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Balfour Hut
The R.J. Ritchie Hut (Balfour Hut) is an alpine hut located at an altitude of between the southern tip of the Wapta Icefield and the northern tip of the Waputik Icefield in Banff National Park. The hut is at the half-way mark for the Wapta traverse and is usually used in conjunction with the other huts in this chain while attempting a cross-glacier ski trip. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada. The hut sleeps 18 in the summer and 16 in the winter. It is equipped with propane-powered lamps and stovetop. The hut requires approximately three to five hours of glacier travel to get to from the Bow Hut, or six to eight hours from the Scott Duncan Hut. Location The hut is found on low, rocky hills at the toe of the Vulture Glacier. It is east of Balfour Pass and the continental divide, just inside the boundary of Banff National Park.} History The original Balfour Hut, a fibreglass igloo built in 1965 at Balfour Pass in Banff National Park, was the first hut on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wapta Icefield
The Wapta Icefield is located on the Continental Divide in the Waputik Mountains of the Canadian Rockies, in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The icefield is shared by Banff and Yoho National Parks and numerous outlet glaciers extend from the icefield, including the Vulture, Bow and Peyto Glaciers. Runoff from the icefields and outlet glaciers supply water to both the Kicking Horse and Bow Rivers, as well as numerous streams and lakes. The icefield is one of the most studied in the Canadian Rockies and all evidence supports the conclusion that the icefield is shrinking in area, especially near the lowest altitudes of its outlet glaciers, including Peyto Glacier, in which the glacier has become both shorter in length and thinner in thickness. In the 1980s the icefield covered an area of approximately . The icefield is easily accessible by mountaineers in both the summer and winter. Both ski trips in the winter and glacier hiking trips in the summer often combine a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
