Sidney Dawes is best known for his efforts over many years to develop the sport of skiing in Canada. His lifelong passion for skiing began before the WWI on the slopes of Mount Royal in Montreal and during the 1920’s in the Laurentian Mountains. Sidney was an early member of the Red Birds Ski Club in Montreal formed in 1928 and served as President of the Canadian Amateur Ski Association in 1944 and the Canadian Olympic Association in 1946. In 1947, he became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and served as a Canadian representative to the IOC throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Sidney was instrumental in establishing London Mountain, later renamed Whistler Mountain, as an internationally recognized skiing venue.  Although the site was originally identified by Sidney for a 1968 Olympic Winter Games bid, it was not until 2010 that Whistler Mountain was finally given the opportunity to host the Olympic Winter Games.