Christopher & Joseph Daem

Christopher Daem c.1930.

Joseph Daem. c.1930.

Dates:

Christopher Daem: b. Revelstoke, 1908 d. February 1933

Joseph Daem: b. Revelstoke, 1909 d. February 1933

Cemetery Location:

Christopher Daem: Block J, Row 27, Plot 19

Joseph Daem: Block J, Row 27, Plot 21

Profiles:

Brothers Christopher and Joseph Daem set out on a ski trip through Duchesnay Pass, between Lake O’Hara and Field, on 24 February 1933, but failed to return.

According to the local newspaper, a number of search parties were mobilized but they were unable to find any sign of the men.

“As a result of their recklessness a number of men are risking their lives and the Canadian Rockies are liable to receive a bad name. Expert skiers claim, however, that skiing is perfectly safe in the Rockies, providing normal precautions are taken. There is no such evidence that the lost men took such precautions.”

After several months, the bodies of Christopher and Joe were discovered by Swiss guides in June, 1933. They had been buried under avalanche debris.

Christopher was 25 and embarking on a writing career and Joe, 24, was a graduate in engineering from Queen’s University.  Joe had undertaken survey work in Rogers Pass for several years, was an experienced climber and like his brother, familiar with the terrain through which their last journey was made.

The Daems were a well-known Revelstoke family and the incident deeply affected the town’s residents. The brothers left behind their parents, Joseph and Rose Daem, two brothers, Joris and Frank, and two sisters, Joan and Alberta.