The Red Birds Ski Club was founded in 1928 by three McGill graduates, W.B (Bill) Thompson, Stirling Maxwell and Harry Pangman, and McGill University mentors, Colonel Wilfred Bovey and D. Stuart Forbes. Keen to maintain their connection with McGill,the three young graduates wanted to assemble a post-graduate ski team for McGill men that would not only allow the founders to continue skiing together, but also allow them to train the up-and-coming McGill Ski Team.
The first task of the fledgling Red Birds club was to define its goals:
- To promote skiing in all its phases including jumping, cross country, downhill and slalom
racing. - To encourage these branches of the sport with the object of training material for the McGill
University Ski Teams. - To provide and maintain facilities and accommodations in the Laurentian Mountains.
“If there’s a will, there’s a way – so make it happen.”
— Patrick van der Walde
President, Red Bird Ski Club