Banff Winter Carnivals

Opening Ceremony

Opening Ceremonies were often held at the  Cave and Basin . This photograph, from 1922, shows the Carnival Queen getting the Carnival started from the diving board at the Cave and Basin's geo-thermally heated pool, which was the only public swimming pool in the Bow Valley at the time.

Norquay Ski Jumping

A graceful ski jumper soars off of the ramp on Mount Norquay in 1930. Ski Jumping was a popular event in the Banff Winter Carnivals, with jumpers coming from far and wide to compete.

Ski-joring

Ski-joring - kind of like water skiing, but with horses, and snow.

Illuminated Ice Palace

This picture by Byron Harmon shows an Ice Palace from the first Winter Carnival in 1917. It was built by internees at the  Cave and Basin internment camp .

Caribou St Skiing

In 1917, the Mens' Ski Race came down Caribou Street between Brewster's Hall on the left and the Mount Royal Hotel on the right.

Mather's Rink

Bill Mather's Rink on the Bow River was the setting for all of the Hockey and Skating events. In later years, the women hockey players competed for the  Alpine Cup . This photograph, taken in about 1925, shows a boys game underway.

Ice Palace on the Bow

Ice Palaces were a feature of the Winter Carnivals, a feature which is echoed in today's  Ice Magic Festival .

Ice Palace on the Bow

Ice Palaces were a feature of the Winter Carnivals, a feature which is echoed in today's  Ice Magic Festival .

Carnival Parade

What's a Carnival without a Parade? Here we see the Parade of 1925 passing by  Harmony Lane  on Banff Avenue.

Ski Running

Ski Running? The participants in this event were not allowed to use ski poles. Many Banffites made their own skis in those days, so equipment reliability may have been a factor - in the background someone has had to stop and re-attach their ski.

Snowshoe Obstacle Race

Here is an action shot from the Boys Snowshoe Obstacle Race on the Bow River. It looks fun, although it is not known what levels of injury were sustained.

Swimming Events

Banff Winter Carnivals took full advantage of the Thermal Waters at the  Cave and Basin  to include swimming events.

Dog Sledding

Dog sled team below the Banff Springs Hotel. This is a photo of Banff's legendary musher  Ike Mills  and his dog team.

Dog Team on Banff Avenue

It's snack time for  Ike Mills'  dog team on Banff Avenue, with the old  Lux Theatre  and Mount View Billiards Hall in the background.

Ice Palace and Tipis

There was a lot of interest in this tipi-pitching competition of the Banff Winter Carnival of about 1927. The Hotel Bretton Hall, at one time the site of  Dr Brett's Sanitarium Hotel , is visible in the background.

Ski jumping from Tunnel

Ski jumping off of the north side of tunnel mountain, apparently jumping right over the current route of Banff Avenue.