Wapta Traverse
Comfortable hut to hut ski touring in the Canadian Rockies
2025 // April 6-12 / April 20-26
New for 2025: Exclusive hut bookings! We will have the Peyto, Balfour and Scott Duncan huts all to ourselves — resulting in a much more comfortable guest experience.
The classic wapta ski traverse runs roughly north-south across the expanse of the Wapta and Waputik Icefields passing by four ACC huts along the way. This is the traditional route, starting at Peyto Lake and continuing over the glaciated spine of the Rocky Mountain Divide and finishing at Great Divide Lodge below Sherbrooke Lake.
For decades, the Wapta Traverse has had a legendary reputation as a paradise for ski mountaineering. Really, it has it all: an excellent hut system, perfect terrain for traverses, and easy access to excellent ski mountaineering objectives. The best time of the year is late March to late April when the snowpack is settled and you can still count on dry powder runs; this trip is right in that perfect window.
Our trip begins in Field where we’ll meet at 6:30 pm at Truffle Pigs Bistro on Day 1. Dinner and a hotel stay are provided with your trip fee. The next morning we will drive out to Peyto Lake to begin the trip. Shuttle drivers will accompany us and return our vehicles to Field where they will be waiting for us at trail’s end.
This itinerary is the Classic Wapta, beginning with a 2-night stopover at Peyto Hut which gives us more time to explore the incredible ski mountaineering available on the Waputik Icefield. We will then continue on to Bow & Balfour huts, up over the High Balfour Col to Scott Duncan hut, and exit via Sherbrooke Creek.
2025 DATES // April 6-12 (WT25-1), April 20-26 (WT25-2)
PRICE: $2395 CAD ACC member price (About $1,703 USD / €1,616 / £1,350) + 5% GST. ACC memberships are available to anyone for $51/year, click here to sign up! Non-member price is $2995
DEPOSIT: 50% payment secures your booking. Balance of payment is due December 1, 2024. See Payment and Booking Conditions tab for details
INCLUDED: Hotel stay and restaurant meals in Field at the start of the trip, Guiding, Food (excluding snacks and beverages), Exclusive hut booking fees, transportation between Field and the trip start and finish locations, porter service (food will be waiting at the first hut), group equipment
NOT INCLUDED: Beverages (you must bring your own tea, coffee & drink mixes), snacks (e.g. bars, trail mix, etc), transportation to Field, personal equipment
WT25-1 and WT25-2 are ACC Vancouver Section trips. ACC and V-section membership is mandatory for these trips, as is registration with the Vancouver Section ACC trip calendar.
Getting to Field
Our trip starts and finishes in Field, BC. If you are flying, the nearest international airport is Calgary (YYC). The best way to get from Calgary to Field is to rent a car, especially if you are in a group of 2 or more persons. You will have to rent the car for the week, which seems like a waste but it ends up costing not much more than, or the same as, a return bus or shuttle fare from Calgary to Lake Louise. Then you need to figure out how to get to Field, and there still remains the problem of transport between Field and the trailheads at the start and finish of the trip.
We will meet after breakfast at Truffle Pigs Lodge at 8:00 am on Day 1. After a quick look through your equipment to make sure everything is in order we will distribute group equipment and hit the road.
Please be on time: However, if for some unforeseen reason you cannot make it, please give me a call or text ASAP, Tom Wolfe at 403-707-9996.
I look forward to spending the week together with you and exploring the amazing ski terrain that the Wapta Traverse has to offer!
- Hut to hut traverse, carrying heavy packs (up to 20 kg / 45 lb). If you are concerned that you will not be able to carry your fair share of the weight contact us to discuss hte options. We can accommodate you but we need to know well ahead of time!
- Hut elevations are approximately 2200 m with 700 m vertical and covering 10-15 km/day on average (5 to 7 hrs travel)
- Glaciated terrain
- Powder skiing and ski mountaineering
Packing Notes:
You need to bring all of the following personal equipment. Please don’t bring extra equipment. If you have any questions at all about gear please do not hesitate to contact us.
Ski crampons are a must for spring ski touring, and they can make a big difference even on a powder skiing week at times. If you have any difficulty obtaining these please let me know. We have some spares and can likely set you up with a pair. If you have telemark bindings, G3 crampons have an attachment system that works well for most tele bindings.
For specifics about the clothing and equipment, this illustrated equipment page might be helpful.
Ski mountaineering gear
- Skis, preferably with tech-style Alpine Touring (AT) bindings, 150-185 cm in length, wide (100 mm+ at waist) for powder skiing. Telemark, frame-style AT bindings, or splitboards are acceptable as well, please contact us if you plan to bring one or these alternate touring systems.
- Ski crampons (mandatory; order these well in advance of the trip start date as they can be hard to come by, especially late season)
- Climbing skins — check that the glue is fresh and sticky, especially along the edges
- Ski Poles with powder baskets
- Ski Boots
- Harness – fitted for over your ski clothing (Black Diamond, Blue Ice, Cilao and Camp make the best lightweight ski touring harnesses)
- 2 x Locking carabiners, 2 x non-locking biners (optional)
- 1 x Prusik cord 5 metres long x 6 mm diameter
- 1 x 120 cm sewn sling (optional)
- Avalanche Transceiver – a modern digital unit
- Collapsible Avalanche Probe (240+ cm, not lightweight!)
- Avalanche Shovel (snow shovel designed for companion rescue with an extendible handle)
- Backpack – at least 65 L, large enough for sleeping bag, spare clothes, and your share of group food & equipment. If you are a small person then you can get by with 55 L
- Small emergency candle or small piece of glide wax (for skin icing)
- Don’t bring a small daypack. It’s not necessary and just makes your big pack heavier
Other gear
- Personal-sized hand sanitizer (mandatory)
- Sunglasses and ski goggles
- Water bottle — minimum 1 liter capacity, more if you don’t bring a thermos
- Thermos for Hot Drinks, approx 750 mL (optional)
- Sun block
- Lip cream
- Pocket knife and/or leatherman multi-tool (optional)
- Sleeping Bag — we recommend a three season bag rated between -7 to -9°C. Bring a lightweight compression stuff sac so you have room in your pack for other things.
- Headlamp with fresh batteries
- Small Blister and personal first-aid kit
- Camera (optional)
- Personal toilet items (keep to a bare minimum)
- 1 x Toilet paper roll
- Large stuff sack for carrying food
- Small container for your lunch
- Ear plugs for dorm sleeping (optional but recommended)
- Booties or sandals (Crocs work really well)
Clothing
- Long wool or synthetic (e.g. polyester or polypropylene) underwear (top & bottom)
- Extra warm shirt (not cotton)
- Medium weight fleece sweater
- Soft shell or fleece jacket
- Soft shell pants
- Insulated jacket (down preferred)
- Fleece or synthetic insulated pants — lightweight for April, heavier for Jan-early March
- Waterproof jacket with hood — Gore-Tex or equivalent
- Waterproof pants — Gore-Tex or equivalent, with side zippers
- 3 pairs Wool or synthetic/blend socks
- Wool or fleece hat (called a “toque” in Canada — rhymes with “kook”!)
- Waterproof ski mountaineering gloves or mitts
- Light weight ski gloves
- Neck tube or balaclava
- Sun hat
food and drinks
- Quality food is provided for all meals (including the first dinner and breakfast at Truffle Pigs). Traversing meals are provided for an average to above average eater. Special diets may be accommodated for an additional fee, but also may not be possible; contact us for details. If you are an above average eater, or prefer special snacks, or like drink mixes (electrolyte, etc.) then please bring along a bit extra for your lunches. For reference, we provide one sandwich per day. There should be plenty of breakfast and dinner for everyone.
- Beverages and liquor are not provided. If you want to bring alcohol on the trip then we do not recommened beer or wine as it’s heavy and bulky. One idea that’s popular: bring along a small bottle of Tequila with lime juice powder so you can make margeritas with the snow (we do provide snow in unlimited quantities). Many variations on the cocktail theme work well too! If you are a coffee or tea drinker be sure to bring enough to last you the whole trip. Likewise if you enjoy drink mixes (Gatorade etc.) be sure to bring that too.
- Snacks are not provided. We do provide one sandwich per day for lunch. If you need more than that for your energy needs throughout the touring day please be sure to bring extras like trail mix, bars, pepperoni sticks, chocolate, candy, etc.
Your guide will bring all of the necessary group gear.
Our standard booking conditions apply. Please see our Payment and Booking Conditions page for details.
April is the best month to do the Rockies hut traverses. Early April is likely to be a bit cooler and have powder skiing even on the solar aspects. The Rockies has a thinner snowpack than the Selkirks or Coast mountains, but by April the snowpack tends to be robust and the crevasses well covered. Expect temperatures in the -10C to 0C range, but be prepared for lows as cold as -20C or highs up to +5C!
Day 1: Truffle Pigs Lodge, Field, British Columbia
6:30 pm – Introductions over dinner in Field, BC at the “Truffle Pigs Bistro” (dinner is included in your trip fees). In case you haven’t heard of it — this is one of the finest restaurants in the Canadian Rockies! After dinner it’s back to your rooms where your guide will pay you a brief visit for an equipment check and distribution of group gear and food.
Day 2: Peyto Hut
7:00 am – breakfast is provided at the Truffle Pigs cafe. Bagged lunches will be provided by Kicking Horse Lodge. Make sure your backpacks and ski gear are packed and ready to go.
8:00 am – Drive to the trailhead at Peyto Lake. A shuttle will transport us to the trailhead — how’s that for service?!
10:00 – start skiing
17:00 – arrive at Peyto Hut. And — our food will be waiting for us, courtesy of our energetic portering staff!
The ski from Peyto Lake to Peyto Hut takes anywhere from 5 to 8 hours depending on conditions and group speed.
Days 3-4: Peyto Hut
The mountains around Peyto Hut provide excellent ski touring objectives. We will stay at the Peyto Hut an two days to enjoy the area!
Day 5: Balfour Hut
The ski over to Balfour Hut is spectacular and typically brings us up and over the Olive-St. Nicholas Col. A relaxing hot lunch stop at Balfour Hut is followed by an afternoon ski objective like laps on the Diablaret Glacier.
Day 6: Scott Duncan Hut
The trip over the Balfour High Col is usually the highlight and crux of the trip. We’ll ascend over heavily crevassed terrain adjacent the stunning serac-fringed east face of Mt. Balfour. After attaining the col, if conditions permit, an ascent of one of the nearby peaks like Lilliput or even Balfour’s South Face is possible.
Day 7: Trip Conclusion
All good things must come to an end. After a short run down from the Scott Duncan Hut it takes about 30 minutes of gentle climbing to come to the Shark’s Fin. From there it’s mostly downhill to get to the intersection of Niles and Sherbrooke Creeks where gurgling of spring snowmelt, birdsong, and the smell of spruce trees presents a sharp contrast with the alpine world we settled into during the trip. About five hours of travel in total brings us back to the highway and a shuttle to bring us back to Truffle Pigs. Expect to be back in Field for a late lunch, by 14:00 or so.
Tom Wolfe
(Mountain Guide ACMG/IFMGA) has been guiding since moving to Canmore in 1995, the place he calls home with wife, son and daughter. He guides year around, with winters being a mix of ski guiding at lodges, heli-ski operations, and remote backcountry destinations throughout western Canada. He has been involved with the Alpine Club of Canada for over 20 years including running the summer Mountain Mentorship Program for the Toronto Section, and winter ski trips for the Vancouver Section. He has been invited as a speaker at the Vancouver Section’s November 27, 2019 — your chance to meet him in person! Email: twolfe@sawback.com, Cell: (403) 707-9996
Here’s an unsolicited review (a blog post actually) about a Bow-Yoho trip from 2018. Enjoy!
2018 – Bow to Yoho Ski Traverse
WT24-1 and WT24-2 will be operated as Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Section Trips. As such they are also subject to the ACC waiver you signed with your membership to the ACC / V-Section. Please contact us if you have any questions about this. For details on the waiver including a copy of the waiver click here.