Joe Couture spent 50 years promoting Jasper National Park as a world class ski destination.
In Marmot Basin’s early days, he travelled through the prairies selling ski packages, while also working as a ski instructor, coaching the Jasper Ski Team and volunteering on various tourism boards.
“He loved promoting Jasper,” said his daughter Tamar Couture-Hilworth. “Every place he would go, he would set up his booth, show a Warren Miller movie and entice people to come to Marmot Basin.
“He was good in front of the booth; he could talk.”
“Then after the ski season started you would see bus after bus after bus of people that he sold ski weeks to,” added his daughter Anna Marie Couture. “And when it blossomed, he didn’t have enough ski instructors to teach all of the people, so he would be calling instructors from all over, asking them to come.”
For his years of dedicated service to the community, Couture was to be honoured by the business community Sept. 15 during the annual general meeting of the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce.
It was to be a surprise celebration, after nearly 50 years on the chamber board, but, on Sept. 9, he passed away unexpectedly, before the community had an opportunity to thank him. He was 74.
Born Feb. 27, 1941, Couture grew up in Rossland, B.C. where he was a ski racer and hockey player. After leaving home, he spent a short time in Quebec before moving to Jasper in 1964.
His first job was as a ski instructor at Whistlers Ski Hill; a year later he made the move to Marmot Basin, the park’s brand new ski area, where he worked with Tom McCready at the Marmot Basin Ski School.
Before long, he was a partner, helping McCready to build the foundation for the snow school that’s still in operation today.
In 2014, Couture and McCready were inducted into the Canadian Ski Instructor’s Alliance hall of fame for their contributions to the sport.
“That just tickled him pink,” said Anna Marie. “It’s really nice that they were able to acknowledge him while he was still here.”
It was during his early days at the school that Couture met his wife, Sheila. She still remembers it as clear as day. Although it was -40 outside, she was dead set on having a private lesson.
“There was nobody else on the hill except for people from Saskatchewan and me,” she recalled with a laugh. “So [the instructors] drew straws—because they didn’t want to have to take someone out—and Joe lost and had to give me the lesson.”
It was a loss that resulted in a win, however, as he and Sheila were married the next year and soon after had their three daughters: Tamar, Anna Marie and Nicole.
When McCready retired from the ski school in 1975, Couture took over, growing it to new heights through his revolutionary ski weekend and regional ski shows.
Years later, he retired from the school and started his own business selling ski packages.
“Jasper was his dream place,” said Judy Adamson, who worked with Couture for years, “and he had a dream of making it busy, busy, busy.”
That dream carried Couture through his career and his retirement, as he traded his paid work for countless volunteer positions that kept him involved in the continued growth of the community and the ski hill.
“When he retired, he switched to the chamber, to town council—that’s what he did, he volunteered and promoted Jasper that way,” said Anna Marie.
Couture served as a councillor on the Jasper Improvement District from 1997 to 2000 and later spent six years on town council, when the municipality was formed. He was also a founding member of the Canadian Coaches Federation, a long time coach of the Jasper Ski Team, a board member with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, the Tourism Industry Association of Alberta, the Jasper-Yellowhead Historical Society, the Robson House Historical Society and the Jasper Home Accommodation Association.
“I can’t think of anything he’s touched that he didn’t dedicate his heart to and his time to,” said Pattie Pavlov, general manager of the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, an organization Couture joined as a board member in 1966. “Right up until the day he died he was our vice president.”
Beyond his volunteer efforts, Couture was also a proud grandfather, spending countless hours in the Jasper Arena, watching his grandsons play hockey and supporting the 50/50 draw and raffle table.
“He never won the lottery, but he sure won a lot of little prizes at the raffle table,” said Anna Marie.
He was so successful, in fact, that there's a running joke: if Joe bought a ticket, you don’t have to bother.
“You never sat next to Joe and bought a 50/50 ticket because you were doomed,” said Pavlov with a laugh. “You could consider it a donation because he won everything.”
A celebration of Couture’s life will be held Oct. 4 at the Jasper Activity Centre, beginning at 2 p.m.
Nicole Veerman
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