Conditions and Weather in the Columbia Icefield
Climbing conditions
It should be noted that lighter than normal snowfall levels for the past few years, combined with warming trends have contributed to the overall deterioration of the routes on the mountains of the Columbia Icefield, resulting in a higher occurence of objective hazards. However, this isolated mountain still receives severe storms on any given day of the year, and climbers or skiers attempting to make an ascent of Mt. Columbia must remain observant and vigilant at all times, as the weather in the Columbia Icefield can change suddenly, without warning.
Rescue Dynamics offers current climbing conditions , as well as weather reports and a host of other mountaineering related services. Current climbing conditions can sometimes also be obtained by calling Park Wardens in Jasper National Park at (780) 852-6155 or (780) 852-6181 at the Sunwapta Station. Park Wardens climb often in this area during training, while performing rescue operations as well as for personal recreation, and they often have recent and accurate information with regards to climbing conditions in the Columbia Icefield area.
Photos byAlan Kane
Climbing conditions
It should be noted that lighter than normal snowfall levels for the past few years, combined with warming trends have contributed to the overall deterioration of the routes on the mountains of the Columbia Icefield, resulting in a higher occurence of objective hazards. However, this isolated mountain still receives severe storms on any given day of the year, and climbers or skiers attempting to make an ascent of Mt. Columbia must remain observant and vigilant at all times, as the weather in the Columbia Icefield can change suddenly, without warning.
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Photos by
Red Tape, Fees and Legalese in Jasper National Park
Campers and backcountry hikers and skiers in Jasper National Park can reserve campsites with Parks Canada. Some trails are subject to quotas, so reservations are good insurance to guarantee a camping spot during the busier months of the year. Reservations can be made three months in advance.
Backcountry camping requires a permit as well at $8/night (maximum of $30) and a $10 reservation fee. Annual wilderness passes are available for $42 and are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. Contact the Jasper Parks Visitor Centre for more information on this at (780) 852-6176 or see the Jasper National Park Home Page (which contains links to fees, trail reports, and avalanche reports)
Up-to-date Park fees and camping fees can be found at Parks Canada Fee Page - Jasper National Park. A National Park Pass is required if you will be stopping anywhere in Jasper National Park. They can be purchased at any entry point to Jasper or Banff National Park, or at any Ranger Station, $8 per person or $16 per vehicle. Open fires are not allowed anywhere in Jasper National Park, except in restricted locations at approved campsites.
Campers and backcountry hikers and skiers in Jasper National Park can reserve campsites with Parks Canada. Some trails are subject to quotas, so reservations are good insurance to guarantee a camping spot during the busier months of the year. Reservations can be made three months in advance.
Backcountry camping requires a permit as well at $8/night (maximum of $30) and a $10 reservation fee. Annual wilderness passes are available for $42 and are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. Contact the Jasper Parks Visitor Centre for more information on this at (780) 852-6176 or see the Jasper National Park Home Page (which contains links to fees, trail reports, and avalanche reports)
Up-to-date Park fees and camping fees can be found at Parks Canada Fee Page - Jasper National Park. A National Park Pass is required if you will be stopping anywhere in Jasper National Park. They can be purchased at any entry point to Jasper or Banff National Park, or at any Ranger Station, $8 per person or $16 per vehicle. Open fires are not allowed anywhere in Jasper National Park, except in restricted locations at approved campsites.
Royal Canadian Mountain Police (780) 852-4848.
P.O. Box 1800 600 Pyramid Lake Road, Jasper, AB.
Jasper Hospital (780) 852-3344
518 Robson St. Jasper, AB.
Fire & Ambulance (780) 852-3100
Jasper Firehall, Patricia St. Jasper, AB.
Park Warden Office (780) 852-6155 / 56
Maligne Rd. Jasper, AB. (km 2)
Sunwapta Park Warden Station (780 )852-6181
Mile 45, Highway 93 (Icefield Parkway)
Pobotkan Creek Warden Station (780) 852-5383
Highway 93 (Icefield Parkway)
Search and Rescue (780) 852-3100
Jasper, AB
Emergency calls can be directed to the Jasper Park Warden
at (780) 852-3100
or by calling the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) at
(780) 852-4848.
Camping Near or in the Columbia Icefield
Columbia Icefield Campground
The Columbia Icefield Campground is located 1 km north of the Icefield Centre. There are enclosed cooking shelters with wood stoves and picnic tables. A pay telephone and bulletin board is at the entrance to the campground as you drive in. Outhouses are maintained regularly. There is no running water on a regular basis other than an outdoor hand-pumped fixture.
Wilcox Campground
Camping also is available at Wilcox Campground, 2.7 km south of the Columbia Icefield Centre on Highway 93. It usually opens in mid-June and is open until October. In the spring plenty of snow will still be around, sometimes blocking access to the campground. When the Icefield Campground is not plowed out, Wilcox Creek campground, or even Jonas Creek Campground, located well north of the Icefield Centre in Jasper National Park may be options, although the drive is significantly longer if accessing Mt. Athabasca or Mt. Andromeda via the Icefield Centre / SnoCoach road.
Sites in both campgrounds cost $18 - $20 per night. You must self-register. There are bivy sites on the mountain: pick a spot which will be safe from avalanches or slides. Technically, mountaineers bivouacking on Mt. Athabasca require a backcountry permit, available from Park Wardens at the Ranger Stations or the Icefield Centre for $6 a night. Hiking, trekking, scrambling and backpacking information in the Canadian Rockies is available atThe Canadian Rockies.com . There is a backpacking information page available, just click on this link: Backpacking Jasper National Park.
Camping in the Icefield
To camp right in the icefield itself, pick a spot which will be safe from avalanches, blizzards, and especially wind. Dig in your tent; if left sitting on the icefield surface it'll be gone before long. Technically, mountaineers bivouacking in the Columbia Icefield require a backcountry permit, available from Park Wardens at the Ranger Stations or the Columbia Icefield Centre for $6 a night. If camping and bivouacking in any part of the Columbia Icefield or Mt. Columbia, bring a shovel. The weather could have you digging your tent out every hour. Wands to mark the route would be considered prudent as well, as tracks don't last for long in this area.
Photo by Mack Muir
Columbia Icefield Campground
The Columbia Icefield Campground is located 1 km north of the Icefield Centre. There are enclosed cooking shelters with wood stoves and picnic tables. A pay telephone and bulletin board is at the entrance to the campground as you drive in. Outhouses are maintained regularly. There is no running water on a regular basis other than an outdoor hand-pumped fixture.
Wilcox Campground
Camping also is available at Wilcox Campground, 2.7 km south of the Columbia Icefield Centre on Highway 93. It usually opens in mid-June and is open until October. In the spring plenty of snow will still be around, sometimes blocking access to the campground. When the Icefield Campground is not plowed out, Wilcox Creek campground, or even Jonas Creek Campground, located well north of the Icefield Centre in Jasper National Park may be options, although the drive is significantly longer if accessing Mt. Athabasca or Mt. Andromeda via the Icefield Centre / SnoCoach road.
Sites in both campgrounds cost $18 - $20 per night. You must self-register. There are bivy sites on the mountain: pick a spot which will be safe from avalanches or slides. Technically, mountaineers bivouacking on Mt. Athabasca require a backcountry permit, available from Park Wardens at the Ranger Stations or the Icefield Centre for $6 a night. Hiking, trekking, scrambling and backpacking information in the Canadian Rockies is available at
Camping in the Icefield
To camp right in the icefield itself, pick a spot which will be safe from avalanches, blizzards, and especially wind. Dig in your tent; if left sitting on the icefield surface it'll be gone before long. Technically, mountaineers bivouacking in the Columbia Icefield require a backcountry permit, available from Park Wardens at the Ranger Stations or the Columbia Icefield Centre for $6 a night. If camping and bivouacking in any part of the Columbia Icefield or Mt. Columbia, bring a shovel. The weather could have you digging your tent out every hour. Wands to mark the route would be considered prudent as well, as tracks don't last for long in this area.
Hostels
For those who don't want to camp or bivouac, there is an excellent option to distant and expensive mountain park hotels.Hostelling International runs a chain of excellent, low-cost hostels which provide accomodations at several convenient locations close to popular climbing and touring sites. Five hostels, four open year-round, are located near the icefield. These hostels are clean, well-kept and managed by full-time custodians. The hostels are extremely economical in comparison to the costs of mountain park resorts and area hotels, as well as being surrounded by some of the most magnificent mountain scenery in the world.
Check-in at hostels starts at 3:00 p.m. and check-out is by 10:00 a.m. the next morning. Self-cook kitchens are the rule, featuring gas and wood stoves, outdoor water pumps (well water) and cleaning up after yourself is a rule as well. The facilities range in description from "rustic", with bunkhouse-style sleeping quarters, to "very comfortable", with private family rooms (Lake Louise). Hostels close to Mt. Athabasca are located at Athabasca Falls, Beauty Creek, Hilda Creek and the town of Jasper. Reservations should be made well in advance. Payment by cash or credit card (Visa) is accepted, upon checking in.
For those who don't want to camp or bivouac, there is an excellent option to distant and expensive mountain park hotels.
Check-in at hostels starts at 3:00 p.m. and check-out is by 10:00 a.m. the next morning. Self-cook kitchens are the rule, featuring gas and wood stoves, outdoor water pumps (well water) and cleaning up after yourself is a rule as well. The facilities range in description from "rustic", with bunkhouse-style sleeping quarters, to "very comfortable", with private family rooms (Lake Louise). Hostels close to Mt. Athabasca are located at Athabasca Falls, Beauty Creek, Hilda Creek and the town of Jasper. Reservations should be made well in advance. Payment by cash or credit card (Visa) is accepted, upon checking in.
Hazard Warning and Mountaineering Accidents
Before attempting to approach or climb Mt. Columbia, professional training in crevasse rescue should be considered mandatory. A history of mountaineering accidents on Mt. Columbia, and details of all accidents are available by clicking this link from theAlpine Club of Canada . Training is available through the Alpine Club of Canada, or a number of licensed guide services throughout the area. Solo or unroped skiing or climbing on any part of the approach through the icefield or on Mt. Columbia is not recommended; fatalities and disappearances have been the result of unroped skiing and climbing in this area in the past. Climbing is dangerous. Climb at your own risk.
Getting lost in this area is a real possibility, given that one day in three is statistically clear. Whiteouts, high winds, storms and generally uncooperative weather have ended most attempts to climb Mt. Columbia. Solid navigation skills are a must, and to enter this area without a good topographical map, compass and altimeter and the skills to use them properly would be foolhardy. A GPS would be good to have along as well as the aforementioned equipment. Set plenty of waypoints and check them often.
The Alpine Club'sEdmonton Section and Calgary Section both conduct an excellent mountaineering orientation program, which prepares novices for their initiation to mountaineering, and also features three days of practical instruction on the lower slopes of Mt. Athabasca, Parker's Ridge, and Hidden Valley. Instruction is done by top-notch volunteer members with many years of experience. The program includes theory and practical training in crevasse and rock rescue, subjective and objective hazards, mountain conditions and weather, clothing, ropework, use of technical equipment and personal gear, mountain safety and other relevant subjects. Avalanche awareness courses are available, as well as both summer and winter trips for members. Avalanche reports can be obtained as well. In addition, the Canadian Avalanche Association is an excellent source of current avalanche information.
The Association of Canadian Mountain Guides can provide information regarding guide services for those who wish to retain a guide. Several guide services, such asYamnuska Mountaineering, Inc. , also provide a three-day on-site mountaineering orientation program, highlighted with a guided ascent of either the North Glacier route or the AA Col route on nearby Mt. Athabasca.
Before attempting to approach or climb Mt. Columbia, professional training in crevasse rescue should be considered mandatory. A history of mountaineering accidents on Mt. Columbia, and details of all accidents are available by clicking this link from the
Getting lost in this area is a real possibility, given that one day in three is statistically clear. Whiteouts, high winds, storms and generally uncooperative weather have ended most attempts to climb Mt. Columbia. Solid navigation skills are a must, and to enter this area without a good topographical map, compass and altimeter and the skills to use them properly would be foolhardy. A GPS would be good to have along as well as the aforementioned equipment. Set plenty of waypoints and check them often.
The Alpine Club's
The Association of Canadian Mountain Guides can provide information regarding guide services for those who wish to retain a guide. Several guide services, such as
The Columbia Icefield Centre
Tourism
TheColumbia Icefield Centre , located on the Icefield Parkway at the base of Mt. Andromeda and Mt. Athabasca, was built in 1996 to replace the much smaller center previously found there. There is a small coffee shop stocked with quick snacks, and a dining lounge with more sophisticated dining, for those who feel a culinary treat is in order. Both are open only during regular business hours. Modern washrooms provide the last civilized toilets many climbers will see for days. There are ATM machines and tourist shops with souvenirs of the Columbia Icefield and the Rocky Mountains. The Columbia Icefield Chalet on the top floor of the Icefield Centre is a modern, if expensive hotel for those who don't want to camp, bivy or stay in nearby hostels.
On the main floor near the entrance is an Interpretive Center with videos and models of the Icefield, featuring the history of the area's glaciology, geology, and early mountaineering exploration and history. A huge fiberglass relief model of the Icefield, mountains and glaciers is fascinating and helps greatly in appreciating the topography and sheer size of the Columbia Icefield. There is plenty of helpfulColumbia Icefield information available at the Icefield Centre and on their various web pages, featuring movie clips and slide shows from the Athabasca Glacier, and information regarding the Icefield Parkway. A huge parking area ensures plenty of free parking for tourists, travellers, climbers and other backcountry users who happen to stop at the Icefield Centre. There are several pay phones in the parking area, available for use even during the months when the centre is closed.
Snocoach glacier tours onto the Athabasca Glacier can be arranged at the Icefield Centre. Privately led hikes are also available onto the glacier, under the supervision of local licensed guides. Veteran climber and ACC member Marcus Kellerhals leads glacier ski tours onto the Athabasca Glacier. Telescopes are mounted out on the terrace, and can be used to examine the various mountains in the area at close range. You can stand at one of the scopes, have a relaxing beverage and watch the intrepid adventures of climbers working their way up the North Face of Mt. Athabasca, or the Skyladder on Mt. Andromeda. It is not at all unusual for climbers near the Athabasca Glacier, the Icefield Centre or the Snocoach road to be the subject of photographs by hordes of awed tourists visiting the icefield for the first time. (So remember, if you are ever climbing one of the peaks close by....Smile! You're a tourist attraction!)
Park Wardens In addition to Ranger Stations at Sunwapta, Pobotkan Creek and the town of Jasper, park wardens are based at the Icefield Centre. Route information, climbing conditions, weather reports, perusal of logbook entries, and a voluntary climber's check-in and check-out are among the services offered. Park Wardens, in addition to frequently climbing in the area themselves, have a full view of the two most frequently-climbed peaks, Mt. Athabasca and Mt. Andromeda. Remember, climbers: if you check in, you must remember to check out, or a costly search operation could be conducted, for which you could end up stuck with the bill. A helicopter search based out of Golden, B.C. will be expensive.
Photos by: Left:Brewster Transportation Center and Right: Travel Alberta
Tourism
The
On the main floor near the entrance is an Interpretive Center with videos and models of the Icefield, featuring the history of the area's glaciology, geology, and early mountaineering exploration and history. A huge fiberglass relief model of the Icefield, mountains and glaciers is fascinating and helps greatly in appreciating the topography and sheer size of the Columbia Icefield. There is plenty of helpful
Park Wardens In addition to Ranger Stations at Sunwapta, Pobotkan Creek and the town of Jasper, park wardens are based at the Icefield Centre. Route information, climbing conditions, weather reports, perusal of logbook entries, and a voluntary climber's check-in and check-out are among the services offered. Park Wardens, in addition to frequently climbing in the area themselves, have a full view of the two most frequently-climbed peaks, Mt. Athabasca and Mt. Andromeda. Remember, climbers: if you check in, you must remember to check out, or a costly search operation could be conducted, for which you could end up stuck with the bill. A helicopter search based out of Golden, B.C. will be expensive.
Photos by: Left:
Maps
Topographic and GPS coordinates
The Google Earth website lists topographic and GPS coordinates derived by satellite measurement for Mt. Columbia as follows:
West Summit52 deg 08 min 57.23 sec N / -117 deg 26 min 43.04 sec W
(GPS) 52.149231 N / -117.445278 W
East Summit 52 deg 08 min 55.03 sec N / -117 deg 26 min 15.28 sec W
(GPS) 52.148619 N / -117.437578 W
The west summit is 220 feet higher than the east summit.
Mountain Highways Map by Rocky Mountain Books
Topographic and GPS coordinates
The Google Earth website lists topographic and GPS coordinates derived by satellite measurement for Mt. Columbia as follows:
West Summit
East Summit
Mountain Highways Map by Rocky Mountain Books
Mt. Columbia Acknowledgements and Photo Credits
The information contained on the Mt. Columbia mountain page has been compiled by Henry Timmer, a Canadian citizen, mountaineer, and adventurer currently residing in Sacramento, California, USA. To make comments, corrections, additions or inquiries, contact me atclimbwild@hotmail.com
The text of this mountain page is based on the experiences, research and writing of Henry Timmer and is protected by copyright.
Thanks to Dan Ronsky and Rod Plasman for the use of their excellent images. AllAlan Kane images are used with permission and protected by copyright. All images by Brad Harrison and Mack Muir are used with permission and protected by copyright.
The information contained on the Mt. Columbia mountain page has been compiled by Henry Timmer, a Canadian citizen, mountaineer, and adventurer currently residing in Sacramento, California, USA. To make comments, corrections, additions or inquiries, contact me at
The text of this mountain page is based on the experiences, research and writing of Henry Timmer and is protected by copyright.
Thanks to Dan Ronsky and Rod Plasman for the use of their excellent images. All
