Member Letters
Aaron F.’s bike parked on Sulphur Mountain. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF AARON F.
Peak adventure I immediately recognized that peak with the remains of the Cosmic Ray Research Station, having visited it on several occasions, but probably the most unique way was by cycling up the eponymous Cosmic Ray Road on the backside of the mountain! The vast majority visit the site by taking the famous Banff gondola up (or by undertaking the not insignificant hike), but after a few family trips driving back from B.C., I was intrigued by a ferocious-looking forest service road beckoning from far down the highway as it shot skyward up across the mountain.
After a little research into finding the trailhead and whether it was open to the public, I packed my gravel bike on a warm day in October and set off. The trailhead starts off behind the Cave and Basin buildings, and meanders bucolically along the Bow River before an abrupt left turn — and then the real work begins. It never lets up, ever. But with each pedal stroke, the views get more epic.
It was only later that I found out this is the steepest sustained gradient road in all of Canada. Averaging 16% for more than five kilometres, it would be at the very pinnacle of climbs in the Tour de France! Just before the last switchback, I hit the snowline. I had to shoulder my bike the rest of the way up through the alarmingly deep snowpack for that early in the season. After summitting, catching my breath and taking in the most expansive views, I realized my bike and its brakes were not up to the task of the rocket-ship descent back down to earth. I think the gondola operators took pity on me, as it was in the last minutes of their last day before some maintenance closures, and they let me bob back down comfortably with my bike in the cab, which is usually never allowed. –Aaron F. Cosmic truth
I’ve just happily read the Spring 2026 issue and couldn’t help but notice a familiar sight on the last page. The Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station National Historic Site is located at the top of Sulphur Mountain in Banff National Park. Even as a space enthusiast, I had not known that Canada supported cosmic particle research there and at other sites. I was happy to find out that we did, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the majesty of the Bow Valley, too! Thank you for sharing that amazing photo, and I hope that others will be inspired to head to Banff, take a gondola ride up the mountain, and see an important part of Alberta’s and Canada’s history. –Ray S. Meteorological memories
It didn’t take long for me to confirm (using Wikipedia) that your “Where in the World?” location is the site of the former Meteorological and Cosmic Ray observatories on Sulphur Mountain in Banff National Park. I visited the site on Victoria Day in 1968 as part of a national meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (hosted by Calgary Centre of the RASC). I’ve enclosed a few photos taken that day of the cosmic ray observatory and the much older meteorological observatory above it. After moving to Edmonton in 1974, I spent a lot of time in Banff and Jasper, but returned to the top of Sulphur Mountain only once in 1976. –Alfred F.
Meteorological and Cosmic Ray observatories on Sulphur Mountain in 1968. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF ALFRED F.
“Thank you for sharing that amazing photo, and I hope that others will be inspired to head to Banff, take a gondola ride up the mountain, and see an important part of Alberta’s and Canada’s history.”
Blast from the past
I was delighted to see the look back at your magazines over several decades — including one of my issues. I was editor of Alberta Magazine in the ’80s and was proud to be heading what I believe was the highest-circulation publication in the province. I still have some of those issues in my files. Thank you for the memory. –Wayne R. Buffalo jump Approximately 37 years ago, we went on a Southern Alberta holiday with our three boys. Our youngest (Barry) was just two. We visited Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. The viewing area had a chain-link fence along the edge with large stones placed along the fence. At that stage of Barry’s life, he loved to climb. Suddenly, with our backs turned, he disappeared, and we heard a whimper. Following the sound, I found him upside down, stuck headfirst between a large stone and the fence. I pulled him out by his feet. He was fine, but had a large scrape on his forehead. For the rest of the trip, people would ask him what happened. He told them that he smashed his head in at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. The boy was Barry Gitzel – now one of AMA’s automotive fleet supervisors. –his dad, Howard, an AMA member for many years
Barry G., in blue, before he jumped and “smashed” his head. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF HOWARD G
CORRECTION
In the article “Growing Forward” in our Spring 2026 issue, a photo with the caption “Parks Canada replanting Douglas fir trees in Buffalo Head Prairie, 2024” should have been identified as Buffalo Prairie Trailhead.
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