Hello, shenfelder-ga!
The July 1955 deaths of seven youths in Banff National Park stands as
one of the "worst avalanche accidents in Parks Canada history"
according to the Alpine Club Accident website. Surprisingly, while all
accounts record the fatalities, they also list the injuries as "zero",
which is hard to imagine in a catastrophe of such magnitude. I would
certainly question that statistic!
I could find no newspaper accounts of the incident primarily due to
the lack of online archives for that time period. I came close, but
not close enough! There are several sites for newspapers that have
been "digitized" for online research, but I could find no newspapers
that matched the parameters for locale or date. Very frustrating!!!
I did, however, contact the University of Calgary MacKimmie Library
and they have microfiche copies of the Calgary Herald newspaper from
1955. Locating potential newspaper accounts of the incident will
require a manual search. If you are close to a large Canadian library,
you might be able to locate similar microfiche records. Or, if you are
near a library in the United States that has microfiche copies of
Philadelphia newspapers from that time period, there might also be a
mention of the accident since the students were from a Philadephia
Wilderness School.
I also e-mailed the Public Library in Banff. I received a reply just
as I was ready to post this answer. It reads as follows:
"I have forwarded your request to the Whyte Museum of the Canadian
Rockies Library and Archives department They house the Alpine Club of
Canada Library, and also have back issues of the Banff Crag and
Canyon, our local paper. Unfortunately the paper is not available on
microfiche."
Sincerely,
Asst. Librarian, Banff Public Library
When I hear further, I will add a clarification. Contact information
for the Whyte Museum is available if you would like to pursue this on
your end. http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/publications/library.html
=============================
DOCUMENTATION OF THE ACCIDENT
=============================
The best description of the 1955 accident is documented by the Alpine
Club of Canada: http://alpineclub-edm.org/accidents/accident.asp?id=601
(See site for photo route)
Date: 11 Jul 1955
Location: Temple, Mount - Lake Louise
Province: Alberta
Park or Region: Banff National Park
Route: Southwest Ridge (Normal route, II)
Type: Scrambling
Injured: 0
Fatalities: 7
Description: "A group of 11 unsupervised youths from the Wilderness
Camp of Philadelphia were climbing the tourist route on the Southwest
Ridge of Mt. Temple (3,543 m.). They were clad only in light clothing
and there was only one ice axe in the group. Some of them wore
baseball cleats for better friction. They were tied together at 1.5
metre intervals on a manilla rope. The temperature was 24.5ºC and the
route was snow covered. At 1600 they reached 2,750 metres, and
gathered together to assess the situation as several small avalanches
had fallen near them. The most experienced member of the party, T.W.,
urged them to turn back and they began to descend. A few minutes later
a large avalanche hurtled toward the group. T.W. dug his axe in and
the rope went taut and then broke. Ten boys, ages 12 to 16 were swept
200 metres down the snowfield and through a bottleneck, smashing into
rocks along the way. Before the day was over, seven of them would be
dead in one of the worst avalanche accident in Parks Canada history."
Analysis: "One of the two group leaders was spending the day in Lake
Louise, shopping. The other was waiting in Larch Valley with six other
boys while the 11 boys climbed. Trip leaders attempted to blame Parks
Canada for failing to provide sufficient information when it was
sought. The group was inexperienced and ill equipped and were climbing
in warm weather on an avalanche prone slope."
Rescue Mode: Wardens
Injuries: fatality
Source: Mountain Heritage Magazine Vol.3 No. 4
Contributing Cause(s): AVALANCHE / INEXPERIENCE / POOR CONDITIONS /
ROPE PARTED
=========
A document produced by the OFFICE OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
PROTECTION AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS which mentions damage and
fatalities by earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, landslides and
avalanches, hail, blizzards, tsunamis and storm surges throughout
Canada is available at
http://www.ocipep-bpiepc.gc.ca/info_pro/down/legend_e.pdf
This document also records the 1955 avalanche and fatalities in Banff
National Park.
Avalanches
----------
Item #12
1955 - Fatalities: 7
Mount Temple, Lake Louise, AB /July/ Inexperienced climbers swept away
by snow avalanche.
==
Further record is found on their Disaster Database Page:
http://www.ocipep-bpiepc.gc.ca/disaster/details.asp?dis=1955.004&haz=AV&lang=eng&title=Snow%20Avalanche:%20Lake%20Louise%20AB,%201955
Statistics: (There is no record of other victims being injured)
Dead: 7 Injured: 0 Evacuated: 0
Snow Avalanche: Mount Temple, Lake Louise AB, Jul 11 1955. 7 skiers
killed; inexperienced climbers were swept away by an avalanche.
==
Another account, with a discrepancy in date, is recorded in "Mt.
Temple." Peaks of the Canadian Rockies.
http://www.peakfinder.com/peakfinder.asp?PeakName=Mount+Temple
"In 1955 seven young people from the United States were killed on this
route in Canada's most costly mountaineering accident. A group of
eleven were climbing up a huge bowl on the southwest slopes of the
mountain on a very warm July 14th. Ten of the boys were swept 200
metres down a snowfield and though a bottleneck before the snow
stopped and set up like concrete."
==
A document translated from French also mentions the incident:
"1955 - Mount Temple, close to Lake Louise (Alb.)
7 dead - Inexperienced mountaineers are carried by an avalanche.
From "You Knew That."
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.urgence.qc.ca/canada.asp&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsite:.ca%2Blake%2Blouise%2Bavalanche%2B1955%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8
========================================================================
GOVERNMENT / PARKS CANADA POLICY ON AVALANCHE DANGER AND WARNING
SYSTEMS
=========================================================================
I has been 48 years since the horrific avalanche accident in Banff
National Park killed seven teenagers. Only recently has Parks Canada
announced steps to institute firmer safety measures in national parks
- undoubtedly due to the public outcry surrounding an earily similar
accident last winter involving the deaths of seven students in an
avalanche in Glacier National Park.
During the last 20 years, there HAS been a diligent effort to promote
avalanche awareness and predict avalanche conditions through the
Canadian Avalanche Association and Parks Canada, but those predictions
are only as good as the accuracy of the data received and the public
use of the bulletins.
Data DOES show that the public uses the information when it is made
available! Public use of the Avalanche Bulletin has been high, as
noted in the 2003 Avalanche Risk Review report by Parks Canada. In
2002-2003, there were over 760,000 inquiries. Almost half of the
public inquiries pertained to avalanche conditions in the national
parks. The park bulletins are updated daily in contrast to reports for
"outside" areas which are updated several times per week.
==
While Parks Canada does plan to implement safety recommendations,
they stress that "ultimately it will be up to individuals to make
decisions about their own safety".
** These new rules are primarily in response to WINTER dangers. **
==
From "Parks Canada to improve backcountry winter sport safety in
mountain parks", by John Cotter. CNews. (July 8, 2003)
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2003/07/08/130302-cp.html
"People who enjoy extreme winter sports in the backcountry of Canada's
mountain parks will face new safety rules following more than two
dozen avalanche deaths last winter. A key change will require
non-profit groups such as schools to hire certified guides when using
"difficult terrain or backcountry areas presenting high-risk winter
conditions," Parks Canada said in a report Tuesday."
"The report was commissioned after seven Grade 10 students from the
Strathcona-Tweedsmuir private school south of Calgary died in a
massive avalanche in Glacier National Park on Feb. 1. The victims, all
age 15, were on a school backcountry ski trip and did not have a
guide."
"Last winter, eight people died in avalanches within national mountain
parks in Alberta and B.C., while another 20 lost their lives outside
the parks - the worst year since 1965. The deaths included people who
were helicopter skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing."
"Parks Canada says it will also work toward clearly marking trails and
areas based on their degree of risk to help users make informed
decisions about what they are doing. One system being looked at would
feature icons similar to those used to mark expert runs on commercial
ski hills."
"There is increased interest in ice climbing, snowboarders who ski out
of bounds and backcountry skiing," said Charles Zinkan, Parks Canada's
executive director of mountain parks. "We must focus our information
on unaware visitors who may not understand the risks involved."
"The report also recommends changing the avalanche danger scale,
including possible consequences, to make it more understandable to
backcountry users."
"While Parks Canada has accepted all the recommendations in the
report, ultimately it will be up to individuals to make decisions
about their own safety, Zinkan said. "Our responsibility is to try to
provide information to the public," he said. "It is up to . . . users
to understand the risks and make their own decisions."
"Backcountry experts applauded Parks Canada's move, but with some
reservations. Mountain guides have noted for years the double standard
that required commercial outfits to use certified guides for
backcountry outings in the parks, while the same rules did not apply
to non-profit groups such as schools."
"Overall this will make the backcountry safer," said David Begg,
director of the Yamnuska Mountain School, a company based in Canmore,
Alta., that provides qualified guides for backcountry trips."
"Begg suggested the new measures will be meaningless without added
enforcement by Parks Canada."
"Karl Klassen, executive director of the Association of Canadian
Mountain Guides, said its members must pass rigorous courses and gain
experience before being certified. Requiring groups to use guides that
have safety and avalanche training only makes sense, he said."
"However, Parks Canada's plan to mark areas prone to avalanches with
warning signs may not work, said Klassen. Changing weather conditions
can transform a safe area into a dangerous one within hours, he said."
"Under certain circumstances an area can be totally benign and then
the next day it can be quite hazardous. That is the real question."
"Canada's mountain national parks include Banff, Jasper, Glacier,
Kootenay, Mount Revelstoke, Yoho and Waterton."
==
** You can read "Parks Canada's Backcountry Avalanche Risk Review"
(July 2003) in its entirety at
http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/services/safety/Final%20Report%20July%202003.pdf
Excerpts from Parks Canada Safety Policies as outlined in the report:
Personal Responsibility
-----------------------
"Backcountry - accessed as it is through wilderness travel - requires
personal preparedness and responsibility for safety. Parks Canada's
policies on this are explicit:
"Parks Canada expects that park users will exhibit a degree of
self-reliance and responsibility for their own safety commensurate
with the degree of difficulty of activities they undertake..." and
users are expected to:
* be properly provisioned and have levels of knowledge, skill and
physical fitness required..
* consider the information and advice provided..
* cope with adverse conditions...and
* assume a high degree of responsibility for their own safety and
survival..."
" The idea of inherent risk is stressed in this policy statement and
documents developed to further it."
Parks Canada's Responsibilities
--------------------------------
"The responsibilites assumed by Parks Canada are similarly set out in
a policy statement which, among other points, notes:
* "Parks Canada will place a high priority on..comprehensive incident
prevention"
* "Parks Canada will place a high priority on providing information
and advice to assist park users in reflecting and planning
recreational activities which match their levels of physical fitness,
techical ability, provisioning and equipment"...and
* "Consistent with the principle that park users are expected to be
responsible for their own safety, levels of service and search and
rescue in each park will:
a) focus on providing basic services...and
b) vary in direct proportion to levels of use and frequency of public
safety incidents.."
"In terms of avalanche risks, Parks Canada has assumed a number of
responsibilities over a considerable period of time - including
avalanche control, forecasting, public communication and rescue
response."
(Avalanche reports for the National Parks were initiated in 1981)
****
* Please see section 5.3 "Duty to Warn"
An excerpt:
"The concept of "duty to warn" is well-entrenched in common law and
civil law codes and provides the most suitable basis for Parks
Canada's risk communication responsibilities. It means that the risk
manager has the duty to:
(1) assess levels of danger; and
(2) advise users of these dangers in understandable and accessible
formats.
Skillful assessment of conditions is clearly critical.
"For avalanche risks and related natural hazards, the core challenge
is to discharge this responsibility without inappropriately
disouraging the activities and to provide information that assists
users to make informed decisions."
* "Warnings that are vague, overly general or non-specific, not
sufficiently discriminating (as between different conditions), or not
based on current infromation, are useless if they lull users into a
false sense of secruity, with potentially disastrous consequences."
****
Also see "INFORMATION BULLETIN - Parks Canada Accepts Recommendations
of Backcountry Avalanche Risk Review." Canadian Newswire. (July 8,
2003)
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2003/08/c0538.html
** It is also important to remember that Parks Canada does not do
Avalanche Control in backcountry areas of the park.
======================
THE AVALANCHE BULLETIN
=======================
http://www.avalanche.ca/weather/bulletins/index.html
While the Avalanche Bulletin is a valuable preventitive tool, it
certainly is not foolproof and that fact is stated prominently on
their website.
Disclaimer:
"The user acknowledges that it is impossible to accurately predict
natural events such as avalanches in every instance, and uses the data
in this bulletin with this always foremost in mind."
==
About the Bulletin:
"The avalanche bulletin is used by the public and Parks Canada to
improve public safety. The bulletin can be a pretty accurate predictor
when sufficient weather and snow conditions make data available.
However, as noted on the Spring 2003 Bulletin for Alberta (below),
there is insufficient incoming data during the spring months to make
accurate avalanche predictions." (You can imagine that summer
predictions would be next to impossible unless there was daily,
first-hand knowledge of precise conditions in specific areas)
=
From "SOUTH ROCKIES Avalanche Bulletin - Spring, 2003"
http://www.avalanche.ca/weather/bulletins/index.html
"We have now reached the time of year when the data flow to the
Canadian Avalanche Association is insufficient to produce frequent
danger forecasts."
"Periods of low activity, with some afternoon wet loose releases from
solar heating, will prevail. Mixed in with this will be the potential
for large, human or naturally triggered deep slab releases failing
near the snowpack base, particularly when the sun comes out.
** Size 4 avalanches can remain a possibility till well into the end
of springtime, or longer in the high alpine. An avalanche of this size
can easily run to valley bottom even long after the snow has melted
there, perhaps knocking over mature timber as well as it runs full
path."
BRITISH COLUMBIA GOVERNMENT PULLS FUNDING FOR AVALANCHE REPORT
==============================================================
"B.C. cut to avalanche bulletin blasted by Trudeau." National Union of
Public and General Employees. (Jan 2002)
http://staging.nupge.ca/news_2002/news_ja02/n14ja02a.htm
Lake Louise - "Justin Trudeau, son of Canada's late prime minister,
has criticized the B.C. Liberals for withdrawing funding to the
province's public avalanche warning system. His brother, Michel, died
in a B.C. avalanche on Nov. 13, 1998."
"It was a real shame," Trudeau, now a director of the Canadian
Avalanche Foundation, said at a public event to raise awareness of
avalanche dangers. "Avalanches fundamentally can be predicted.
Therefore the deaths can be prevented by proper education."
"The government of Premier Gordon Campbell, which cut taxes the day it
took office, checked the books later and is now firing up to a third
of all B.C. public employees to cope with financial problems, has cut
the $80,000 it was contributing toward an avalanche safety bulletin."
"The semi-weekly bulletin warns of avalanche conditions across B.C.
and Alberta, where about a dozen people die each year. More than
250,000 skiers, snowboarders, hikers, snowmobilers and search and
rescue workers use the service. The information is distributed via web
site, toll-free phone line, e-mail and bulletin board. It will stop by
the end of the month unless the government reverses its decision."
PRIVATE ENTITIES STEP UP TO THE PLATE
======================================
"Columbia Brewery renews commitment to Avalanche Safety". Canada News
Wire.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2002/11/c1782.html
LAKE LOUISE, AB, Jan. 11, 2002 /CNW/ - The Columbia Brewery made an
$11,000
donation to the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA) today to help
fund public
education programs aimed at reducing the risk of avalanche fatalities.
"We recognize that the CAA is facing fundraising challenges this year
and
we're proud to continue our support for their important work," said
Paul
Smith, Director of Public Affairs for the Columbia Brewery. "The CAA
does an
excellent job of educating backcountry recreation enthusiasts on
avalanche
safety. Their work literally saves lives."
"The Columbia Brewery helped the CAA establish and kick-off Avalanche
Awareness Days four years ago and has since contributed more than
$40,000 to
the Association's various activities, much of it focused on The Public
Avalanche Bulletin. This on-line resource provides vital weather
forecasts,
snow condition updates and avalanche risk information for popular
mountain
recreation areas in Western Canada. The Bulletin is currently updated
three
times a week and is also sent to radio and televisions stations.
"As we face significant government funding cutbacks our public
services
are at serious risk of being eliminated," said Clair Israelson, the
CAA's
Managing Director. "The Columbia Brewery has been our leading source
of
private funding and we are thankful for their on-going commitment to
public
safety."
"With the growing popularity of backcountry skiing, snowboarding and
snowmobiling in recent years, there have been more injuries and
fatalities due
to avalanches. Avalanches are generally not a significant threat in
controlled
areas such as ski hills thanks to the work of avalanche control
experts, many
of them CAA members. However, risks escalate in many backcountry areas
where
avalanches are not controlled. Education and awareness of conditions
are the
keys to reducing injuries and deaths.
"The Columbia Brewery's association with the CAA is a natural one. The
brewery has long supported snowboarding and outdoor recreation through
its
best-selling beer, Kokanee. And its "Keep a Clear Head" responsible
use slogan
is a safety message that extends to a wide variety of activities
including
outdoor recreation.
===
In February 2003, private agencies took up the funding slack to allow
the Avalanche Bulletin to remain viable.
"Campbell Liberals cut funding for avalanche safety." National Union
of Public and General Employees. (Feb 2003)
http://www.nupge.ca/news_2003/n03fe03a.htm
"After 14 deaths in two weeks, British Columbia premier now says:
"Obviously all of us have to work together."
"Premier Gordon Campbell, who cut funding for an avalanche safety
bulletin during his first months in office, is now calling for
federal, provincial and professional groups to undertake a
"comprehensive review" of safety in the wilderness."
"Obviously, all of us have to work to together on this," the British
Columbia premier said over the weekend after seven Alberta high school
students died in in a massive backcountry avalanche near Revelstoke.
Two weeks earlier seven others, all adults, died in a separate
avalanche tragedy in the same area."
"None of us want this to happen to anyone who are enjoying our parks
and our wilderness," Campbell said."
"Yet it was the B.C. Liberals who turned a deaf ear to pleas from
wilderness experts in 2001 and early 2002 when they announced $80,000
in funding cuts for a semi-weekly bulletin to skiers, snowboarders,
hikers and smowmobilers, warning of avalanche conditions in B.C. and
Alberta. The cut was ordered even though the death rate from avalanche
conditions averages about a dozen people a year. The information was
distributed via web site, toll-free phone line, e-mail and bulletin
board."
"Justin Trudeau, son of Canada's late prime minister, criticized the
B.C. Liberals at the time. His brother, Michel, died in a B.C.
avalanche on Nov. 13, 1998."
"The bulletin was eventually saved by two private groups who came up
with funding to keep it going. The groups were also raising money to
build a cabin in memory of Michel Trudeau."
** "A Parks Canada spokesman said over the weekend the area where the
teens died is under Parks Canada jurisdiction, but the department
doesn't do avalanche control in backcountry areas of the park. He said
the avalanche-warning system would be re-evaluated but that major
changes were unlikely. Daily warnings are issued."
Clair Israelson, director of the Canadian Avalanche Association in
Revelstoke, said Sunday it is time "that B.C. and Alberta and Canada
seriously address the avalanche-safety issue in Western Canada." He
recommended that a coalition of industry, government and
private-sector workers promote better warning systems."
=======================
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
=======================
HISTORY AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WARDEN SERVICE
-------------------------------------------------
The warden service in Parks Canada was instituted in 1909,
twenty-four years after the first national park was established in
Canada. The service began with one warden who was appointed Chief Fire
and Game Warden of Rocky Mountains Park, now known as Banff National
Park. Historically, the warden patrolled the vast park areas to help
ensure protection of natural resources.
"In the early days, the Warden Service consisted of former trappers,
mountain men, and even reformed poachers. They performed their duties
on horse back, by canoe, on foot in summer, and on snowshoes in
winter, in districts larger than many of today's smaller national
parks".
It wasn't until the 1950's that the wardens took over rescue
services. (The 1955 accident account actually mentions "Warden
rescue".)
"The 1950's saw the addition of avalanche and mountain rescue
responsibilities as park wardens took over these duties from Swiss
guides hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway".
From "History of the Warden Service". National Park Warden Service.
http://www.npwa.ca/npwainfo_frame.html
* However, it is important to realize that the primary duties of Parks
Canada Wardens are not safety and rescue, but as "Peace Officers" and
overseers of natural resources within the park boundaries.
See "Fact Sheet" at http://www.npwa.ca/news&opinion.html
HISTORY OF THE CANADIAN AVALANCHE ASSOCIATION
---------------------------------------------
http://www.avalanche.ca/about/index.html
"The Canadian Avalanche Association was created in 1981. There are
currently over 640 members, active in all aspects of snow safety from
research to avalanche control. In October of 1991, with the assistance
from the National Search and Rescue Secretariat, the Canadian
Avalanche Association opened the Canadian Avalanche Centre. The Centre
has become Canada’s national avalanche agency, providing information
to the public through Public Safety Services, coordinating the
Canadian Avalanche Association Training Schools, and managing an
Industry Information Exchange service."
"The Canadian Avalanche Association Training School had its beginnings
in avalanche courses developed in the 1970’s by the National Research
Council of Canada and the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
These courses have an international reputation and attract students
from all parts of Canada and from around the world. Since the early
80’s, when the Canadian Avalanche Association began to operate the
courses, thousands of people have been taught standards, methods for
observing and recording weather and snowpack conditions, and
techniques to forecast snow stability, and evaluate avalanche hazard."
"The Industry Information Exchange is a daily exchange of avalanche
and weather information. Each day, information is sent to the Canadian
Avalanche Centre from Alberta and British Columbia. Centre staff
summarize and collate the data, then send information to organizations
who are subscribers to the service."
=====================
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
=====================
The following publications might have reference to the 1955 accident:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Stethem, C.J. and Schaerer, P.A., 1979: Avalanche Accidents in Canada
I. A Selection of Case Histories of Accidents, 1955-1976; National
Research Council Canada, Division of Building Research, Paper no. 834,
Ottawa, 114 pp.
Stethem, C.J. and Schaerer, P.A., 1980: Avalanche Accidents in Canada
II. A Selection of Case Histories of Accidents 1943-1978; National
Research Council Canada, Division of Building Research, Paper no. 926,
Ottawa, 75 pp.
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/courses/geog316/Bibliography/hydrological.html
==
Contacts for Microfiche Records:
University of Calgary MacKimmie Library Mircoforms Department:
Phone: 403 - 220 - 6903
Banff public library
Phone (403) 762-2661 Fax (403) 762-3805
banff_library@telusplanet.net
http://www.banfflibrary.ab.ca/index.html
Weather and Avalanche forecast for Banff National Park:
http://ecn.ab.ca/gmmc/contactslinks/phone-weather.htm
=================
I want to thank you for your patience while I worked on this answer.
Trying to find online sources of the account after almost five decades
and wading through references to decipher Parks Canada policy took
quite a bit of time. I hope I have compiled an answer that is
comprehensive and understandable.
While there have been some steps taken over the years to become more
responsible to park visitors by instituting advisory services and
protection policies within the National Parks, none of the current
policies dimish the sad memories felt by those close to the victims of
the 1955 avalanche.
Sincerely,
umiat
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site:.ca Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies Library and Archives |
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