Wentworth skiers likely have a favourite run—we imagine they also have a favourite trail name. From weird to wild, funny to familiar, many Wentworth trail names have fascinating stories behind them. And Wentworth is not alone. Ski hills across the continent have shared trail names, though most are distinct according to their unique history and culture.

Narrative Environments worked with the Hill to develop a symbol for each trail. We researched the names by speaking with elders and community members. Many of the ski names are 50 years old or more; ensuring the history of the names is recorded helps to preserve the community’s history.

The names trace the unique and astonishing history of a community. For example, most people think of Manson when hearing Helter Skelter. However, the term refers to a high spiral slide at a British fairground. Legend has it that a local horse rustler, Washington Hart, hid a herd of horses in a pasture atop the mountain. Supposedly, he shooed their hooves backwards to indicate the animals were going down the Hill to fool the horse’s owners. Finally, Wentworth-born and local legend Charles Wyman “Bun” Betts worked at the Hill for over 60 years—he last skied at the age of 93. Bun was also an avid motorcyclist and rode almost daily past 100.

We created a family of interior signs, one for each trail. The symbols are based on the standard green circle, blue square, and black diamond trail difficulty shapes; however, we chose the ski hill’s green/blue colour palette. On the one hand, the symbols were created to add colour to a predominately pine-walled space. On the other hand, they can be monetized (t-shirts, signs for the home, postcards, and other items) and used for social media posts. Most importantly, they contribute to keeping the stories of the Wentworth community.