A.O. Wheeler Hut
Wheeler Hut trip – Beginner to Intermediate ski touring
Trip description: You will arrive at the hut at your leisure Friday afternoon or early evening. Please let the trip coordinator(s) know when you expect to arrive.
Depending on the conditions we will explore different areas of Rogers Pass with day packs both Saturday and Sunday. Expect to climb about 1000 + meters per day.
Objectives will be discussed the evening before and selected based on the strength of the participants and conditions. As always in the backcountry, conditions may change at a moment’s notice.
It is likely that there will be at least one easy objective, one strenuous objective, and one or more intermediate objectives. Some objectives may be in Winter Restricted Areas of Rogers Pass. If this is of interest to you, make sure you complete the Winter Permit quiz and obtain your permit before the trip or alternately, you can obtain a daily permit at the Discovery Center in the morning but this may require that you leave the hut earlier than the rest of the group and arrange your own transportation to the Discovery Centre and then to the designated ski area.
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/glacier/visit/hiver-winter/ski/permis-permit
For this trip you will also require a Discovery Pass and an overnight parking permit:
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/admission
https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/wac/print?lang=en
Approach to the hut: Easy, approximately 2 km along an abandoned rail bed. Expect 20 to 30 minutes from the parking lot.
Departure: anticipate leaving between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
The links below are good resources for possible objectives. Please take the time to do some research about the area prior to the trip so you can propose objectives based on your fitness and experience.
https://www.geobackcountry.com/
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/glacier/visit/hiver-winter/ski/atlas
If you arrive at the hut early on Friday, please do the following:
Start a fire. If the hut is cold, it will take a long time to warm up. However, be aware the sleeping loft gets quite warm at night so, no roaring fires past 7pm.
Make sure the water buckets are full. Water is taken from a creek on the right-hand side of the railbed as you approach the hut.
Please boil water for sterilization (for 1 minute) using the large pots which are usually on one of the stoves.
Chop firewood and make sure there is firewood near each stove.
Put away dishes in the drying racks only if the dishes are dry. Do not use any of the cloths you might find in the kitchen as they might be contaminated.
If the dishes in the racks are not dry, just let them be. Check the kitchen is clean. Empty the grey water buckets under the sinks and clean the mesh screens (the waste in the mesh screens needs to be packed out).
Shovel snow off the paths to the outhouse and wood shed. Information about the hut: https://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/web/ACCMember/Huts/A_O_Wheeler_Hut.aspx
Coming home to the Cozy Wheeler Hut