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All-time high - an unprecedented number of visitors are heading to Banff National Park, with a million more tourists passing through the gates in just the last five years. Has the beloved park reached its limits?
Landscape painting of a bright red canoe floating on a deep blue lake. Above the lake in the background is a large white and purple mountain [Mt. Rundle], surrounded by trees at the base., The lake is semi-stylized and has a strip of bright orange between the lake and the trees. Large trees rise up…
Landscape painting of a bright red canoe floating on a deep blue lake. Above the lake in the background is a large white and purple mountain [Mt. Rundle], surrounded by trees at the base., The lake is semi-stylized and has a strip of bright orange between the lake and the trees. Large trees rise up into the sky at the left and right of the painting.
Sub-series of hut registers from the Balfour (Rob Ritchie) Hut produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between 1966 and 2019. Registers include entries from visitors to the huts which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of specific events which occurred while staying at the hut…
According to the Alpine Club of Canada's website:
"The Rob Ritchie Hut, also known as the Balfour Hut, is found on low, rocky hills at the toe of the Vulture Glacier, approximately 28 km northwest of the town of Lake Louise, AB. It is east of Balfour Pass and the Continental divide, just inside the Banff National Park boundary.[...]
The Rob Ritchie Hut, also known as the Balfour Hut, is found on low, rocky hills at the toe of the Vulture Glacier, approximately 28 km northwest of the town of Lake Louise, AB. It is east of Balfour Pass and the Continental divide, just inside the Banff National Park boundary.
This is 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. Usual approach is from Bow Hut through the Olive/St. Nicholas Col then down the gentle and pleasant Vulture Glacier to Balfour Pass, where the hut sits on a section of moraine beneath the impressive bulk of Mt. Balfour.
Though most people will spend one night at the R.J. Ritchie (Balfour) Hut before continuing on to Scott Duncan, there is potential for good skiing here, especially on the Diableret Glacier which sits northwest of Mt. Balfour and makes for a fantastic run on a clear day! There is also an optional route to the summit of Mt. Gordon from this hut, which would be an excellent loop trip if combined with the normal route back towards Bow Hut. Use your imagination and some neat trip ideas will present themselves!"
Scope & Content
Sub-series of hut registers from the Balfour (Rob Ritchie) Hut produced by the Alpine Club of Canada between 1966 and 2019. Registers include entries from visitors to the huts which pertain to individuals' hiking and climbing trips; details of specific events which occurred while staying at the hut, wildlife sightings, custodial issues and updates, and related topics.
The sub-series is separated into individual hut registers, arranged by date:
M200 / IV / I / 1: Balfour Hut [Register] [1966-1971]
M200 / IV / I / 2: Balfour Pass Hut [1971-1972]
M200 / IV / I / 3: Balfour Pass Hut Register [1973-1974]
M200 / IV / I / 4: Balfour Pass Hut [register 1974-1982]
M200 / IV / I / 5: "Balfour Hut" [register] Sept. 2, 1982 - Nov. 17, 1989
M200 / IV / I / 6: Balfour Hut Journal Nov. 22, 1989 - Apr. 25, 1997
M200 / IV / I / 7: Balfour Hut Register [1997 -2001]
M200 / IV / I / 8: Balfour Hut Register 2007 - 2015
M200 / IV / I / 9: Balfour Hut register 2011 - 2019