The First Five Years

The story of how an immigrant from Switzerland fared during his first five years in Canada, more than four decades ago.

Author Biography

Siegfried Bucher, a Swiss-born Canadian, was educated in Switzerland where he received, in 1951, the degree of Engineer. His preference for geophysical science led him to Canada where he was active in exploration for oil and gas, primarily in the Arctic regions of Canada. He was instrumental in developing seismic data gathering on ice. He pioneered the small-equipment Arctic exploration crew and the heli-portable mountain seismic crew, concepts for minimizing damage to the environment by using space age technology together with the re-introduction of man as the key figure. An experienced mountaineer, he made several successful first ascents on previously unclimbed peaks in the Rocky Mountains and Baffin Island.