Parks Canada, Glacier National Park

Project Requirements

The project required one engineer and 3 rope access technicians to perform inspection and maintenance.

• Use rope access technique to access work location and perform task safely and efficiently.
• Use helicopter to access worksite and carry tools and equipment with a long line.
• Perform inspection, tensioning cables, install new meshing, debris clean-up and grout pad repair.

Project Description

Cougar Corner 6, 7, and 8 avalanche paths affect the Trans-Canada highway approximately 10 km west of Rogers Pass. In 2016, Parks Canada tendered a project to design and install approximately 2000 m of snow nets (avalanche fences) in three separate avalanche paths to mitigate the risk of avalanches impacting the highway.

Alpine Solutions completed design and field layout that included accessing steep and convoluted terrain using a combination of helicopter and rope access system. The project was completed in 2017.

Since completion of the installation, Alpine Solutions has been performing the inspection of the snow net on a yearly basis. In 2023, Alpine Solutions started performing the maintenance on the snow net.