Bow Hut renovation 2023
The Bow Hut is popular in summer and winter seasons as a base for mountaineering and backcountry skiing. It’s one of the largest and most popular huts in the ACC network, and the heart of the Wapta Icefields.
Summer 2023 saw a major improvement project at Bow, with a dedicated ACC maintenance staff spending two weeks at the hut upgrading and improving the power and ventilation systems, renovating the breezeway that joins the living and sleeping quarters, and adding a new front door vestibule.
Solar power
The Bow Hut has never had solar power or electricity of any kind. Until this past month, all lighting was from propane lamps and ventilation was entirely passive. The installation of solar panels and a battery bank allowed us to light the common areas with LED lights and relegate the propane lamps to backup use only. Electricity also allowed us to install USB charging stations for our guests’ devices (bring your own cables).
Ventilation upgrades
Electricity also allowed us to address the issue of condensation in the hut with the installation of a heat recovery ventilator system as well as kitchen hood fans. Between cooking, boiling water, and drying of gear, the hut has also been a bit of a humid place. Too much humidity in a building is a bad thing (see the before and after pictures of the breezeway in the gallery), and the ventilation should solve this problem.
Breezeway renovation
The breezeway connects the sleeping from the living sides of the hut, as well as being the front door and where a lot of skis and wet gear get stored. This hallway room was rebuilt after being stripped to the studs.
Vestibule construction
The breezeway is still the front door of the hut, but now there is a new vestibule that will allow for more storage of boots, as well as keeping warm air inside and blowing snow out.
We hope you get a chance to check out the new, improved Bow Hut, the heart of the Wapta Icefields!
Big thanks to the ACC’s hut maintenance team for a great upgrade at Bow.
