"It's Important that We Tell These Stories:" Avalanche History on Display at Canmore Museum
Leah Pelletier
Rocky Mountain Outlook
CANMORE — Gone are the days of wooden planks for skis and analog avalanche transceivers.
The devastation and awe of one of nature’s most powerful forces is front and center at the Canmore Museum as an exploration into the history of avalanches in the Land of Thundering Snow exhibit opened to the public on Friday, November 7th.
“It's important that we tell these stories. It's important that we educate people, newcomers, kids, all of us,” said Lisa Isley, Canmore Museum’s executive director during a private opening reception on Nov. 6. “This is all relevant and the technology and the way that we manage our risk in avalanche country changes too, so it's good for people to be up to date and just to have these conversations."
A travelling exhibit from the Revelstoke Museum and Archives, Land of Thundering Snow dives into the impact of avalanches on people and nature, while exploring the evolution of avalanche technology through artifacts, photos, modern gear and interactive activities.
“It's exciting to have the conversation and have people that come here on their holidays or travel through think a little, and I feel like there's something here for everyone,” said Isley.
Contrasting modern gear to old and diving into the role of avalanches in ecology, the exhibit starts important conversations on avalanche safety, says Isley.
“A lot of people, especially newcomers might come here and visit and don't realize, maybe Burstall (Pass) or some of these areas that don't look like avalanche terrain, or you see lots of tracks and you're snowshoeing, so why would you ever be worried about it? That's for sledders. Well, no,” said Isley.
Retired avalanche protection consultant and founding member of the Canadian Avalanche Association, Chris Stethem, says that understanding of avalanche risk in industrial and recreational fields has only grown over the years with the use of transceivers marking a turning point.
“The use of location devices, like the SPOT, it was one of the early ones, that allows people to send out a signal when they get in trouble and the parks rescue teams are able to get there in a matter of a couple of hours, whereas it used to perhaps have been a day or two in days of old,” he said.
“That's made a huge difference in the survival of backcountry accident victims.”
From archival photographs of avalanche training in the 50s to a look at wooden touring skis from the 30s, Isley says objects on display were lent to the museum by many locals.
“That’s what's so great about Canmore and the Bow Valley is you get new people here and people who've been here for a long time. Most folks are active, and you get a conversation going and [it’s], ‘Oh, so and so tours and toured back in the day and ‘Oh, yeah, you should talk to so and so,’” said Isley.
“It’s a really generous community.”
Partnering with the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association (CARDA), the exhibit features a section devoted to the role of dogs and their handlers in avalanche safety and rescue efforts.
A raffle included in the exhibit offers a chance to contribute to CARDA’S efforts to train and build up skilled avalanche rescue teams throughout Canada.
“We just want to give back and just tell [CARDA’s] stories because they've been unsung heroes,” she said.
Panel discussions from avalanche experts on everything from the changing snowpack to how social media has influenced risks taken in the backcountry will take place over the next few months, says Isley.
This will include demos from local CARDA handlers and their dogs.
“We're going to bring in some experienced folks to talk about what do you do when you take your kids out, how do you manage that risk and conversations about managing human factors,” said Isley.
“The programming is going to be just world-class because we have so many experts here.”
Stethem says there is a wide range of avalanche professionals across Western Canada that offer courses and avalanche skills training, with Canmore’s Yamnuska Mountain Adventures being a great place to start in the Bow Valley.
“I think [the exhibit] will be a great, different kind of a stop for visitors as well as locals. …For a visitor coming to the valley, you're going to see what a large chunk of the backcountry's about here.”
“For us, it's really about starting that conversation and just nudging people along to learn more, regardless of what level you're at,” added Isley.
Land of Thundering Snow is on display at the Canmore Museum until April 12, 2026.