This article was written by Sarah Palmer and was published in the Globe & Mail on February 27, 2025.
A new type of tourism mixes science and traditional knowledge atop a vanishing landmark
As glaciers disappear, tourists want to experience these receding ice masses
The first steps onto a glacier can feel like you’re on another planet. Some people compare it to being on the moon or Mars, likely because of the look of the surrounding rocks and glacial silt. The air is as fresh as you might expect from a mountain range but on Alberta’s Athabasca Glacier, you can still catch a whiff of diesel fuel from the giant tour buses that escort tourists up and down each day.
As features of our planet disappear – think coral reefs, rain forests or glaciers – tourists have begun to get curious about experiencing these last-chance wonders.
Located in the Rocky Mountains, the Athabasca Glacier recedes approximately five metres every year and is expected to disappear entirely by 2100. Traditionally, tours shuttled guests onto the ice on diesel buses. But recently, smaller outfitters have begun to take a new approach, one that considers the climate crisis.
Max Darrah, owner of Rockaboo Mountain Adventures, created the Tread Lightly Glacier Hike, which he describes as “the world’s first net-zero daily glacial monitoring program involving park visitors.” Through his tours he encourages visitors to deepen their connection to the land.
One of the ways he does this is asking them to help out with collecting research data. When guests hike to the ice mass, they also take daily measurements of the incoming and reflected solar radiation on the glacier, as well as surface ice loss.
“There’s something powerful about being able to hold this field book and to see all these entries and know every one of those entries was done because somebody chose to join our hike,” says Mr. Darrah.
The data they gather are then shared with scientists around the country. An Decorte, from Belgium, took part in a Rockaboo hike and described the experience of learning about the glacier’s history and future as “both humbling and awe-inspiring.”
Nlaka’pamux guide Tim Patterson, owner of Zuc’min Guiding, also runs an eco-friendly operation. Mr. Patterson’s mission is to be respectful to the glacier, while introducing visitors to an Indigenous perspective.
He wants to remind people that Indigenous culture and knowledge is alive, present and thriving in everyday life. “What I do and what my guides do is no different than what our people did historically in how we observe and navigate the terrain. Our mountain knowledge and our Indigenous culture continues here.”
While on the tour, Mr. Patterson offers observations on how much the ice has receded, the different moraines of the glaciated landscape and the process of how glaciers are made. “Every time I come onto the glacier, I’m shocked at how much it’s changed,” he says. His aim isn’t to reverse climate change directly, but to open people’s eyes to the power and beauty of the land.
“As long as one person on my trip understands and is able to learn and influence from their own power, then I’ve done something meaningful.”
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