Christian Haesler Sr.

Christian Haesler Sr. was one of the first two professional Swiss guides hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1899. With Eduard Feuz Sr., he brought European alpinism to the Canadian Rockies and helped establish the zero-fatality record that defined the Swiss Guide era (1899–1954).

Origins and recruitment. Born in the Interlaken region of the Bernese Oberland, Haesler arrived with Feuz in 1899 in response to Philip Stanley Abbot’s death on Mount Lefroy (1896); the CPR needed professional safety to sell the Rockies as a tourist destination. The pair were contracted through Thomas Cook & Son as the first official seasonal guides.

The hardman. Haesler was often viewed as the “sturdy” power engine; less the social face than Feuz but deeply respected for raw technical ability. In 1901 he led the first ascent of Mount Assiniboine, the “Matterhorn of the Rockies”; a technically demanding mixed snow-and-rock climb that cemented the Swiss guides’ reputation in Canada. In 1899 he and Feuz guided Professor Charles Fay to Mount Dawson (then thought the highest peak in the Selkirks) and made the second ascent of Mount Sir Donald, vastly improving the original route.

Swiss style and legacy. Haesler and Feuz introduced the “Swiss pace,” proper ice-axe technique, hobnail boots, and the authority of the lead guide. They were official instructors at the Alpine Club of Canada’s inaugural camps (1906), training the club’s first members. Haesler’s son Christian Haesler Jr. followed as a premier guide until a 1939 grizzly mauling ended his high-level career. Mount Haesler in the Selkirks honours him. Feuz Peak and Mount Haesler immortalize the patriarchs who unlocked the difficult peaks amateurs couldn’t touch.