1988 Summit of Excellence Award

Jim Davies

Rescue Pilot

Since 1966, when he made the first helicopter mountaineering rescue in Banff National Park, Jim Davies has been known as the helicopter pilot of the Canadian Rockies. Born in Banff, the son of a longtime Park warden, his early years were spent hiking, skiing, and developing a life-long appreciation for wildlife. Inspired by big game artist Carl Rungius and alpine pilot Herman Geiger, he studied art before learning to fly fixed wing craft and eventually helicopters.

Since his first flight in a Super Cub in 1959, he has accumulated over 15,000 hours in the air, flying time that has taken him to Ellesmere Island, New Zealand, the Yukon and most major mountain ranges in Western Canada. He has transported movie crews to countless remote mountain locations and in 1965 assisted Hans Gmoser in a two-week trial run of what was to become the legendary Canadian Mountain Holidays heli-skiing business. Two years later, while working with the Alpine Club of Canada’s Centennial Expedition, he set an altitude record for landing at 5228-metres on Mount Lucania in the St. Elias range, carrying two passengers in a supercharged Bell helicopter.

Perhaps his most valuable contribution to the mountain community, however, was in 1971 when with alpine specialist Peter Fuhrmann he designed the helicopter vertical sling rescue system now used extensively in the mountain national parks. In its first three years of use, this system saved 12 lives. In total, Jim Davies has participated in over 2,000 rescues of stranded and injured alpinists.

His achievements have been widely recognized, including the 1975 Pilot of the Year Award by the Helicopter Association of America “for distinguished performance in helicopter mountain flying,” and the 1983 Pilot Safety Award from Helicopter Association International, for having accomplished more than 10,000 consecutive accident- and violation-free civilian flight hours. In 1990, he retired from commercial helicopter work and resumed his interest in painting and sketching.

Summit of Excellence Past Award Winners

• 2011 – Philippe Delesalle – Architect and Mountaineer
• 2010 – Peter Fuhrmann – Mountaineer, Alpine guide, Rescue specialist
• 2009 – Sid Marty – Writer, Musician, Conservationist
• 2008 – Don Vockeroth – Mountain Climbing Pioneer
• 2007 – Bernadette McDonald – Author, Climber, Festival Director
• 2006 – Gillean and Tony Daffern – Publishers of Mountain Books
• 2005 – Glen Boles – Climber, Artist
• 2004 – Craig Richards – Mountain Photographer
• 2003 – Willi Pfisterer – Mountain Rescue Innovator
• 2002 – Barry Blanchard – Alpinist
• 2001 – Bob Sandford – Historian, Author, Interpreter
• 2000 – Chic Scott – Mountaineer, Guide, Writer
• 1999 – Guy Lacelle – Climber
• 1998 – John Martin – Climber and Mountain Lover
• 1997 – Sharon Wood – Mother, Mentor, Mountaineer
• 1996 – Tim Auger – Park Warden, Rescue Specialist
• 1995 – Brian Greenwood – Climber
• 1994 – Lloyd “Kiwi” Gallagher – Emergency Services Coordinator
• 1993 – Roger Vernon – Filmmaker
• 1992 – Jon Whyte – Historian
• 1991 – Don Forest – Mountaineer
• 1990 – Pat Morrow – Seven Summits
• 1989 – Hans Gmoser – Heli-Skiing
• 1988 – Jim Davies – Rescue Pilot
• 1987 – Bruno Engler – Photographer