Athabasca Glacier ICEWALKS, Ltd. — Local services in Alberta

I did the half day tour in September and while it was beautiful beyond belief, I was really really not happy with our guide. I am giving it 4 stars even though I probably would give it less based on my experience with the guide. However, I understand sometimes people have bad days and I don’t think my experience is the standard for the company and don’t want to ruin their google rating, I just want to give a bit of a PSA. I have participated in many guided hikes around the world so I am pretty used to a group dynamic and the team spirit and support they usually posses but this was not that. My partners and I got to the meeting spot even earlier than we were told to, and I had even provided my own crampons & gear that I had brought with me from home. There were other people who came late so we ended up having to wait for them and left later than scheduled, which I assume is why we were so rushed throughout the entire morning. I was extremely upset by the end of the tour as I was left behind multiple times without our guide waiting up or even looking back for me. I did not feel safe on the moraine portion at all. I moved slower than my group because I was scared of how steep the moraine path was (in all of my extensive research before booking I didn’t know it was so steep and scary it was or I would not of booked it lol) I am physically fit and typically very quick, but I was am scared of heights and ended up moving slightly slower than average but the group moved so quickly that many times my partner and I were left 40-50 feet behind the rest of the group. The guide did not care, I felt shamed. I was crying by the end because I felt so unsafe and so rushed and like I was an absolute annoyance to her the entire time and it ruined my experience. I get we were maybe rushed due to other people’s tardiness but that was not my doing as I showed up early and prepared. But the guide made it known many times how rushed we were due to being late- but 4 out of the 7 of us showed up early so it wasn’t actually most of our faults at all. I debated writing this review over the last few months and ultimately I do think that I would have wanted to know this info before I booked so I am posting it now. The hike is very doable if you are fit, and the glacier is really easy with spikes BUT it is really steep and unstable on the moraine depending on where the erosion has progressed to and the group moves really really fast over it. I would not recommend to anyone with any mobility issues at all, who are not fast walkers or who have any fears of heights.

Regardless of my experience and how it made me feel mentally, the glacier is gorgeous and I am so so happy I powered through, even if I was full of tears haha and embarrassment. What a once in a lifetime place to get to hike. But I’m never doing...

First off, I’d like to say I am not a person to regularly leave negative reviews and I greatly prefer to highlight the positives, but in this case I wanted to point out a couple shortcomings. The glacier itself was beautiful, the unsatisfactory experience stems from our guide, Jason. I should preface this by saying we are a family of seven with five kids, and that we checked beforehand to ensure littles were welcome on the tour. The response was that yes, children were absolutely welcome as long as they could keep up with the group. Completely understandable criteria. When we first arrived to check in, we were on the later side of the suggested arrival window because we accidentally went to the wrong parking lot—our fault, but not a reason for the guide to be frustrated. Jason told us multiple times as he was handing out gear “this isn’t a private hike” which was quite unnecessary and rude. He seemed quite irritated at the fact we had littles with us (by the way, those same little kids were at the front of the group the majority of the hike—definitely weren’t holding anybody back). During the hike, there were several occasions when someone asked a question, either about the glacier itself, or the geology nearby and Jason’s answer was simply “I don’t know, I’m not a glaciologist” or “I’m sure the answer is very interesting.” I understand that it’s impossible for someone to know absolutely everything about the glacier, but it seems reasonable to ask what kind of rock was nearby, or what causes the blue color in the ice. I would like to say, Jason did an amazing job of navigating and keeping everyone safe on the glacier, while still showing us really cool things. We even got to meet a NASA crew that was testing a robot on the ice! All in all, we enjoyed our experience on the glacier, but there was room for improvement in the glacier interpretation and the guide. Maybe offer guides training on how to interact with families and brush up on glacier info? Thanks for the...

TLDR: This tour is phenomenal and so are the staff. DO IT!

This is THE THING to do when visiting the Icefield Parkway and the Columbia Icefield. From beginning to end, my entire experience completely exceeded my expectations. The tour was breathtaking, shocking, and cool ;) The website was easy to navigate and it was easy to book the tour and the staff provided a response to my inquiry quicker than expected! The predeparture instructions were easy to follow. Upon arrival Jason ensured everyone on our tour was retrofitted with all of required gear to safely walk on the glacier.

The tour itself was spectacular! Jason shared a wealth of information on the nature of the ever changing landscape of the Columbia Icefield and the equally as incredible people that explore this amazing place. After peering down into the deep crevasse, which I was told change on a daily basis, I became incredibly appreciative of Jason's expert navigation skills that allowed us to explore the glacier safely. I would never dream of walking onto that glacier without a guide or the necessary training. Jason ensured we felt safe and stopped many times to allow us to ask questions, peer into one of the many beautiful ice pools, or wonder at the numerous waterfalls. Being on foot allowed us the flexibility to explore glacier features that had just emerged the week before. It was really special to know that my experience of the glacier would likely be completely unique from all those who came before, and those who will come after me, due to the dynamic nature of the ice. For those of you that are unsure about skill level - the guides walk at a gentle pace with frequent stops and I believe this is very doable for most people.

I HIGHLY recommend splurging for the Deluxe Tour as having lunch at the ice falls was an experience like no other. Thank you Athabasca Glacier Icewalks for such an amazing experience that I'm going to remember...