View source for Abbot Pass hut

{{short description|Historic building in Alberta, Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox building
| name                = Abbot Pass hut
| native_name         = 
| native_name_lang    = 
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| image               = Abbot Pass hut.jpg 
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| location            = [[Abbot Pass]]
| address             = 
| location_city       = 
| location_country    = {{CAN}}
| coordinates         = {{coord|51|21|50.598|N|116|17|24.7488|W|display=inline}}
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| former_names        = 
| alternate_names     = 
| etymology           = 
| status              = Closed 
| cancelled           = 
| topped_out          = 
| building_type       = [[Mountain hut|alpine hut]]
| architectural_style = Stone Cabin
| material            = [[Rock (geology)|Stone]]
| classification      = 
| altitude            = 
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| groundbreaking_date = 
| start_date          = 
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| est_completion      = 
| completion_date     = 
| opened_date         = 1922
| inauguration_date   = 
| closing_date        = 2018
| demolition_date     = 2022
| destruction_date    = 
| cost                = 
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| client              = 
| owner               = Alpine Club of Canada
| affiliation         = 
| height              = 
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| architect           = [[Canadian Pacific Railway]]
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| website             = https://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/web/ACCMember/Huts/Abbot_Pass_Hut.aspx
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}}
The '''Abbot Pass hut''' was an [[Mountain hut|alpine hut]] located at an altitude of {{convert|2925|m}} in [[Abbot Pass]] in the [[Alberta's Rockies|Rocky Mountains]] in [[Alberta]], Canada. It was nestled between [[Mount Victoria (Bow Range)|Mount Victoria]] and [[Mount Lefroy]], straddling the [[Continental Divide of the Americas|Great Divide]],<ref name="acc"/> which, in this region, defines the boundary between [[Banff National Park]] in Alberta and [[Yoho National Park]] in [[British Columbia]]. While close to the border, the hut lay entirely in Banff National Park, and was the second-highest permanently habitable structure in Canada (after the [[Neil Colgan Hut]]). The hut was maintained by the [[Alpine Club of Canada]].<ref>
{{cite book
  | last = Haberl
  | first = Keith
  | title =  Alpine Huts: A guide to the facilities of the Alpine Club of Canada
  | publisher = Alpine Club of Canada
  | date = 1997
  | pages = 61–68
  | isbn = 0-920330-32-0}}
</ref><ref name="cbc2022"/><ref name="tyee">{{cite news |last1=Marty |first1=Sid |title=Requiem for a Mountain Sanctuary |url=https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2022/03/28/Requiem-Mountain-Sanctuary/ |access-date=29 March 2022 |publisher=The Tyee |date=28 March 2022}}</ref>

Abbot Pass hut was declared a National Heritage site in 1992. It was closed in the summer of 2018 pending a geotechnical evaluation of the slope which underlay the structure, after a hiker noticed erosion on its eastern side, due to melting glacier ice.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fletcher |first1=Robson |title=Historic Abbot Pass Hut on Alberta-B.C. border closed due to slope erosion |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/abbot-pass-hut-erosion-concerns-banff-yoho-parks-canada-1.4780927 |access-date=11 August 2018 |agency=CBC News |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The COVID-19 pandemic delayed repair work; by the time work was able to begin again, the hut was deemed irreparable. In June 2022, it was demolished.<ref name="cbc2022">{{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=Sarah |title=Climate change forces Parks Canada to dismantle, remove historic mountain hut |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/abbot-pass-yoho-keith-haberl-rick-kubian-climate-change-1.6364813 |access-date=29 March 2022 |publisher=CBC News |date=25 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://insideclimatenews.org/news/12032022/warming-trends-a-famed-mountain-hut-falls-victim-to-warming-climate-concerns-brazils-voters-and-an-author-explores-the-intersection-of-environmentalism-and-social-justice/|title=Heat Hurts Historic Hut|last=Weisbrod|first=Kaitlyn|date=12 March 2022|work=Inside Climate News}}</ref><ref name="tyee"/><ref>{{cite report |author= Shaun King|title= Climbing Conditions, Mt. Victoria & Lake Louise Group|date= 2022-06-22|publisher= [[Association of Canadian Mountain Guides|ACMG]]|url=https://mountainconditions.ca/reports/mt-victoria-lake-louise-group}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/historic-abbot-hut-substantially-removed-1.6519463|date=2022-07-13|agency=[[The Canadian Press]]|publisher=CBC News|title= Century-old stone hut built by Swiss guides in Rockies dismantled due to erosion}}</ref>

==History==
The pass and the hut are named after [[Philip Stanley Abbot]] (1867 - 1896), who became the first mountaineering fatality in North America<ref name="ScottJim">
{{cite book
  | last = Scott
  | first = Jim
  | title = Backcountry Huts &amp; Lodges of the Rockies & Columbias
  | pages = 76–77
  | publisher = Johnson Gorman Publishers
  | year = 2001
  | isbn = 0-921835-58-2 }}
</ref> after he fell in an attempt to make the first ascent of Mount Lefroy in 1896.<ref name="tyee"/> The hut was built in 1922 by Swiss guides working for the [[Canadian Alpine Association]] to shelter clients attempting to climb Victoria and Lefroy. Much of the construction material was carried from [[Lake Louise (Alberta)|Lake Louise]] on horseback<ref name="cbc2022"/> across the Victoria Glacier and winched or carried on guides' backs up the pass on a route known as ''The Deathtrap'' because of its exposure to avalanches and crevasses.<ref name=crdb>{{cite crdb|id=53|subject=passes|name=Abbot Pass | access-date = 2021-11-21}}</ref>

The CAC operated the hut for 40 years, and in the 1960s turned the operation over to [[Parks Canada]], which renovated it with the help of volunteers. In 1985, the park service turned the hut over to the [[Alpine Club of Canada]], which renovated it several times. The hut was designated Abbot Pass Refuge Cabin [[National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site of Canada]] in 1992, and, in 1997, a federal plaque was placed outside its front door.<ref>{{DFHD|798|Abbot Pass Refuge Cabin National Historic Site|accessdate =  2007-12-22}}</ref><ref>{{CRHP|1971|Abbot Pass Refuge Cabin National Historic Site}}</ref><ref>{{DFHD|8717|Abbot Pass Refuge Cabin - Classified Federal Heritage Building|access-date=2015-09-21}}</ref>

Because many guests of the Chateau Lake Louise were trying mountaineering for the first time, Edward Feuz,<ref name="tyee"/> a Swiss guide, suggested that the CPR build a rest stop between Lake Louise and the hut. In 1924 the [[Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House]] was built to accommodate overnight guests.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barnes|first=Christine|title=Great Lodges of the Canadian Rockies|year=1999|publisher=W.W. West|location=Bend, Oregon|isbn=0-9653924-2-2}}</ref>

==Access==
Abbot Pass (and the hut) may be approached from either the [[Lake O'Hara]] area on the [[British Columbia]] side (hiking past [[Lake Oesa]]), or the more technically demanding route from [[Lake Louise (Alberta)|Lake Louise]] on the [[Alberta]] side.<ref name="tyee"/>  The hut was rarely used in winter due to avalanche hazard.

===From Lake O'Hara===
The approach via [[Lake O'Hara]] was by far the most popular route to the hut.<ref name="acc"/> It was safer and [[grade (climbing)|less technical]] than going in via ''the Deathtrap'' or the ''Fuhrmann Ledges''.<ref name="tyee"/> It involved about 900 metres (3,000 feet) of elevation gain and 3 to 5+ hours from Lake O'Hara to the hut depending on conditions and the strength of the party. Some groups were caught out overnight on the trail or stranded at the hut in bad weather conditions.

The first hurdle on this approach was getting on the bus to [[Lake O'Hara]]. The bus is operated by [[Parks Canada]] and is used to control the number of people going to Lake O'Hara. Reservations are difficult to obtain; however an automatic reservation on the bus could be obtained by booking a reservation at the Abbot Pass hut with the [[Alpine Club of Canada]].  The alternative was to walk 10&nbsp;km up the access road carrying all equipment.

From Lake O'Hara, people going to the hut could follow the signed [[hiking]] trails to [[Lake Oesa]] to a sign marking the end of the Parks Canada trail, at which point it became largely [[scrambling]]. A trail was built to the hut by the Alpine Club, but parts of it were sometimes erased by [[landslide|rockslide]]s, so route finding skills are helpful. It is steep and covered with [[scree]]. A [[helmet]] is a good safety precaution in case of [[rockfall]], and an [[ice axe]] in case of ice or snow on the trail. One [[avalanche]] fatality occurred on the route, so it should not be undertaken when avalanches are possible.<ref>{{cite book
  | last = Patton
  | first = Brian
  |author2= Robinson, Bart
  | title = Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, Eighth Edition
  | publisher = Summerthought Publishing
  | date = 2007
  | pages = 274–275
  | isbn = 978-0-9782375-0-9}}
</ref>

===From Lake Louise===
The route from [[Lake Louise (Alberta)|Lake Louise]] involves significant [[Mountaineering#Hazards|objective hazards]]. A broad path leads from the [[Chateau Lake Louise]] along the lake shore past the teahouse and on to the [[Plain of Six Glaciers]]. It then continues into the deep gorge between [[Mount Victoria (Bow Range)|Mount Victoria]] and [[Mount Lefroy]] - known as '''The Deathtrap'''.<ref name="tyee"/> Persons going through this should move rapidly in case of [[serac]] fall or [[avalanche]]s from the glaciers above. It involves crossing a number of [[crevasse]]s in the glacier and may be impassible due to wall-to-wall [[bergschrund]] at the upper end. This is not an attractive route and should only be attempted by strong alpinists when there is deep snow cover on the glacier.<ref name="ScottJim"/>

==Activities==
The hut was often used as a base for alpine climbing on [[Mount Victoria (Bow Range)|Mount Victoria]] and [[Mount Lefroy]] (both over 3400 metres / 11,000 feet), and as a destination in itself for ambitious hikers. One of the reasons for the popularity of the hut was that climbers can ascend both Victoria and Lefroy in a weekend.

The normal route up Mount Lefroy (3423&nbsp;m / 11,230&nbsp;ft) is via the west face, going straight up the slopes from the hut toward the summit. There are routes up three separate gullies from the hut. The choice of the best one depends on snow conditions.<ref>{{cite book
  | last = Dougherty
  | first = Sean
  | title = Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies
  | publisher = Rocky Mountain Books
  | date = 1991
  | pages = 92–94
  | isbn = 0-921102-14-3
  }}
</ref>

The most popular route up Mount Victoria {{cvt|3464|m}} is from the hut via the southeast ridge to the south summit. Another popular route is a traverse of Mount Victoria, which can be done in either direction, either to or from the hut.{{sfn|Dougherty|1991|pp=95-100}}

==Facilities==
The hut slept 24 on its upper floor, and had both a wood stove for heating and drying, and a propane system for cooking and lighting.  Wood and propane were flown in annually by helicopter, by the Alpine Club of Canada. There was a drum-type outhouse a short distance from the hut and human waste was flown out by helicopter.<ref name="acc">{{cite web |title=Abbot Pass Hut |url=https://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/web/ACCMember/Huts/Abbot_Pass_Hut.aspx|publisher=The Alpine Club of Canada |access-date=29 March 2022|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207104751/https://alpineclubofcanada.ca/web/ACCMember/Huts/Abbot_Pass_Hut.aspx|archive-date=2023-02-07}}</ref><ref name="tyee"/>

==Nearby==
* [[Mount Victoria (Bow Range)|Mount Victoria]]
* [[Mount Lefroy]]
* [[Lake Louise (Alberta)|Lake Louise]]
* [[Lake O'Hara]]
* [[Elizabeth Parker hut]]

==Maps==
{| class = "wikitable"
|-
| '''Map reference''' || [[National Topographic System|NTS]] {{Canada NTS Map Sheet|82|N|8}}
|-
| '''Grid reference''' || 495903
|-
| '''GPS coordinates''' || 51°21′54″N 116°17′12″W  NAD83 11U 5'''496'''60 56'''906'''57
|-
| '''Hut elevation''' || 2925 metres (9,598 feet).
|}

* {{cite opentopomap|name=Abbot Pass hut|lat=51.364055|long=-116.290208|access-date=2021-11-21}}
* {{cite map
  |publisher = Chrismar Mapping Services
  |title = Lake O'Hara
  |scale = 1:20,000 
  |series = The Adventure Map
  |url = http://www.chrismar.com/P03AMap.htm
  |isbn = 0-929140-39-7
  }} This map shows trails and area highlights in detail
* {{cite map
  |publisher = Gem Trek Publishing
  |title = Lake O'Hara
  |scale = 1:20,000
  |series = Guides for Hiking and Recreation in the Canadian Rockies
  |url = http://www.gemtrek.com/lakeohara.html
  |isbn = 978-1-895526-38-7
  |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071017135243/http://gemtrek.com/lakeohara.html
  |archive-date = 2007-10-17
  |url-status = dead
  }} This map shows trails and area highlights in detail
* {{cite map
  |publisher = Gem Trek Publishing
  |title = Lake Louise and Yoho
  |scale = 1:50,000
  |series = Guides for Hiking and Recreation in the Canadian Rockies
  |url = http://www.gemtrek.com/lakelouise.html
  |isbn = 1-895526-64-7
  |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090202000518/http://www.gemtrek.com/lakelouise.html
  |archive-date = 2009-02-02
  |url-status = dead
  }} 
* {{cite map
 |publisher=Canadian Government 
 |title=82N/8 (Lake Louise) 
 |scale=1:50,000 
 |series=[[National Topographic System]] (NTS) 
 |url=http://maps.nrcan.gc.ca/index_e.php 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224172135/http://maps.nrcan.gc.ca/index_e.php 
 |archive-date=2007-12-24 
}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
 |last         = Beers
 |first        = Don
 |title        = The Wonder of Yoho
 |publisher    = Rocky Mountain Books
 |date         = 2003
 |url          = http://www.rmbooks.com/books/beewon.htm
 |isbn         = 0-921102-29-1
 |access-date  = 2008-01-08
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080429175726/http://www.rmbooks.com/books/beewon.htm
 |archive-date = 2008-04-29
 |url-status     = dead
}}
* {{cite book
 |last         = Copeland
 |first        = Kathy
 |author2      = Copeland, Craig
 |title        = Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies: The Opinionated Hiking Guide
 |publisher    = Hikingcamping.com
 |date         = 2004
 |url          = http://hikingcamping.com/time_canadian_rockies.php
 |isbn         = 0-9689419-7-4
 |access-date  = 2008-01-08
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20071017125127/http://hikingcamping.com/time_canadian_rockies.php
 |archive-date = 2007-10-17
 |url-status     = dead
}}
* {{cite book
 |last         = Corbett
 |first        = Don
 |title        = The 11,000ers of the Canadian Rockies
 |publisher    = Rocky Mountain Books
 |date         = 2004
 |url          = http://www.rmbooks.com/books/cor11000.htm
 |isbn         = 1-894765-43-5
 |access-date  = 2008-01-08
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20071205055931/http://www.rmbooks.com/books/cor11000.htm
 |archive-date = 2007-12-05
 |url-status     = dead
}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150326054346/http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/huts/abbot-pass-hut/ Abbot Pass hut] at the [http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/ Alpine Club of Canada]
* [http://www.weather.ec.gc.ca/ Weather forecasts from Environment Canada] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070118050954/http://weather.ec.gc.ca/ |date=2007-01-18 }}
* [http://www.avalanche.ca/ Public avalanche bulletins] from [[Avalanche Canada]]. 
* [https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/yoho Yoho National Park] at [https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/index  Parks Canada]
* [http://earth.google.com/ Google Earth] Find the Abbot Pass hut at 51°21′50.598″ N, 116°17′24.7488″ W

{{coord|51|21|50.598|N|116|17|24.7488|W|scale:25000_type:landmark_region:CA|display=title}}
{{Canadian Rockies}}
{{NHSC}}

[[Category:Mountain huts in Canada]]
[[Category:National Historic Sites in Alberta]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Banff National Park]]
[[Category:Stone houses]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures on the National Historic Sites of Canada register]]
[[Category:Classified Federal Heritage Building]]
[[Category:1922 establishments in Alberta]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1922]]
[[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Alberta]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2022]]
[[Category:Demolished sports venues]]