56
MOUNTAINLIFE
SUMMER2016
The buyer would have to have heart. But things have a
funny way of working out. Mirroring the path of Peter and
Paula, another local ski racer had recently married and was
looking to find her own little piece of Whistler paradise to
raise her future family. Born and raisedWhistler kid (and
Olympic goldmedalist), AshleighMcIvor fell in love with the
cabin, too.
“I wrote them a letter,” Ashleigh says, while sitting on the
deck of the cabin with husband Jay Demerit and their baby
boy, Oakes. In the letter, Ashleigh assured Peter and Paula
that she wanted to live there and raise a family, and that
her and Jay had no plans to bulldoze the original cabin.
Jay, a retired professional soccer player and entrepreneur,
explains the couple’s plans are long-term. With the
McLaughins in their corner, Jay andAshleigh are already
working to secure the permits to build a second cabin,
rather than replace the original. “The plan is to build our
own and keep the original as a guest house,” Jay says with
a laugh. “Sometime within the next 2–20 years.”
There will be more paperwork and roadwork to be done.
“We’re athletes,” Jay says, “we’re used to jumping through
hoops!” And, for Jay andAshleigh, the privacy and history of
Peter’s original cabin is very much worth the effort required.
As a ski racer and original Whistler cabin builder, Peter
McLaughlin couldn’t be happier with the new owners. “It’s
not for everybody, and we’re so proud to have Ashleigh
there.” It takes a special person, and who better to carry the
torch than an Olympian?
“Theplan is tobuildourownandkeep theoriginal asa
guesthouse.Sometimewithin thenext2–20years.”
TOP LEFT,RIGHT,MIDDLE
Living thegood life. COURTESYOFPAULAMCLAUGHLIN.
BOTTOM
Carrying the torch for the next generation. ACEMCKAY SMITH
