Abbot Pass Explained

Abbot Pass
Elevation M:2925
Location:Banff National Park, Alberta / Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada
Range:Canadian Rockies
Coordinates:51.3664°N -116.2844°W

Abbot Pass lies between Mount Lefroy and Mount Victoria, in the divide between the valleys of Lake O'Hara and Lake Louise.[1] It was named for Philip Stanley Abbot who died in 1896 in an attempt to climb Mount Lefroy with Charles Fay, Charles Thompson, and George T. Little.[2]

Abbot Pass has a stone hut, built in 1922 by Swiss guides working for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and was maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada. In 2022, the hut was removed by Parks Canada due to erosion making the structure unsafe.[3]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Abbot Pass is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[4] Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C.

Notes and References

  1. 120 . Abbot Pass.
  2. Web site: National Historic Sites. https://web.archive.org/web/20070117072423/http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/natcul/natcul11_e.asp . January 17, 2007. Parks Canada. dead. 2006-08-27.
  3. News: Moore . Sarah . Climate change forces Parks Canada to dismantle, remove historic mountain hut . 27 October 2024 . CBC News . 25 February 2022.
  4. Peel, M. C. . Finlayson, B. L. . McMahon, T. A. . 2007 . Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification . Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. . 11 . 5 . 1633–1644 . 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . free . 2007HESS...11.1633P . 1027-5606.