R.J. Ritchie Hut
Encyclopedia
The R.J. Ritchie Hut is an alpine hut
located at an altitude of 2470 metres (8,103.7 ft) 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 this classic 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, as well as a wood stove for heating. There is a single outdoor drum toilet at this facility.
The hut requires approximately 3 to 5 hours of glacier travel to get to from the Bow Hut
, or 6 to 8 hours of glacier travel from the Scott Duncan Hut
.
.
built in 1965 at Balfour Pass in Banff National Park
, was conceived by guide Peter Fuhrmann and funded by Vici and Lucho Mondolfo. It was the first hut on the Wapta Icefield
. Construction was undertaken by the Alpine Club of Canada
and the Calgary Ski Club. It survived until 1971, despite being disassembled and reassembled entirely with Swiss Army Knives
, airlifted by helicopter, and inadvertently dropped onto a glacial moraine. Eventually, marauding bands of wolverine
s destroyed it. The second Balfour Hut was constructed in 1971 of cedar logs on the south side of Mount Olive
to the west of the continental divide
in Yoho National Park
. It lasted for 18 years, but in 1989 was replaced by the current metal structure at its new location at the toe of the Vulture Glacier, back in Banff National Park.
Alpine hut
A mountain hut is a building located in the mountains intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by a section of an Alpine Club...
located at an altitude of 2470 metres (8,103.7 ft) between the southern tip of the Wapta Icefield
Wapta Icefield
The Wapta Icefield is located on the Continental Divide in 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...
and the northern tip of the Waputik Icefield
Waputik Icefield
The Waputik Icefield is located on the Continental divide in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. It is developed on the heights of the Waputik Range in the Central Main Ranges....
in Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
. 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 this classic cross-glacier ski trip. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada
Alpine Club of Canada
The Alpine Club of Canada is a mountain club with a National Office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler, who served as its first president, and Elizabeth Parker, a journalist for...
.
The hut sleeps 18 in the summer and 16 in the winter. It is equipped with propane-powered lamps and stovetop, as well as a wood stove for heating. There is a single outdoor drum toilet at this facility.
The hut requires approximately 3 to 5 hours of glacier travel to get to from the Bow Hut
Bow hut
The Bow Hut is an alpine hut located at an elevation of on the eastern edge of the Wapta Icefield in Banff National Park. It is the largest, best equipped, and most accessible of the four alpine huts on the Wapta Icefield, and serves as the base for a wide variety of ski tours and mountaineering...
, or 6 to 8 hours of glacier travel from the Scott Duncan Hut
Scott Duncan Hut
The Scott Duncan Hut is an alpine hut located on the southern tip of the Waputik Icefield in Yoho National Park. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada.The hut sleeps 12 and is equipped with propane powered lamps and stovetop...
.
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 ParkBanff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
.
History
The original Balfour Hut, a fibreglass iglooIgloo
An igloo or snowhouse is a type of shelter built of snow, originally built by the Inuit....
built in 1965 at Balfour Pass in Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
, was conceived by guide Peter Fuhrmann and funded by Vici and Lucho Mondolfo. It was the first hut on the Wapta Icefield
Wapta Icefield
The Wapta Icefield is located on the Continental Divide in 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...
. Construction was undertaken by the Alpine Club of Canada
Alpine Club of Canada
The Alpine Club of Canada is a mountain club with a National Office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler, who served as its first president, and Elizabeth Parker, a journalist for...
and the Calgary Ski Club. It survived until 1971, despite being disassembled and reassembled entirely with Swiss Army Knives
Swiss Army knife
The Swiss Army knife is a brand of pocket knife or multi-tool manufactured by Victorinox AG and Wenger SA. The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by US soldiers after World War II due to the difficulty they had in pronouncing the German name....
, airlifted by helicopter, and inadvertently dropped onto a glacial moraine. Eventually, marauding bands of wolverine
Wolverine
The wolverine, pronounced , Gulo gulo , also referred to as glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, or quickhatch, is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae . It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, more closely resembling a small bear than other mustelids...
s destroyed it. The second Balfour Hut was constructed in 1971 of cedar logs on the south side of Mount Olive
Mount Olive (Canadian Rockies)
Mount Olive is located on the border of Alberta and British Columbia. It was named in 1897 by H.B. Dixon after his wife Dixon, Olive.-See also:* List of peaks on the British Columbia-Alberta border* Mountains of Alberta* Mountains of British Columbia...
to the west of the continental divide
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
in Yoho National Park
Yoho National Park
Yoho National Park is located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide in southeastern British Columbia. Yoho NP is bordered by Kootenay National Park on the southern side and Banff National Park on the eastern side...
. It lasted for 18 years, but in 1989 was replaced by the current metal structure at its new location at the toe of the Vulture Glacier, back in Banff National Park.