“Wapta Ice Run”, 24km trail run with glacier crossing (Wapta Icefield)

Cross the great Wapta Icefield on an exhilarating and challenging 24-kilometer trail run with IFMGA-certified guide James.

Group

Rockies

1 Day

Aug, Sep

High

Intermediate

Highlights

Run across the classic terrain of the Wapta Icefield.
Capture the stunning scenery of the Rocky Mountains.
Benefit from having a fully-qualified guide leading the way.

Description

Unbeatable views keep you constant company as you run across centuries-old glacier ice, soft dirt trails, breathtaking alpine lakes.

The Wapta Icefield spreads out across the Continental Divide in the Waputik Mountains, a range in the Canadian Rockies.

It is shared between the great national parks of Banff and Yoho, the former is the oldest national park in Canada, dating back to 1885, while the latter is the second oldest and home to wonderful natural landscapes.

We begin the trip on the terrific shores of Bow Lake, a flat 2-km warm up before we smoothly ascend on well-maintained trails. A further 7km and 400m in elevation then takes us to Bow Hut that is located near Bow Glacier.

Then we’ll ascend into the alpine environment around Nicholas Peak on rock slabs. Here are breathtaking panoramas of the park.

We’ll switch our footwear to micro-spikes and head on out onto the blue ice of the Wapta Icefield. For those who are up for the extra challenge, we can move our way up to the peak of Mount Thompson (3,100 meters), which presents spectacular scenery.

Then it’s downhill as we’re flanked by flowing waters gushing past Peyto Hut, before the ice fades and we regain the soil and mud trails through an incredible background of rock and waterfalls.

Potential runners don’t need previous glacier experience, yet you should be comfortable running on uneven terrain with a small running bag and searching for adventure.

Get in touch now to reserve your place on the Wapta Icefield for an adventurous 24-km trail run that includes a glacier crossing.

Price includes

Details

More info

Gear requirements: running pack, light rain jacket, compact warm jacket (puffy), gloves, change of socks, sun glasses, capacity to carry 1L water, micro-spikes.

Meeting point

About the guide

James

Mountain Guide

I have spent the better part of my life playing in the mountains. I am passionate about exploring the wilderness and having a great time while doing so. Having grown up skiing and climbing, it was a natural progression for me to become a fully certified Mountain Guide.

Baffin Island, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina are but a few of the places I have played around. I also sit on the ACMG Board of Directors and actively participate in the progression of the guiding industry.

Languages

English

Certificates

ACMG | UIAGM | IFMGA

Request more information

What people are saying about Explore-Share

Man

Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!

Maxine

Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.

Valeriya

You’re simply the best!!! :))) Explore-Share made everything easy and stress-free. Will definitely use again.

Joshua

We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.

Cami

Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.

4.8