiing

RAD, July 2008 version. Canadian Council of Archives.

Catalogued June 2023.

1) Archival material
2) Conversation with John Hetherington, [2000s]
3) https://blog.whistlermuseum.org/tag/rod-macleod/
4) https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler-news/whistler-peak-2457330
5) https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/cover-stories/every-face-tells-a-story-2510187
6) https://wfrt.eoas.ubc.ca/testimonials/
7) https://squamish.ca/yourgovernment/news/rodmacleod
8) https://www.squamishchief.com/in-the-community/engineering-the-future-of-squamish-3345946
9) https://www.slrd.bc.ca/sites/default/files/pdfs/planning/Regional-Growth-Strategy/180228%20RGSAmend1514_GrowthManagethird%26adoption_RFDV2.pdf
10) https://www.squamishrotary.com/speakers/ef259461-40ba-40c1-86cb-be0d8ad713ec
11) https://www.timescolonist.com/real-estate-news/ski-resort-near-squamish-five-years-away-if-everything-falls-into-place-3093421
12) https://backcountrybc.ca/26-issues/mainland-southwest/sea-2-sky/brohm-ridge-garibaldi-at-squamish-issues/362-podcast-interview-with-rod-macleod-vp-of-planning-for-garibaldi-at-squamish
13) https://backcountrybc.ca/26-issues/mainland-southwest/sea-2-sky/brohm-ridge-garibaldi-at-squamish-issues/492-rod-macleod-retired-and-has-been-replaced-with-sabina-foofat-as-project-director