Europeans, accustomed to mountain ranges dotted with huts in every valley, brought the notion of backcountry ski lodges to North America.
And while the Alps still boast more refuges, North America’s hut network is unique in its ability to shelter backcountry travellers in some of Canada’s and the United States’ most remote, least populated ranges—places that see little human activity and where fresh turns are practically guaranteed. Some huts serve as little more than rustic shelters to lay your sleeping bag. Others feature hut keepers, warm meals and fine wine. And new huts popping up from B.C.’s Coast Mountains to the Colorado Rockies make multi-day hut-to-hut skiing more and more possible. Whether you’re seeking overnight shelter en route to a high-alpine objective or a fireside night with friends far from Wi-Fi, hut trips offer rewards beyond measure.
Blanket Glacier Chalet
Novice backcountry skiers can find quick and safe access to a multitude of runs, both in the gladed old-growth trees and in scenic, glaciated areas. At the same time, experts can hit an amphitheatre of pillow lines (Capow even hosts a camp on how to ski them) and beyond.
Meadow Lodge
Heli in with 13 friends to fill the 1,200-square-foot, two-story lodge (plus sauna) and ski tour for a week to experience the 10 meters of snow that falls in the area most winters and the legendary terrain that Eric “Hoji” Hjorliefson made famous in multiple Matchstick Productions films. One of four heli-accessed lodges owned and managed by Golden Alpine Holidays’ (GAH) offers more than 50,000 acres of ski touring.
Opus Hut
A full-service stone and wood hut in the European catered tradition, OPUS Hut serves après-ski soup, dinner, and breakfast prepared by a caretaker (plus wine and beer for purchase) and offers up to 16 hut guests running water and beds with down comforters and pillows. The world-class terrain is varied endless, but avalanche prone.
Frog Lake Backcountry Huts
From steep chutes to mellow glades and open bowls, skiers can access multiple aspects and an enormous elevation range. The property was closed to the public for almost a century until Truckee Donner Land Trust acquired acquired the area as part of a more significant 3,000-acre conservation effort in 2020. The modern huts, run by a hut master, feature hot and cold running water, flush toilets, propane heat, electricity and a well-stocked commercial-grade kitchen in a 100-year-old stone hut.
Zealand Falls Hut
Northeast backcountry skiers huck nearby waterfalls to huck and seek powder in the surrounding forest, which is on the edge of the 45,000-acre Pemigewasset Wilderness. In the summer, the hut, which sleeps 36 in two coed bunkrooms, offers warm meals, but in winter, it’s self-service.
Kees and Claire Hut
The Kees and Claire Hut is the first of three in a proposed hut network along the famed Spearhead Traverse, a 20-25-mile route between Blackcomb and Whistler that traverses 13 glaciers and nine passes. Located at the base of dramatic Fissile Peak with a modern and sustainable design that contours the ridge above Russet Lake, the two-story Kees and Claire Hut is as aesthetic as it is practical. The hut includes 38 bunks divided into six sleeping areas, heat, a well-equipped kitchen and USB ports for charging devices.
