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Boulder Hut Touring Week
March 6th - 13th, 2011
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For years we have enjoyed spending weeks at the many
backcountry lodges of British Columbia. In the land
of deep snow, big mountains and heli accessed backcountry
solitude, its easy to get hooked on these trips. After
fantastic past trips to
Valhalla Mountain Lodge, Powder Creek Lodge, and the Valhalla Mountain touring hut, we began doing some research for next year's trip . Based on some wholehearted endorsements
of the lodge and the terrain, we booked the Boulder hut. Family owned and operated by a former Methow Valley resident, we look forward to exploring this powder playground in the Purcell mountains of British Columbia.
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The Boulder hut is located in the Purcell Mountains
of eastern British Columbia, Canada, outside of
the small town of Kimberly. The lodge sits at 6500' amidst a backdrop of glacial cirques with views of the Southern Rockies and central Purcells. The terrain is divided between high alpine bowls, larch glades, and alpine lakes, all with tons of great moderate terrain. Steeps are available as well with chutes, glades and the aptly named runs "Cardiac Arrest and Coronary Bypass" - not for the faint of heart!
Intermediate and expert skiers will find plenty of terrain to keep busy this week.
The rustic hut is wood heated and is wired with elecricity and offers running water. Close by is the shower house and Canada’s highest backcountry hot tub! Enjoy the winter evening under the stars! The “Casa de Suenos” is a separate sleeping cabin which accommodates up to twelve people. Swiss style bunks come complete with all sheets, pillows and duvets. This hut is also wired with electric lighting.
The Purcells are truly a skiers paradise. One of the
best ways to enjoy and explore this range is from the
base of a backcountry hut. Flying a caterer into the
hut allows us to focus on skiing all day long. We then
return to the hut tired, hungry and thirsty and are
greeted by the smell of dinner, appetizers and cold
drinks! This is how life should be...
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The cozy lodge at dusk.
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Due to the large number of options available on this
tour, we will keep our itinerary flexible to adapt to
conditions and the groups desires. The general flow
of the trip will look a lot like this:
Day 1 ~ Helicopter ride into hut. Unpack gear, get familiar with
lodge and spend several hours on Avalanche rescue training.
Short afternoon ski tour.
Day 2 ~ Wake up, eat a large, scrumptious breakfast,
ski tour all day. Options include long tours, yo-yoing
sweet powder shots, playing in the trees, etc. Guides
will decide each day's itinerary based on weather, snow
conditions and groups skills and interests. When we
return to the hut, we are typically greeted by warm
appetizers and whatever cold refreshing beverages we
have flown in with. Dinner, hot tub, stretch and relax
before bed to wake up and do it again.
Day 3 ~See day 2.
Day 4 ~ See day 2.
Day 5 ~See day 2.
Day 6 ~See day 2.
Day 7 ~See day 2.
Day 8 ~ Sadly after a week of gluttonous powder skiing
and eating beyond frugality, its time to pack up and
fly out.
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Sunny ski touring in the Purcells . Click here to see more photos from of the area.
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In our experience many folks will take a day off at
some point during the week. This could be a full day
when the wind is blowing, or a couple of half days when
the legs can't hold up anymore. Some people can ski
hard for 7 days in a row and these folks can often wind
up skiing in excess of 40,000 vertical feet in a week.
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Skills Required
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Miles of open, untracked terrain. |
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Participants should have some previous backcountry
skiing experience and should consider themselves advanced
to expert skiers. While much of the terrain is fairly
moderate by resort standards, it is possible to encounter
a wide range of snow conditions. It is important for
skiers to be able to comfortably ski black runs at a
ski area in any conditions. Further you must be able
to perform survival turns (hop turns, stem christie
etc.) down steeper terrain and in very difficult snow
conditions. Skiers should be adept at using skins, performing
kick turns and skiing with a day pack.
Good aerobic fitness is also helpful on a trip like
this. The guides will set a comfortable pace to allow
you to ski full days, but the more fit you arrive, the
more fun you will have and the more your legs will have for
the descents.
All requisite avalanche skills will be taught at the
beginning of the week and we will offer tips for touring
and skiing as we go. |
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We will meet in Kimberly the night before the trip to
get to know eachother and to go over specific details
about the next morning. For more information about getting
to Kimberly, lodging options etc., click here.
If you have any doubts or concerns about your abilities
or skiing skills, please don't hesitate to call and
address them. We will gladly offer training advice or
we can arrange for some pretrip training to insure your
skills are up to speed before embarking on this trip
of a lifetime.
NCMG highly recommends skiers purchase trip insurance
through a reputable company such as Travelex, or AIG
travelguard prior to the trip. This can be purchased directly from NCMG for this trip. Please let us know when you register if you would like to add this peace of mind. This will insure you
receive a refund if you get injured, have a schedule
conflict or for whatever reason, cannot make the trip. Click here to get a free quote for this trip
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Boulder Hut Week Fees |
Are you getting excited?
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- 8-10 Skiers with 2 Guides - $2000 per person
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| 2011 Dates |
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| Program Cost Inclusions
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- Hut lodging fees
- Fully catered Breakfasts, lunches and Dinners
- Helicopter transport in and out of Hut
- Use of avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe
- 6 days of guided skiing with IFMGA certified guides
Larry Goldie and Jeff Ward.
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| Program Cost Exclusions
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