Home > Trip Reports > Feb 11-18, 2012, Campbell Icefield Chalet

Feb 11-18, 2012, Campbell Icefield Chalet

2/11/12
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Posted by Jim_Clement on 2/19/12 12:09am
The usual suspects made a return visit to Campbell Icefield Chalet last week. Unlike last year we were able to access the high alpine thanks to a high pressure bubble. We found a very stable right side up snow pack with very few signs of instablilty.  About 20 cm fresh fell throughout the week.

Campbell is a lesser known hut acccessed by a 15 minute helicopter flight from Donald BC, about 40 km west of Golden BC. It sits on the extreme western edge of the Rockies in some fabulous alpine terrain. If the weather cooperates there is wonderful alpine touring up Mt. Alan Campbell, East peak, to the Campbell icefield, to Bernard Shoulder, and other destinations. There is some tree skiing for the cloudy days (last year 2 meters of snow fell in the 6 days we were there) but the hut is best know for the high alpine. Great facilities, too - indoor running cold water, an indoor flush toilet (!), electric from a microhydro installation, and small separate sleeping rooms for couples. Highly recommended.

Incredible area, thank you for sharing.

If you have more photos, don't be afraid to share!

Have looked across at that area so many times from the Adamants/Esplanade and always naively assumed it's too cold/shallow/windblown/persistent weak layered despite its incredible beauty and terrain.  Glad I was wrong.

This looks like a real paradise and such good weather! Gorgeous scenery. Brings back fond memories of skiing in places like that. Not anymore for these old bones. We were happy to make it up 700' to our new "low" campsite on Sasse Ridge yesterday in all the fresh new snow.

Wow.  So, I'm new to the NW, not to mention Canada.  How does one begin to make a reservation for such a fine place?

I met the owner whilst up at a "worK" conference at Banff maybe 2 years ago.  Very nice guy, I think his name is Larry.  He seemed quite young but very experienced as a guide, businessman and also general contractor.  He described paying heli companies to ferry stuff in during the summer so he could do construction.  This place is an example of an interesting business niche.  They also have a summer hiking and climbing instruction season I think.  I was lucky enough to go to SME out of Revelstoke in winter 1999, my first and only heli-hut experience.  That was great and Campbell Icefield looks fantastic too.

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feb-11-18-2012-campbell-icefield-chalet
Jim_Clement
2012-02-19 08:09:43