Burnie Glacier chalet

Off on its own in the vastness of the NW is the Burnie Glacier Chalet. At first glance you think its so far away, and impossible to get to. But oh the contrary! It might be one of the easiest lodges to do a trip to! Make an awesome vacation out of it, and explore Smithers/Terrace area, and fall in love with this part of the world. Flights are easy to Smithers, and once there you don’t need to rent a car to sit at staging for the week unused. Massive glaciated ski lines, some fun steep tree romps, and a cozy little lodge. Worth checking out for sure!

website: https://www.bearmountaineering.ca/

Lodge ****

Terrain ****

Snow ****

Strengths

• One of the best Alpine/Glacier lodges around. 1400m+ runs, icefalls, peaks, loops. No uphill at the end of the day.

• Small groups for big terrain. 11 guests max is an awesome group size.

• Really easy travel logistics, no rental car needed, and an awesome small mountain town to explore on either end of the trip.

• Did I mention the amazing peaks and huge alpine ski lines???

• Well thought out chalet. The essentials are all there, amazing sauna/shower set up and a brilliant composting toilet. If you want to visit a low impact lodge with efficient systems, check this place out on a week with Christoph and get him talking about the cool things going on there.

Weaknesses

• Low elevation at just above 1000m, can mean a bout of rain once in a while, but usually corrects quickly.

• The hut is small. There is no lounge area, just the kitchen table and no couches. Walls are thin as well.

• A few steep cruxes can block out access to big zones if the avalanche/glacier conditions are tough.

When and why to ski at Burnie? February through April. Let the snow fill in and have some longer days in the far north to really explore the massive terrain!