BC Backcountry Lodge Review

[ey_allen]

This thread is relevant to my interests.

Any similar beta on Kokanee Glacier Cabin? I've got a week there in March so interested to learn as much as I can before I arrive.

[kootenayskier]

This thread is relevant to my interests.

Any similar beta on Kokanee Glacier Cabin? I've got a week there in March so interested to learn as much as I can before I arrive.

Check out Lee Lau’s blog posts, and you’ll be as informed as anyone needs.

[ey_allen]

Check out Lee Lau’s blog posts, and you’ll be as informed as anyone needs.

Rad. Just found these. Thanks for the tip.

[panchosdad]

Great reviews, thanks for posting this. I will say that I've been to Sorcerer a few times and never thought the GCH overlap was an issue. If nothing else having a heli operation nearby adds an extra layer of safety, and it always seemed there was good courtesy between GCH and Sorcerer.

Ice Creek and Burnie are high on my list now to explore.

[frosted flakes]

Yeah I felt the same way about Sorcerer. I think we’d see a heli a couple times a day at most, and we never saw any skiers or came across any tracks. Not a big deal to me. Might be more annoying for the guides though.

[XXX-er]

If you can get on a trip where ze guide had cancelations and wnats to fill the roster you can really get a good deal but you gotta be able to drop everthing to show up,

I sent the guide money on a tuesday, regluing skins at midnight ( check your gear kids!) which left 2 days for driving in case of snow and we were in the chopper on friday

[Dromond]

I’ll take hut trip reviews of any kind because it is a rare and precious sort of information. I’m in the beggars can’t be choosers camp on this one.

I’ve been guided by Arctos at Sorcerer and had a good experience. I think his information is worthwhile as he is a dedicated mountain traveller. I got the hut review digest from him and Zenith on that trip and committed it to memory!

For what it is worth, the fact that terrain at Sorcerer is shared with heli skiing never bothered me too much, or limited access to the terrain we wanted to ski the most. The lodge could have used some improvement at the time, so it’s good to hear that the expansion happened. There is the noise factor occasionally, which does affect the experience a little. I think the terrain there is very good.

[frosted flakes]

Yeah I really appreciate the info! Thanks Arctos.

I’ve been looking into Burnie…

[LeeLau]

PURCELL MOUNTAIN LODGE

Never been. No insight

SOL MOUNTAIN LODGE

Been 4 times. 3 self-guided. 1 guided. All good times and it's so hard to get self-guided plus Aaron (understandably) has to QA you so it may be hard to get. I also like the 7 days program so the "shortness" of the 6 day program is a bummer.

Like the location of staging. It's easier for us from the coast to get to Cherryville than either Revy or Golden which both are a full days' drive.

Love the lodge. 5 indoor toilets! 5!!! Triple-ply T-P. The more grungy lodges that charge the same price (Snowfall? With mold? Come on!). Every room is nice. It's so well thought out. You bring someone to their first lodge-based tour and they go to Sol - well it'll spoil them for everything else.

Monashee pow is sick. There's so much snow here and it's so freaking light. Sol will frequently get 1.5 to 2x the Valkyr/Valhalla lodges. They'll frequently get the most HS or any of the BC backcountry lodges. Frankly it gets ridiculous.

The treed terrain is sick. There's all aspects of trees; the spacing is perfect. The terrain is hub-and-spoke with the touring surrounding the hut and in concentric circles of distance. This worked well for us self-guided as groups with more range could take off and branch out for longer distance or bigger zones while more chill members or whoever just wanted a rest day could y-yo close plentiful laps. IMO the best tree skiing I've ever had the privilege of getting quadruple overhead snorkel blower

It's said by some that Sol has no alpine. That is a scurrilous lie! Well, not really. If you're not aggressive or not too psyched about 1500m+ days or not too stoked on bigger objectives and you're into more mellow angle alpine tours for those high-pressure days. ; then you're probably not going to find much of that terrain. There's no glaciers close by. There's beautiful alpine objectives but they're a fair walk there and a fair walk back and much of it is binary outcome - ie steep and aggressive.

Edit just noticed what Conor said about lacking big alpine terrain. Kind of see his point. I don't think I'd guide people down the stuff that unguided recreationals (ie myself) would ski. Likely would be too big a group and too hard to manage

Downside

- Lacks glaciers
- Alpine terrain is pretty aggressive
- Can be visited by sleds. They access from the FSRs and track out the meadows and lower angled stuff in the tenure. They shouldn't but it does happen infrequently.

Purcell Mountain Lodge

Located on the Eastern boundary of Glacier National Park, Purcell Mountain Lodge provides guests with unparalleled views of Mt Sir Donald. It’s lodge is super plush too, with private rooms, wifi, running water, showers, sauna, a nice dining and living room area. There’s also a drying room and a smaller lodge for smaller groups. Lots of emphasis on comfort at PML.
The skiing is quite mellow and the terrain is suitable for nordic skiers and snowshoers too. Stronger groups can access bigger terrain, but it is a long walk to get there. PML is a great place to go if you’re looking for a soft entrance into backcountry lodge trips. They also offer three, four and seven day trips.
Overall Score
Accommodations 5
Terrain 3
Value 4


Sol Mountain Lodge

You won’t find nicer hosts. Aaron and Sabine Cooperman started this family business in the early 2000’s and have been full steam ahead ever since. Sol is a year-round full service backcountry lodge that offers skiing and splitboarding in the winter and hiking and mountain biking in the summer.
The lodge is situated at approximately 1900m in the Southern Monashees, an area know for prolific snowfalls. Height of snow in April has been measured at over five meters. The lodge is super comfortable with private rooms, flush toilets, hot showers, plenty of hang out space, dining area, a drying room, stretching space, wifi and a wood fired sauna. The lodge is set up to house a large group or multiple small groups with multiple guides. If you’re looking for a lodge to transition into backcountry lodge life, Sol makes for a nice starting point with approachable terrain and the all the comforts of home.
It does lack big alpine terrain, so if that’s what you’re after, you should look elsewhere. However Sol offers lots of different aspects to ski and excellent Monashee powder skiing. The tree skiing is all time! At times you’ll find yourself walking on the flats to get to the different zones. Sol also runs shorter trips, so if you don’t have a full week for a lodge trip it’s a great option.
Overall Score
Accommodations 5
Terrain 3.5
Value 4.5

[LeeLau]

SELKIRK LODGE

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SORCERER LODGE

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Selkirk LodgePerched on a ridge at treeline, Selkirk Lodge faces the Justice glacier. Honestly, its one of the nicest backcountry lodges out there. The systems are dialed, the Devine’s are incredible hosts and the terrain is great.
It does share terrain with Selkirk Tangiers Heliskiing, so there is helicopter traffic in the area. If you go in April, Tangiers is closed and the snowpack has had a chance to settle out, making for better travel conditions. One of the fun aspects about Selkirk Lodge is the variety of loop tours you can do. The terrain is huge too, which adds an amazing element to this lodge. A week of storm skiing or high hazard would be challenging at Selkirk Lodge as a lot of its prime terrain is the expansive alpine surrounding the lodge.
Overall Score
Accommodations 5
Terrain 5



Sorcerer Lodge
Located at treeline in the Northern Selkirks, Sorcerer Lodge has some great terrain. However the biggest downside is that it share’s its tenure with Great Canadian Heli Skiing. Not only will you see and hear helicopters and heli skiers, but you’ll also share runs such as the Perfect Glacier with them.
The lodge itself is reasonably comfortable with a new addition last year, a sauna private rooms and dinning and hangout space. There’s also a drying room and outhouses. It can sleep nearly 18 guests, so it’s not the place for those who are seeking a small group experience.
The upside is it has some expansive glaciated terrain, avalanche path skiing, some storm skiing directly below the hut, numerous drainages and aspects to explore. Ventigo Creek is also a bit of a cooler, thus you can find great skiing at Sorcerer well into late April.
While Great Canadian Heli Skiing is operating, the serenity most backcountry lodge guests seek is adversely affected; thus if you’re looking for a quote backcountry lodge experience at Sorcerer, picking a week in April after Great Canadian Heli Skiing is closed is your best option.
Overall Score
Accommodations 4
Terrain 4.75 (2.5 when Great Canadian is operating near by.)
Value 4

[Arctos Guides]

I am glad people are finding some utility in this thread. Clearly folks will have their own opinions—I like skiing in smaller groups, love big alpine terrain and don’t like listening to helicopters while I tour. I welcome your thoughts and would love to hear about lodges I haven’t visited.

Lee, you nailed it on Sol. I have had lots of fun skiing in the alpine there, the north face of Fosthall is a great run. The deep Monashee pow is certainly a highlight.

Steady precipitation in Slocan this am—ski season is just around the corner.

[LeeLau]

I am glad people are finding some utility in this thread. Clearly folks will have their own opinions—I like skiing in smaller groups, love big alpine terrain and don’t like listening to helicopters while I tour. I welcome your thoughts and would love to hear about lodges I haven’t visited.

Lee, you nailed it on Sol. I have had lots of fun skiing in the alpine there, the north face of Fosthall is a great run. The deep Monashee pow is certainly a highlight.

Steady precipitation in Slocan this am—ski season is just around the corner.

Thanks Conor. Other ppl I know who aren't on TGR have asked about lodges and I tell them to go read this thread + what Evan wrote.

It's a good resource and then you combine it with updates and opinions from others so you get a good flavour

[Danno]

I love this thread, keep it coming.

You guys have me wanting to go to Sol. Pimp accommodations, deep powder, and amazeballs tree lines? That literally sounds like heaven to me

[LeeLau]

I love this thread, keep it coming.

You guys have me wanting to go to Sol. Pimp accommodations, deep powder, and amazeballs tree lines? That literally sounds like heaven to me

That also reminds me. Arctos put in some nice Intel about the downsides if the conditions are poor. Ie what are your choices. I'll add to that list when I stick in my impressions.

It's not all sextuple overhead bluebird blower pow

[DougW]

I’ll take hut trip reviews of any kind because it is a rare and precious sort of information. I’m in the beggars can’t be choosers camp on this one.

I’ve been guided by Arctos at Sorcerer and had a good experience. I think his information is worthwhile as he is a dedicated mountain traveller. I got the hut review digest from him and Zenith on that trip and committed it to memory!

For what it is worth, the fact that terrain at Sorcerer is shared with heli skiing never bothered me too much, or limited access to the terrain we wanted to ski the most. The lodge could have used some improvement at the time, so it’s good to hear that the expansion happened. There is the noise factor occasionally, which does affect the experience a little. I think the terrain there is very good.

I think I have been to Sorcerer 8-10 times for skiing and only once did we cross paths with GCH skiers. We were going up Perfect valley to Hempalumps and I think they were coming down from their section of Prefect Glacier. They do have a pick up spot at the bottom of Prefect Valley but I'm pretty sure that was the first time I saw it used. Mind you 2 of those weeks GCH wasn't open yet.

[DougW]

Clearly folks will have their own opinions—I like skiing in smaller groups, love big alpine terrain and don’t like listening to helicopters while I tour. .

If you don't like Helos flying you would hate Blanket Glacier , One day and I was only there of 4 it felt like you were Vietnam during the height of the war close to an air field. All day CMH was lapping with I don't know how many helos one slope that actually they shared with Blanket.

[XXX-er]

I think if shit goes sideways you will change your opinion of helo's in the air around your vaca cuz they will drop everything to be there tout suite to save your ass