LAKE LOUISE – A trio of organizations have partnered to work toward potentially replacing the historic Abbot Pass hut.
The Alpine Club of Canada, the Lake Louise Ski Area and the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) are working on developing a proposal for Parks Canada to consider and potentially explore options for a new alpine hut.
The process would see the organizations work through an assessment and engagement process, which would then head for review by Parks Canada.
“There’s a lot of people for who this project is very dear and we’re thrilled we’re moving forward,” said Carine Salvy, executive director of the Alpine Club of Canada. “If we find that whole area is unstable and it’s impossible to build, we’ll see at that point. Right now, it’s a case of doing preliminary work to assess whether there is scope for a new structure.”
Salvy said the Alpine Club of Canada and the ACMG started a working group last spring that also involved Indigenous communities independent guides and a historian to see the potential of proposing a new hut.
After speaking with Parks Canada, they continued discussions throughout the summer and fall and connected with Charlie Locke, president of the Lake Louise Ski Area, who said he had the resources for a feasibility study planned to take place this summer.
“Depending of the results, we’d see if there was a case for building a new facility. We went back to Parks and they were very enthusiastic about the idea,” Salvy said.
Locke said in a media release he was “pleased to support both the Alpine Club of Canada and the ACMG in the replacement of the hut.”
Locke is a former mountain guide and agreed to fund and co-ordinate the potential replacement of the Abbot Pass Hut.
The intention would be to limit the hut to host 12-16 people, Salvy said, with the main goal of providing shelter for mountaineers or climbers accessing nearby peaks.
“It’s an iconic site and it’s weighted with the history of mountaineering of the Canadian Rockies. It’s quite heavy with meaning, which is why Parks is keen on commemorating the heritage value of the site. There’s more forward looking concern of those who want access to a shelter, so they can access shelter more safely.”
Blake Correia, a public relations and communications officer with the Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay field unit, said Parks Canada welcomes the submission for a proposal and a preliminary feasibility investigation is needed before any proposal.
He said Parks Canada will look at all information and any decisions will follow the priorities and objectives outlined in management plans, policies and guidelines
“Parks Canada recognizes the Alpine Club of Canada’s role in supporting and promoting responsible mountaineering and backcountry recreation in Canada and within the mountain national aarks, and values the longstanding relationship with the ACC,” he said in an email.
The Abbot Pass hut was dismantled last year due to impacts of slope erosion and glacial recession from climate change, according to the federal agency, after geotechnical assessments found 114 cubic metres of material fell during the summer of 2021.
A geotechnical assessment was first undertaken in 2016 after reports of rockfall and erosion. Slope stabilization was finished in 2018 for $600,000 and had rock anchors added to support the cabin.
The national historic site was built in 1922 when the southeast slope was covered by permanent snow and ice, which began to recede and expose the steep slope below in 2016.
A heritage recording was finished and much of the cabin was safely removed. The hut sat at an elevation of 2,925 metres and was on the border of Banff and Yoho national parks near Lake Louise and Lake O’Hara between Mounts Lefroy and Victoria.
Parks Canada acquired the hut in 1968 and the Alpine Club of Canada had been operating it since 1985. It was made a national historic site in 1992 and upgrades to the roof, drainage and masonry were made in 2012 and 2014.
The hut – which was built by Swiss guides – was named for Philip Stanley Abbot, whose death became the first recorded mountaineering fatality in North America.
While the three organizations are eager for the potential of a new hut, Parks Canada has strict restrictions for what could possibly be considered.
The Banff Management Plan, released last August, said it would consider new huts at or above treeline where there are “demonstrable, persistent public safety risks” and if it can be determined there are “no adverse environmental impacts.”
Ron Hallman, Parks Canada’s CEO, said the federal agency recognizes the historical importance of the Abbot Pass Hut.
“As a national historic site, Abbot Pass Hut is a place which had a nationally significant impact on Canada,” he said in a media release. “The structure was digitized to ensure the history is maintained and the area is still the site of an incredible story that needs to be told.”
The Alpine Club of Canada operates alpine huts such as the Peter and Catharine White Hut, R.J. Ritchie Hut, Neil Colgan Hut, Castle Mountain Hut and Bow Hut.
Parks Canada offers two huts for overnight stays in Banff – the Egypt Lake Shelter, located eight miles from Sunshine Village, and the Bryant Creek Shelter closer to the neighbouring B.C. Mount Assiniboine area.
The new park management plan indicates that Bryant Creek and Egypt Lake shelters will be replaced in a manner “consistent with the location and Parks Canada standards” for such facilities by 2025.
Salvy said since the announcement was made, the Alpine Club of Canada has had several members reach out about potentially helping with labour, trade knowledge and financially.
As one of the more historic sites in Banff National Park, the removal of the hut was felt by many in the community. With the potential of a new one taking its place, Salvy said it’s important to recognize that past.
“It’s quite moving to see how much it meant to people, so if we can do something to let that live on and let future generations enjoy the area that’ll be really good,” she said.
“It would be such good news to be able to not give up on that area and still have a place for these people to make an attempt on these peaks and let the story live on.”
Timeline:
- 1922: Abbot Pass refuge cabin (Abbot Pass Hut) constructed
- 1968: Dominion Parks Branch (known today as Parks Canada) acquires the hut
- 1973: Abbot Pass refuge cabin is restored
- 1985: Alpine Club of Canada assumes operation of the hut
- 1992: Abbot Pass refuge cabin is designated as a national historic site
- 2012: Parks Canada completes roof and drainage upgrades
- 2014: Parks Canada completes stone masonry restoration
- 2016: Initial slope instability reported to Parks Canada
- 2017: Slope stability geotechnical assessment begins
- 2018: Hut closed and initial slope stability work conducted to install rock anchors below the hut
- 2019: Unfavourable weather conditions cause safety concerns at the site, preventing additional slope stability work
- 2020: COVID-19 health measures prevent additional slope stability work from being completed
- 2021: Further slope erosion occurs, impacting the base of the hut
- Area closure expanded to include Abbot Pass and its two approach routes
- Second geotechnical assessment conducted
- Heritage recording completed
- 2022: Abbot Pass hut removed
