A high col on the Continental Divide between Mount Victoria and Mount Lefroy. Abbot Pass (2,925 m) was named in memory of Philip Stanley Abbot, who died in a fall from Mount Lefroy in 1896; North America’s first recorded mountaineering fatality. Samuel Allen and Yule Carryer made the first ascent of the “Death Trap” (the technical approach) from the Lake O’Hara side in September 1894; a climbing partnership Allen credited explicitly.

The pass was the site of the historic Abbot Pass Hut, built in 1922 and demolished in 2022 due to permafrost melt and slope erosion from climate change. The site retains its National Historic Site designation, with ruins commemorating the hut’s legacy.

Access routes: The popular Lake O’Hara approach (BC side) involved about 900 m elevation gain over 3–5 hours past Lake Oesa, rated safer than the technical Lake Louise route (AB side) via the “Deathtrap” on the Victoria Glacier. Winter use was rare due to avalanche hazard. No hut exists today; backcountry skills are essential for anyone visiting the pass.