A New Heli-Accessed Powder Lodge Adventure For 2019

This winter, we'll be giving ACC members a one-off chance to visit a remote, heli-accessed, backcountry lodge - the historic and unique Boulder Hut. Located near Kimberley BC, we've selected this lodge due to its reliable powder, varied terrain, and cosy setting, which saw it recently named as a top 10 backcountry hut in North America. We've also managed to bag a prime week for our members: March 10th - 17th. This all-but guarantees a perfect combination of still-cool winter temperatures and deep powder at all elevations combined with longer daylight hours.

To make this Adventure truly an ACC Adventure, we'll be bringing in ACC guides who are familiar with the Club, our Adventures and our members, not to mention Boulder Hut and its adjacent terrain. We've also booked out the lodge - which features luxuries such as a sauna, wood burner heating and running water - exclusively for the group and have included full catering with three delicious and professionally prepared meals each day.

Come explore a new corner of BC's winter backcountry wilderness this winter with the ACC!

Camp Objectives

One of the best things about Boulder Hut is the huge variety of terrain on offer - from alpine bowls, to climbing couloirs to some of the best glade skiing in BC. With two ACC guides on the camp we'll be able to split the group based on desired pace and objectives.

Prominent peaks in or near the Boulder Hut tenure include: Mt. Levesque, Boulder Peak, Ptarmigan Peak, Grace Peak and Mt. Fay. You can view the full map of Boulder Hut's tenure (complete with marked runs) below under Adventure Map.

Day by Day Adventure Itinerary

Day 1: Meet in Kimberley, BC, where you will be introduced to your group and your guides. Travel to nearby staging area where you will fly into the Boulder Hut by private helicopter (expect beautiful views of the Purcells on a clear day). There will still be plenty of time for a first day of skiing once you arrive and unpack. This is a good opportunity to review gear, companion and crevasse rescue skills briefly before being orientated to the area by your guides.
Day 2 - 7: There are so many great objectives accessible from the hut that we can't really speculate on exactly how each day will look. Each evening the group and guides will gather in the hut to discuss and decide on objectives and groups for the next day. Clear weather days will see you tackle bigger lines in the alpine, when the snow flies (as it frequently does in these parts), you'll have some of the best tree skiing in BC on offer.
Day 8: Final debrief, goodbyes, pack up and an opportunity to take some final pictures of the hut and views before travelling back to Kimberley by helicopter.

Is this Camp For Me?

Intermediate - Advanced

Boulder Hut offers a good range of skiing for both advanced participants and those looking to take things more easy. As a minimum, we require skiers or splitboarders with prior knowledge of backcountry skiing, a good level of all round fitness, confident downhill ski abilities in variable snow conditions and familiarity with equipment and avalanche transceivers. Participants should be able to ski the equivalent of blue runs in backcountry conditions with a daypack.

Food, Accommodation and Guiding

Food

Evenings will be spent enjoying great food, socializing in cozy hut surroundings and resetting for the next day’s skiing. Food supplies will be flown in by helicopter (no dehydrated stuff here, there's fresh meat, vegetables and fruit) and cooked up by dedicated chefs. All meals are designed to be healthy, sumptuous and plentiful and special dietary needs can be accommodated. Because we want you to be able to focus on the powder not the cooking!

Accommodation

The Boulder Hut is located at 2000m below Mt Higgins and M Levesque. Some great features of the hut include:

Separate dining, guest sleeping, guide lodging and sauna buildings
Wood heat
Running water
Electricity provided by our mico-hydro system (you can charge your camera battery)
Electric lights
Bunkroom-style sleeping accommodations with pillows
Fresh linens and duvets
Stretching area
Indoor pee toilet and two outdoor outhouses
Sauna!

Guiding

Our two ACMG certified guides will ensure your time at Boulder Hut is both safe and enjoyable. Our guides will be welcome to answering questions about the region as well as everything from ski technique to gear. The size of the camp also allows us to form groups based on abilities and ambition, making sure the pace and difficulty is right for you.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ll never forget this place.”

“The Boulder Hut and its surroundings are loaded with such unique and honest character that it can’t help but etch a permanent place in the hearts of those lucky enough to experience it! Thank you!”

“Thanks for another great week of skiing. You managed to find all the best snow.”

Full review from Backcountry Skiing Canada

- Past visitors to boulder hut -

Adventure Map

MORE INFORMATION

Email us
403 678 3200 ext. 213
Gear list

Organizing Fantastic ACC Adventures For Over 100 Years

Local Knowledge - based out of Canmore, AB, we know the Rockies region and the best local caterers, guides and porters
Dedicated resources - full-time office staff, ACMG guides and group equipment on-hand to ensure your trip runs smoothly
Not-for-profit - any money we make on camps and courses is reinvested into providing services for our members and the mountain community

Cancellation policy and travel Insurance

Please be sure to review our cancellation policy before registering for ACC Adventures:

Cancellation Policy
We sell Tugo^® Travel Insurance suitable for both ACC Adventures and personal trips:

Travel Insurance

Included WITH YOUR CAMP FEE

7 days low-ratio professional guiding by two fully-certified ACMG ski guides
7 nights accommodation at Boulder Hut
Helicopter transportation to and from the lodge
Three meals per day starting with lunch on day 1
Services of dedicated on-site chefs
All group gear

Participants Must Provide

Transportation to/from Kimberley, BC
Breakfast on day 1, dinner on day 8
Personal gear (see gear list)

Your Guides

Ken Belanger

Canmore resident Ken Bélanger was born and raised at the foot of the Rockies in Calgary. He has attained Association of Canadian Mountain Guides Ski & Hiking Guide certifications and has spent a significant portion of the previous three winters guiding ski touring, heli-skiing, cat-skiing, and off-piste in Hokkaido. He is also the Partnership Coordinator for the ACMG.

Kirsten Knechtel

Kirsten was raised in Banff, AB where her passion for the mountains and mountain adventure began. Kirsten’s family were outdoor enthusiasts and by the age of 6 she began ski racing, age 10 ski touring, and by age 14 she had climbed many classic alpine routes in the Canadian Rockies. Her career as a guide was a natural step. By age 25 she was a fully certified mountain guide. Kirsten has a variety of guiding experience behind her. She has worked as a manager of a catskiing operation and guided many heliskiing, catskiing and private ski touring trips. In the summer she has worked with the British military training, run her own private guiding business and spent well over 10 years working at the Alpine Club’s General Mountaineering Camp, Marmot Women’s camps and other ACC programs.