This new program is designed to open up our incredible hut network to people who otherwise wouldn't be able to access the more technical huts. Maybe you’ll gain a newfound sense of appreciation for Canada's alpine environment. Maybe you’ll be able to reach places and travel in environments you never thought that you’d visit. Maybe the taste of what’s possible will inspire you to continue your mountaineering journey and acquire the skills to reach these places independently. Either way, our Hut Discovery program will provide a unique and memorable experience.

You'll hike to the Bow Hut, perched just below the toe of the Bow Glacier on the Icefields Parkway, on the first day. From there, you'll review the basic rope skills that you'll need to tie in and travel on the glacier. 

While the trip between Bow and Peyto is relatively simple (as far as glaciers go), the guides take your safety very seriously. Crevasses are present on the icefield, and navigation can be extremely challenging in whiteout conditions. Having an experienced ACMG alpine guide to lead this trip means that you can focus on the scenery and your own enjoyment while getting an introduction to glacier travel and techniques. 

The real treats of this trip are getting to access places that are normally only possible for mountaineers: the side trip to the top of the Onion (conditions permitting) provides spectacular views of the Wapta icefield in all directions, and the Instagram-worthy Peyto Hut is only accessible via a glacier. On the third day of the trip, you'll make your way down to Peyto Lake via the Peyto Glacier and its moraines. This leg of the trip can be fairly physically challenging, involves some tricky routefinding, and may involve a river crossing (the bridge crossing the Peyto River at the bottom of the canyon washed out in 2012). 

Luckily, it's largely a descent from the Peyto Hut: you've gained most of your elevation on the first two days. You'll get to see firsthand the effects of climate change on this unique landscape, and get a unique, off-the-beaten-track view of the Icefields Parkway.

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• Day 1 AM: Meet at 8AM in Bill Peyto's Café in Lake Louise. Your guide will go over the itinerary, collect waivers, and arrange for car shuttling. Hike in to Bow Hut.
• Day 1 PM: Snow school: learn the techniques you'll need for safe travel on the glacier.
• Day 2: Wake up bright and early, hike across the glacier to the Peyto Hut. A side trip up the Onion Skin for a view of the Icefiled may be possible.
• Day 3: Hike down from the Peyto Hut to Peyto Lake.

Introductory

This program is designed for people who want to experience a stay in an ACC backcountry hut but don't yet possess the skills in alpine travel required to get there independently and safely. No previous mountaineering experience is necessary, although you willl require a good basic level of hiking fitness and experience.

Food

To keep the cost of this course as low as possible for participants, food will not be provided as part of the course. Please brink along your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (or favourite alternative), a packed lunch and some snacks for both days.

Accommodation

The Bow Hut is fantastically scenic, perfectly situated and is an excellent base for exploring further onto the Wapta Icefields in winter or summer. It is the easiest and most natural route onto the Wapta and gives access to the Peyto Hut to the north, and the Balfour and Scott Duncan huts to the south. The peaks of the Wapta are an attraction for summer mountaineering as well and many climbers have learned or honed their glacier travel and crevasse rescue skills within sight of the hut. The hut itself is bright, spacious and fantastically scenic. It is the largest, best equipped and most accessible of the four huts on the Wapta.

Being the most northerly of the huts on the Wapta Icefield, the Peyto Hut is where a full traverse of the Wapta starts (or finishes). It gives access to the excellent, moderate mountaineering challenges of Peyto and Trapper Peaks, and Mts. Baker, Thompson and Rhondda, all of which are popular ascents in both summer and winter. The hut is cozy for groups up to 18 (16 in winter) and has amazing views across the icefields. The hut has no source of heat but it is well insulated and warms up nicely from the propane stoves. The hut is situated on a bit of a moraine at the base of Mt. Thompson, but all access routes to the hut involve glacier travel. The easiest access is the 3-4 hour trip from the Bow Hut. Access from the Highway is via Peyto Lake and takes 5-8 hours.

Guiding

Our guiding ratio will be a maximum of 6:1 to give you plenty of one-to-one learning time with our excellent guide.

This camp is guided by ACMG-certified alpine guides.