Brian Waddington Hut

Brian Waddington Hut
Brian Waddington Hut (August 2007)
Overnight Capacity	Nominal: 24 persons Maximum: 40 persons (31 max in loft)
Coordinates	10U 522643E 5608795N (WGS 84) 10U 522738E 5608593N (NAD 27) 92 J/10 (Topographic map)
Elevation	1715m
Fee	$15/night (PAY ONLINE HERE)
Reservations	No
Locked	No
Access	Phelix Creek Trail and Phelix Creek FSR
Built	1998
Caretaker	Varsity Outdoor Club
Legal	Type: License of Occupation Tenure Status: Active until 2019-07-08. Renewal Pending. Number: 241077 Management: 2025 Plan

The Brian Waddington Hut (commonly referred to as Phelix Hut) was erected in the Summer of 1998. You'll find it in Phelix Creek on the shores of Long Lake, near the peaks of Mt. Aragorn, Shadowfax, Gandalf and Peregrine. Access via Pemberton is a 10km hike with 1,000m of elevation gain.

For those who may want to know more about Brian Waddington see http://www.avalanche-center.org/Incidents/1995-96/19960517-Canada.txt

Brian Waddington (Phelix) Hut on the VOC Huts website

Motorized Vehicle Closure from April 1 - June 15 (must park at winter lot)

Area Closure from August 15 - October 15 (no access)

Please respect these closures. They are due to grizzly bear activity during those times.

	Campfires are PROHIBITED at all VOC huts.
	VOC Huts are located in sensitive alpine environments. Follow Leave No Trace principles and please do not make campfires. If you see someone having a campfire at one of our huts, please report them to information(at)ubc-voc(dot).com.

History

The hut was erected in the Summer of 1998. The structure was donated by the BC Workers Compensation Board (now known as WorkSafeBC) as part of their retraining program for injured workers. The VOC paid helicopter costs to fly the cabin in to the site. The frame of the cabin was prebuilt in Vancouver, trucked to Birkenhead Lake Provincial Park, and then flown in in 3 pieces and assembled on-site. A detailed account of the building of the hut can be found in the cabin logbook, and in the VOC Journal 1998.

The Brian Waddington Hut is within the LRMP special zoning, RA1-A (non-motorized, with air access), although the VOC would have preferred RA1 (no air access), given that a fit party can easily reach the hut on skis in 1 day with enough time left over to get a few runs in. A (reasonably) detailed map of the area showing zoning can be found here. Further details can be found as part of the Winter Recreation zoning near VOC huts.

In 2007, a new trail was built up the west side of Phelix Creek. This new trail eliminated the two creek crossings and combined the winter and summer access routes into a single trail. Unlike the previous trail, this one is formally approved by the provincial government.

Fees and Current Condition

No reservations are taken, but please see the VOC Hut Registration page to help coordinate use.
For the most up to date information on the Hut see the Bulletins on the Hut Registration Page.

VOC huts are open to all non-motorized, non-commercial users. A $15 per person per night fee applies to pay for hut maintenance. The fee can be sent in to the VOC via our Showpass Donation Page or can be left at the hut in the blue drop box. If neither of these work, you can send it to the VOC by mail. VOC trips have priority during fall and winter holidays (New Years, Reading Week, Easter) so please contact the VOC before planning a trip during this time. Commercial groups are requested to contact the VOC before using any of the huts. There is a lost and found page for items in and around the VOC huts. Note that this is a bear-active area. Follow the proper bear aware procedures when hiking in this area.

Bear Activity

This area is prime feeding for grizzly and black bears during the late summer. On the advice of a local biologist, access to the hut and surrounding area is discouraged from August 15th through October 15th. Although use is not prohibited during this time, we enact a voluntary closure to avoid disrupting bear feeding activities.

From Blair Hammond, one of the VOCers who got the hut project started in the first place:

The impetus for the voluntary closure is that the area has traditionally been important for grizzly and that there had been some history of conflicts with grizzly in the area (involving back-country recreationists). Members of the hut committee did not want to be complicit in facilitating bear-human conflicts or in displacing grizzly from habitat important to them. MOF, who approved the huts location, were quite pleased at the time that we would be giving this kind of consideration, and whilst it was not a condition of the permit, it was appreciated and a good way to build the relationship.

Between April 1 and June 15, the Phelix Creek FSR is closed to motor vehicles because of the disturbance that they can cause to bears. During those times, it is illegal to drive on the Phelix Creek FSR; you must park at the winter lot.

Regardless of when you go, practice bear safety. Travel in a group. Consider taking bear spray. Most importantly, never leave behind garbage or bits of food that will attract bears and habituate them to humans. 

Commercial Snowmobiling

Snowmobiling is not permitted by the zoning around Brian Waddington Hut. See the land use issues page for information about an application for commercial snowmobiling operations in Phelix Creek.

Fireworks

Firework use at the hut is discouraged to avoid wildfire, and to reduce noise pollution and disturbance of wildlife in the area.

Access

The hut is accessed via the Phelix Creek Trail and the Phelix Creek FSR. Phelix is zoned for non-motorized use with air access use, however, the VOC would like to kindly remind visitors that the hut is intended for non-motorized users only. Air access to the Hut is explicitly for hut work related trips (such as providing firewood or renovation materials) and not permitted for any other purpose. For further details on recreation zoning see the page on Winter Recreation Zoning near VOC Huts and the latest VOC Hut Management Plan.

Facilities

Maximal sleeping arrangement of the Loft. Note the direction of each spot that helps to give each person as much space as possible. Red indicates a space ideal suited for a person over 6'0 tall, while Green/Blue/Purple indicate spots limited to persons shorter than 5'8. Avoid sleeping in the green and purple spot if possible.

The information on this page is just a snapshot. See the Hut Inventory Page for information on tools and materials at the Hut.

Heating	Conventional Wood Stove - LIMITED WOOD SUPPLY. PLEASE USE SPARINGLY
Lighting	Solar lighting!
Cooking	Currently no stove. Some large pots available for melting snow.
Fire Safety	Two Fire Extinguishers (Replaced 2022) Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Installed 2022)
First Aid
Sleeping	Open floor loft. No pads.
Capacity	40 persons (31 in the loft)
Drinking water	Creek to the South West of the Hut (boil or filter). Snow-melting pot in hut.
Human Waste	Outhouse
Greywater	Northeast side of the hut.
Garbage	Pack it out!

The Brian Waddington Hut sleeps 24 people with comfort in the loft, and more in a pinch, up to maximum of 31. When the loft is full there is space on the main floor, practically for about 4, but could have as many as 8 or 9 for a total hut capacity of 40 persons. See the image above right for the sleeping arrangement in the loft for maximal packing of people both tall and small.

Unlike most huts in the Coast Mountains, this one is insulated and has a vapor barrier. This means that the upstairs windows may need to be opened to let moisture and stove fumes escape.

There is an outhouse not far off behind the hut.

Cooking and Water

For cooking supplies, there is a large heavy fry pan, as well as a small one. There is also a big pot at the hut. Plan on bringing your own however. There are mice in this hut! Hang up your food, and make sure it is secure; the mice have been known to be tightrope artists so beware that even if your food is hanging up in the Hut, it might not be safe.

Water can be collected from a nearby stream, even in winter. People have been known to get sick from drinking the water untreated. You should thoroughly boil your water or use a filter or purification tablets.

Heating and Lighting

In summer 2019, the hut was equipped with a conventional wood stove. Wood is manually carried on the backs of volunteers to the hut, all the way from the road, so please please please use wood sparingly. Start with a small fire. The hut is well insulated and a small fire will heat up the hut well. If it's too hot to sleep in your sleeping bags, you have used too much wood.

	Campfires are PROHIBITED at all VOC huts.
	VOC Huts are located in sensitive alpine environments. Follow Leave No Trace principles and please do not make campfires. If you see someone having a campfire at one of our huts, please report them to information(at)ubc-voc(dot).com.

If the hut does run out of wood, please don't chop trees down around the hut. A cozy cabin can still be achieved if you bring a lot of friends (25 should do). Everyone's body heat will warm up the hut quite effectively.

Outhouse

The location and type of outhouse has gone through a number of iterations over the years. In its current form, the outhouse sits on a pedestal above the ground. It was built this way because it was originally intended to be a compositing toilet. It was quickly discovered, however, that the ground for some strange reason was frozen 8 months of the years and was too cold to culture the bacteria needed to accelerate decomposition. The organic material added to the outhouse just ended up filling the pit up faster. Soon after, discussions turned to digging a new pit and where they would move the outhouse to. An ambitious VOCer in biology set out to determine the soil toxicology around the outhouse to determine if the current pit was leeching bad things into the lake. He brought samples all the way back to his lab but was told by his lab supervisor that the samples had to be fresh; aka. anything that would have been in the samples had since died. So the outhouse was moved to a spot that a bunch of VOCers estimated would be far enough away from the lake for proper filtration, close enough to the Hut for convenience, and far enough away from the drinking water creek.

Games and Music

• There is an old steel string guitar at the hut that was originally donated by Dan Perrakis.
• Many decks of cards, at least one of which is complete.
• Matterhorn puzzle, some pieces missing.
• Crib board with matchstick pieces.

Library

A small library is provided for the enjoyment of hut users:

• VOC Journals: List of VOC Journals at this Hut
• VOC Songbook (3 new, 1 old)
• Lord of the Rings (3 volumes)
• Without Feathers by Woody Allen
• Heavenly Breakfast by Samuel R Delany
• The Cave by Jose Saramagio
• Heat of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
• Various printouts and photocopies of info on peaks in the area, from Bivouac, Fairley and Matt Gunn guidebooks.

Activities

Phelix offers activities for all seasons. Please note that visiting the Brian Waddington Hut is discouraged from August 15 - October 15 to allow for grizzly feeding.

Winter

Skiing

Cabin Hill from the northwest

NW Knob from Cabin Hill

"Return of the King" as seen from the base of Cabin Hill

	Avalanche Hazard
	The route and terrain described here is capable of producing avalanches. Safe travel requires the skills and equipment to assess and mitigate avalanche hazards. A professionally taught training course is highly recommended.

The Brian Waddington Hut is on the eastern (interior) side of the Coast Range, and consequently snow quality is usually very good. The hut is a great base for yo-yoing and touring, surrounded by good slopes on all aspects. There is excellent tree skiing nearby as well, so bad weather won't mean you have to sit around in the hut all day. The skiing is not beginner friendly. This is not the place to learn. At the very least, you should be comfortable with blue runs and powder snow to get the most enjoyment out of the terrain in the area.

Bunny Hill

Across the creek to the SW of the hut is gentle area with nice easy meadows for skiing. However the runs are very short. Don't go too far south or you end up in serious avalanche terrain in the bowl below Return of the King

Cabin Hill

The low knoll (1938m) above the SE end of the lake arguably offers some of the best bad weather skiing around the hut. While the northwest slopes facing the cabin are quite steep and open (and thus prone to avalanches), the northeast side offers gentler, safer gladed tree skiing. For the same reasons, the northeast side is also the preferred line of ascent. There is also very good skiing in the large bowl off the back (southeast) side of Cabin Hill. Skier's left side of this bowl (close to Cabin Hill) is steep trees whereas the skier's right side is wide open. Good tree skiing continues well down into the forest below the bowl, eventually linking up with the marked trail to the hut.

Northwest Knob

The 2050m summit immediately above the cabin has some amazing steep tree skiing on south facing slopes. The best route up is to climb west towards Mt. Gandalf until you break out of the trees, then turn back east through meadows to reach the top of the knob. This route shares much of the uptrack with the usual approach to the Aragorn Glacier (see below). Climbing the knob directly from the hut is possible, but is not recommended. The recommended route is much faster as it does not demand as many tedious switchbacks up through steep trees, and it breaks into the alpine at a lower elevation. Be careful skiing off the top of the knob, as the side that faces the cabin has a large cliff just below the top. There are good options on both the east and southwest sides.

Aragorn Glacier

This is the premiere intermediate glacier run accessible from the cabin. Although not a long run, it can be counted on for dry, light snow. The best way over is to go 500m west up the valley from the cabin before climbing up past the impressive east face of Mt. Gandalf, and then skiing along a moraine ridge and contouring around to the north side of Mt. Aragorn. A short run brings you to a small lake below the foot of the glacier. There are some crevasses to be aware of near the top of the glacier. The summit of Aragorn is an easy ski ascent by this route.

Peregrine - West Col

Peregrine peak is the summit immediately south of the cabin. The col to the west of this peak is a worthwhile destination, with good ski runs on both sides. The col is accessed from the upper lake that is about 500m west of the hut. There is a lot of good ski terrain in the bowl south of the lake, plus some steep runs down the back side of the col. If visibility is poor, keep to the treed ridge on the climber's left side of the bowl.

Gandalf - South Col

This is the col just south of Gandalf peak. There is some nice skiing in the bowl below the col, but there are a lot of boulders that need to be covered up first.

Return of the King

This run takes you from the upper lake back to the Bring Waddington Hut. Climb up to the ridge on the far left side of the bowl south of the upper lake. Aim for the prominent shoulder of the ridge (approx. 2010m elevation), and then ski down the back (northeast) side. The top part of the ski run is a wind loaded avalanche gully, so only attempt it in appropriate conditions. Be careful of the convex roll near the top on the skiers right side. The lower 1/3rd of the run is another narrow gully that drops into the bowl behind the Bunny Hill.

Copp Creek

A long run descends from the rocky ridge north of the Aragorn Glacier 2000ft. down into Copp Creek. The left side of the drainage is best higher up, but the right side offers better skiing towards the bottom. This is a committing ski run with potentially dangerous avalanche terrain. One narrow slope in particular, about 600ft long at about 32+ degrees feeds down into a terrain trap (gully). There is a good safe spot to stop on the left side at the bottom, but there is no way to avoid skiing directly above the terrain trap. On the return from Copp creek, it is likely safest to cross the lower col (swing around cliffs on climber's left) into the Cadwallader creek headwaters and then continue out past Mt. Shadowfax. Another exit (the one I did), climbs snowslopes on the climber's right side of the drainage, but presents avalanche hazard crossing steep slopes above cliffs.

Sockeye Creek

A loop over to Sockeye creek, via the col south of Gandalf and the col west of Peregrine makes a nice tour.

Phelix Creek East Side

Mt. Taillefer with it's 2500ft ski run beckons across the valley. Although a worthwhile destination, the ski run isn't as good as it looks. It's rocky up high, and steep with gullies and gnarly, scrubby trees down lower. It's also capable of class 4 avalanches; the last big one seems to have run up the other side of the valley a good 30m. Another option is to descend the southeast face of Mt. Taillefer. This is an enjoyable outing in the right conditions, and it is possible to ski down the east branch of Phelix to the main branch without putting skins on. Be prepared for snowmobiles in the lower parts of the valley. Exiting the hut via this route, while longer, allows you to avoid the large water bars in the upper part of the Phelix road.

Summer

Hiking

There are few developed hiking trails nearby, but the high alpine country makes for excellent off trail hiking. Beautiful meadows fill the small hanging valley around the cabin, and unmarked high routes go east towards McGillivray Pass and west towards Tenquille Lake.

Mountaineering

Gandalf, Shadowfax and Aragorn are three nearby peaks composed of nice, clean granite. There are only a handful of routes so far, and many unclimbed, unexplored faces. Check the hut log book for the most up to date info.

The true summits of Mt. Gandalf and Mt. Aragorn are difficult boulder problems. Aragorn can be easily surmounted with a shoulder stand move - so don't go it alone. Gandalf is not quite so easy.

There are a number of excellent scrambling routes on all the peaks:

• South ridge of Mt. Gandalf from Phelix - Sockeye col (easy scramble), and continue along the ridge to Mt. Aragorn
• SW face of Mt. Shadowfax (easy scramble across ledges)
• NW ridge of Mt. Shadowfax (class 3-4)
• E ridge of Mt. Aragorn (class 3, very exposed)
• NE ridge of Peregrine (mostly Class 2, one half pitch of Class 4-5 near summit avoidable on left)
• W ridge of Peregrine (mostly a ridge walk with a few easy scrambling moves. The full traverse of the ridge from the Phelix - Sockeye col is recommended, or take a shorter variation from the col halfway along this ridge).

Climbing

More technical routes have been climbed on the peaks as well. The known routes to date include:

• East face of Gandalf, Wizard of Choss, 5-6 pitches to 5.7.
• Southeast buttress of Gandalf, 5 pitches to mid-5th class.
• North face of Aragorn, 6 pitches to 5.10a, highly recommended.
• Northeast face of Aragorn, attempted, 5.11 A2 to highpoint.
• Southeast face of Aragorn, Flareathon, 4-6 pitches, DIII 5.10b, wide and thrutchy.
• East sub-summit of Mt Shadowfax, Crack of Doom, C1 single pitch splitter, could go free at 12+?
• East sub-summit of Mt Shadowfax, Riders of Rohan, 3 pitches, 5.11a.
• East sub-summit of Mt Shadowfax, An Unexpecte Journey, 3 pitches, 5.9.
• East sub-summit of Mt Shadowfax, Dancing with Ents, 4 pitches, 5,9.
• East sub-summit of Mt Shadowfax, Fool of a Took, 1 pitch, 5.10-, excellent single pitch splitter hand crack.

Maps

• Brian Waddington Hut Ski Map (2012)

A note on wrong peak names on maps

Mt Gandalf, Shadowfax and Aragorn were first climbed by some VOCers in 1972 (see VOCJ15 1972). They named all 3 peaks, but something got messed up and the names on the maps don't match the given names - Gandalf and Shadowfax are reversed! The names used herein are the names given by the FA party, which do not match the names on the map. These are the names generally used by the mountaineering community, and by other guidebooks (Bruce Fairley, Matt Gunn) as well:

• Aragorn is mapped correctly
• Gandalf is the peak immediately south of Aragorn
• Shadowfax is to the East of the other 2.

Since then, the name Peregrine has been applied to the peak immediately south of the cabin. It is not an official name. The name Frodo has been used to refer to the summit on the ridge between Peregrine and Gandalf.

External links

Accident report from ACC of Brian Waddington's death

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