va

janche
Experi

noured

Deana Lancaster

News Reporter
deana@nsnews.com

PETER Schaerer
believes that as long as
the mountains stand,
people will try to con-
quer them.

“So many people are inter-
ested in going into the back-
country now,” he says. “All we
can do is try to educate
them.”

The North Vancouver resi-
dent has spent a lifetime doing
just thar. As the founder of the
Canadian Avalanche
Association, he’s speat years
making sure ski patrollers,
highway avalanche techni-
cians, mountain guides and
others have the most up-to-
date information on control-
ling and preventing the tum-
bling masses of snow and ice.

Earher this year, the CAA
introduced the ‘Columbia
Brewery Glacier Summit
Awards — sponsored by the
Columbia Brewery — and
Schaerer was awarded the
first-ever Lifetime
Achievement Award.

Schaerer came to Canada
from Switzerland in 1957.
Trained as a civil engincer, he
came to practise avalanche
control during construction of
Rogers Pass on the Trans-
Canada Highway.

“It was a unique project.
The usual approach was to
build a highway and deal with
any probiems after.”

For the construction of the
pass, Schaerer helped local
engineers plan a route that
would be least affected by
avalanches, and he designed
snow sheds to cover the high-
way, so the snow could slide
right over the road.

When the pass was finished
Schaerer stayed in Canada,
doing a stint in Ottawa study-
ing snow removal, and later,
travelling back to B.C. to do
more work on avalanche con-
trol.

In the °70s, after a number
of fatalities resulting fro:n
avalanches, the B.C. Ministry
of Highways launched the
largest contro! program in
Canada, “maybe in this conti-
nent,” according to Schaerer.

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Avalanche Association was a
labour of love for Schaerer.
Protessionals
transport, guiding, patrolling,
Parks Canada wardens and
ity research joined the
tion to promote and
avalanche protection,
The association currently
has about 150 active mem-
bers, and its roles include
looking after their interests
and upgrading their expertise.
The CAA also coordinates

the collection and exchange of

information. Members from
differenr parts of the province
report conditions to the
avalanche centre in Revelstoke
and the association sends the
compiled information to sub-
scribers.

It’s a valuable se Y
Schaerer, because “it’s impor-
tant to know what’s happen-
ing on the other side of the
mountain.”

Twice a week the CAA
makes a public avalanche fore-
cast. Schaerer would like to
sec that service offered more
frequently, but it would
require more money than the
CAA currently hes.

“I would like to have (the
forecast) every day. But the
association survives on dona-
tions.”

So with all his expertise,
has Schacrer himself ever run
into so trouble = with =~ an
avalanche?

“Ive owice had a ride,” he
says -—— once while working on
Rogers Pass and once while
doing avalanche control with
the ski patrol at Lake ‘Louise.
Of the second, he says they

tarted it on purpose — onc
technique used in controlling
avalanches, “but it was
unknown terrain and it was
bigger than we expected.”
Schaerer escaped without
injury.

Although retired now,
Schaerer is still aa active mem-
ber of the CAA and continues
to do consulting work in the
field.

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