Qualla: Rogers Pass

Rogers Pass: Introduction

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. Rogers Pass cuts through the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia at 1,330 meters elevation - a gap that made the transcontinental railroad possible and has been killing people ever since. The pass receives over 10 meters of snowfall annually; avalanches sweep the slopes constantly. Between 1885 and 1911, avalanches killed over 200 Canadian Pacific Railway workers. The railroad eventually tunneled beneath the pass; when the Trans-Canada Highway was built in 1962, engineers faced the same challenge. Today, Rogers Pass operates the world's largest mobile avalanche control program, with military artillery and helicopter bombardment triggering controlled slides to protect travelers. The highway still closes for avalanche control; the mountains still win sometimes. Rogers Pass is a monument to human stubbornness against terrain that doesn't want roads.

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Image: Unknown author | Public domain

Rogers Pass: The Discovery

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Pseudopanax at en.wikipedia, Public domain. The Canadian Pacific Railway needed a route through the Selkirk Mountains to complete the transcontinental line. Major A.B. Rogers, a surveyor, found the pass in 1881 after years of searching. The railway was built through in 1885, completing the line. Rogers' discovery earned hi...

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Image: Pseudopanax at en.wikipedia | Public domain

Rogers Pass: The Deaths

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. The Rogers Pass section of the CPR was the most dangerous on the entire transcontinental route. Avalanches swept down regularly, burying tracks, demolishing snowsheds, and killing workers. The worst disaster came on March 4, 1910, when a crew was clearing avalanche debris. A seco...

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Image: Unknown author | Public domain

Rogers Pass: The Highway

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. When the Trans-Canada Highway was completed through Rogers Pass in 1962, engineers knew the avalanche risk. They built snowsheds - concrete tunnels through which the highway passes beneath avalanche paths. But not every slide zone could be covered. Instead, Parks Canada developed...

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Image: Unknown author | Public domain

Rogers Pass: The Control

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. The Rogers Pass avalanche control program uses military artillery, helicopter bombing, and Gazex (remotely triggered gas exploders) to manage over 130 avalanche paths. Control missions can close the highway for hours. Parks Canada staff monitor weather, snow conditions, and slope...

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Image: Unknown author | Public domain

Rogers Pass: Visiting Rogers Pass

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. Rogers Pass is located on the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) in Glacier National Park (Canada), approximately 80 kilometers east of Revelstoke and 150 kilometers west of Golden. The Rogers Pass Discovery Centre provides exhibits on railroad history, avalanche control, and mount...

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Image: Unknown author | Public domain