‘A dream come true’: preservation and restoration of historic Swiss chalets in Canada

Previously threatened with demolition, the historic homes of Swiss mountain guides in Canada’s Rocky Mountains have been rescued and woken from their slumber thanks to two Swiss Abroad. To mark the 125th anniversary of Swiss guides coming to Canada, SWI swissinfo.ch spoke to the two rescuers. Ilona Spaar and Johann Roduit, both Swiss Abroad, have fought side by side to preserve the historic former homes of the Swiss mountain guides in Canada’s Rocky Mountains. Hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) around 1900 to guide tourists across the numerous mountain peaks, Swiss mountain guides had an exceptional global reputation. They were experts in their field and completed innumerable first ascents of 3,000-metre peaks in the Rockies. They also contributed significantly to the fact that Western Canada is so well known for its mountain culture today. The lasting influence of the Swiss mountain guides even resulted in some mountain peaks being named after them. Three years ago the ...