This paper discusses the possible contribution that studies from undisturbed mountain areas can make to Global Change (IGBP) investigations, based on examples from the Canadian Rockies. Particular attention is focused on the potential for the recovery of high-resolution proxy-climate records from several sensitive environments (e.g., at treeline). Data concerning the recent instrumental climate record and glacier and treeline fluctuations are presented to document environmental changes at various time-scales during the Holocene. Based on this record, some general comments about anticipated future environmental changes and natural hazards are made. In the context of the Canadian Rockies, specific recommendations for future studies include increased attention to the last millennium, using long tree-ring records and glacier history, plus high-resolution studies of conditions and changes during the Hypsithermal. Monitoring of the dynamics of present physical and biotic systems (e.g., glacier mass balance, modern pollen rain, and treeline dynamics) is essential to both the understanding of the likely response of these systems to future changes and to the interpretation of the paleoenvironmental record.