Peter Andrews - FIS official, Whistler pioneer

Peter Henry Andrews, a Vancouver dentist who devoted his life to organized skiing, died May 30 after a short illness. He was 80 years old.

Andrews grew up in Vancouver and raced in high school. In 1962 he became one of the first investors in Whistler (the mountain opened in 1965). He earned his degree in dentistry at McGill University in 1965 and returned to Vancouver to open a practice. He became very active in local ski clubs and In 1970 was elected president of the Western Division of the Canadian Amateur Ski Association. Three years later he was elected president of the national association. As a FIS official, he was a technical delegate, served on the Classification, Eligibility and World Cup Committees, and was a member of the jury at the 1989 World Alpine Championships at Vail. In 1992 was elected to the 16-member FIS Council. He was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1994.

Andrews was a mentor to generations of Canadian ski racers, and notably to Ken Read, whom he advised throughout Read’s post-racing career as a FIS official and president of Alpine Canada Alpin.