Cyril Paris

Cyril Paris was a second-generation Banffite who helped turn the Canadian Rockies from a summer destination into a winter playground. He was not merely a resident but an architect of the park’s recreational infrastructure; Mount Norquay, Sunshine Village, and Skoki Lodge; and later a Park Warden in Banff National Park.

Family and early skiing. Cyril’s parents, George and Ida Paris, opened the Paris Tea Room (later Paris Cafe) at 114 Banff Avenue in 1903; a social hub for packers, guides, and wardens. As early as 1894–96, George received a pair of “Norwegian snowshoes” (skis) from an American friend who had seen him struggling in deep snow; George gave up on them, but the skis stayed in the house as prototypes for the next generation. In 1909 Conrad Kain arrived in Banff and brought a passion for skiing. In 1911 Kain built a ski jump on Tunnel Mountain and organized a winter sports festival; Cyril Paris, then a boy, was mesmerized.

Banff Ski Club (1917). With Cliff White and Peter Whyte, Paris founded the Banff Ski Club in 1917. With no commercial ski shops and European imports cut off by the war, the club built its own gear: skis from hardwood planks, bindings from cheese boxes and leather, poles from broom handles, boots from moccasins. That DIY ethos shaped Paris’s approach to building in the backcountry; access had to be constructed, literally and figuratively. The club starred at the 1917 Banff Winter Carnival, legitimizing winter sports as a local practice.

Mount Norquay (1926–1928). In 1926 Paris, White, and Gus Johnson explored the slopes above Banff. They saw fire- and logging-scarred clearings as “ready-made” ski terrain and cut the first dedicated ski run on Mount Norquay; the first ski resort in the Canadian Rockies. By 1928 they had secured parks permission and raised funds by selling $25 “life memberships” to a cabin at the base. The cabin; with fireplace and sleeping area; became the social nucleus of the Banff Ski Club. Slalom courses were first set in 1929.

Sunshine expedition (1929). In March 1929 Paris and White undertook an ambitious ski traverse to the Sunshine Meadows area on the Continental Divide. They failed to find the CPR cabin before dark and were forced to bivouac in a snow cave; the “dugout”; through a freezing night. In the morning they discovered they had missed the cabin by a short distance. Despite the ordeal, they became the first to ski what is now Sunshine Village and returned with reports of the superior high-altitude snow. The Brewsters leased the cabin for paying ski guests by 1934.

Skoki Lodge (1930–1931). Following Norquay and Sunshine, Paris and White; advised by Swiss guides at Chateau Lake Louise; scouted the Skoki Valley (Stoney for “marsh”). With Earl Spencer they built the lodge in 1930–31: a 25 × 16 ft log structure with saddle-notched corners and a central fireplace. Skoki was the first commercial building in Canada built specifically for skiers. The Ski Club of the Canadian Rockies took over operations; Sir Norman Watson brought capital in 1936 for expansions. In 1932 an avalanche killed a guest near the lodge, prompting a shift toward professional safety and Warden Service involvement.

Park Warden Service (1930s–1950s). Paris served as a Park Warden during the 1930s–50s. His intimate knowledge of the landscape; honed by barrel-stave skiing and the Sunshine dugout; made him valuable for game management, fire suppression, trail maintenance, and visitor safety. He bridged the “intuitive” safety of the pioneer and the “scientific” safety that emerged with figures like Walter Perren in the 1950s.

Legacy. Paris married Mary Smith (daughter of the Cascade Power Plant superintendent); together they ran the Paris Cafe and Mary documented the Bow Valley as a scenic photographer. The Cyril and Mary Paris Endowment at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity supports arts training. The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies holds the George Paris fonds and numerous photographs of Cyril. His legacy is in the ski runs of Norquay, the log walls of Skoki Lodge, and the winter identity of the Rockies.