Athabasca Glacier Featured on Bing Homepage

The Bing.com search engine always features interesting photos from around the world on its homepage each day.

Yesterday’s (September 3rd) image featured a picture of the Athabasca Glacier, part of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park.

The photograph was taken be renowned photographer Steve Vidler who specializes in stock photography from around the world.  Vidler has traveled the world taking photos for over 40 years (a good interview with him is here).

Given the size and color of the  building, I’m guessing the photo is from the 1980s or at least pre-1996.  In those older days, the building was home to a Jasper hotel known as the Columbia Icefield Chalet.

Athabasca Glacier Featured on Bing.com Homepage

The building has since been updated.  Today you’ll find it home to the Icefield Information Centre, museum, restaurants and the 32-room Glacier View Inn.

I’m no Steve Vidler, but here’s a picture of the Icefield Information Center from July, 2010.

Columbia Icefield Information Centre

When Steve Vidler shot the picture featured on Bing, he must have been standing on the somewhere up high in the hill behind the building.

Another thing I noticed was that the Athabasca Glacier has receded since Vidler’s picture – as the glacier seems to do every year.  Someday it will be gone.  If you want to learn about the retreating Athabasca Glacier, an article on the thestar.com entitled “The alarming redefinition of ‘glacial’” provides a good overview.