Home / Environment / Alberta Glaciers Melting: Alpinism's Future at Risk
Alberta Glaciers Melting: Alpinism's Future at Risk
16 Jan
Summary
- Glaciers are melting rapidly, creating lakes where ice once was.
- 2025 was the second-worst year for glacier loss in western Canada.
- Guides are adapting tours, but some routes have disappeared.
- Warmer temperatures driven by greenhouse gas emissions cause ice loss.
Professional mountain guides in Alberta are experiencing escalating risks due to melting glaciers and significant ice loss. Tim Ricci, operations director for Yamnuska Mountain Adventures, notes that areas once covered by the Athabasca Glacier now feature lakes, fundamentally changing the landscape. This rapid melt, exacerbated by rising greenhouse gas emissions, threatens the future of alpinism.
Recent research indicates that 2025 marked the second-worst year for glacier loss in western Canada, with an estimated 30 gigatonnes of ice vanishing. Mountain guide Mike Adolph highlights that as ice retreats, challenges like crevasses become more severe, compounded by extreme temperature fluctuations. Guides are adapting by offering tours in colder months and altering routes to navigate newly exposed rock and gravel.
Adapting to these changing conditions means adjusting travel methods, sometimes choosing alternative routes or entirely different objectives. Guides emphasize communicating these evolving risks to clients, prioritizing safety above all. They also act as stewards, educating unaccompanied climbers about potential dangers. The visible signs of accelerating climate change in the mountains underscore the urgent need for global action to slow its progression.
