Land of Thundering Snow

The Revelstoke Museum & Archives partnered with the Virtual Museum of Canada to host a remarkable online exhibit on the history and impact of avalanches in Canada: The Land of Thundering Snow.

First published online in 2015 and hosted on site at the (literally) brick-and-mortar Revelstoke Museum & Archives in British Columbia the website - and in person exhibit - "probe the history of snow avalanches and their impact on people and nature in Canada. Through historic records, photographs, recordings and artifacts, we will explore stories of both technical success and tearful sorrow. Avalanche experts will share their experiences revealing nature’s secrets hidden within the stillness of the snowpack and the fury of a snowslide. You will go behind the front lines of avalanche safety and find an army of professionals working for everyone who lives, works, travels, or seeks leisure in avalanche country."


The webage includes historic photos, news reports, and a fascinating map of historic avalanche fatalities across Canada, beginning in 1782 in Nain, Labrador. Additionally, numerous videos both historic and contemporary offer insight into the six main areas of the website:
 

1. Lessons from the past
2. Anatomy of an avalanche
3. Battling avalanches
4. Staying safe
5. A natural part of mountain life
6. Only the beginning

The website will be fascinating for backcountry skiers - especially historic video of avalanche study and control work in Rogers Pass (as in the video above).

Browse the exhibit and plan to stop by the Revelstoke Museum & Archives in person on your next visit to Revelstoke!

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Jerry Isaak is an Associate Teaching Professor and the program lead for ski touring in the Adventure Studies Department at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia. He is an AMGA certified Ski Guide and has guided backcountry ski adventures in Iceland, Kyrgyzstan, Japan, and throughout the United States and western Canada.