6-Week Master the Mountain Diary 6: The Boulder Hut Trip

The final week on the Master the Mountain Improvement Course
By Jen Mitchell, NONSTOP Course Host

The Master the Mountain course came into it's final week this week with a sense of excitement and anticipation.  Not only did we have Olympic fever with the Canadian team winning their first gold on home soil in the men’s moguls, (check out my patriotic red hat with the very large pompom,  love it!) but we were also getting ready for the 4-day backcountry Boulder Hut trip we'd all been training for!

The Boulder Hut Trip is based in the Purcell mountains, stunning scenery and lots of snow... with no one else around!   The crew spilt into two groups with the first gang leaving early Sunday morning excitedly hearing the weather report of fresh snow in the mountains!   The rest of us enjoyed a few relaxing days in Fernie with some fresh powder to keep us entertained.  Then on Wednesday it was the second group’s time to head into the wilderness and I was lucky enough to join them on this trip too.

A little photo diary to give you an idea of what we got up to...

Flying out to the Hut:

The Boulder Hut is a 15 minutes helicopter flight up a steep valley with no other way to access.  It’s amazingly peaceful up there, no noise or people apart from the group you are with.  The Boulder Hut is a little wood cabin in the middle of the back country with a number of beds, a bathroom and a kitchen.

The team outside the Boulder Hut:



We had four nights at the Hut and three days of touring.  The weather was blue bird everyday, the snow still fresh and deep, yummy food and excellent guides.

Going up...



Getting to the top...



Admiring the view from the top:



Coming down!





The Hut was so much more than everyone had expected.  Mark, Sarah and their kids welcomed us into their mountain paradise and their 3 month puppy stole everyone’s hearts.  She was however a little mischievous and fond of running off with people shoes while they where in the hot tub, hilarious!

When we returned to civilization on Sunday night we regrouped with those on the first trip and compared notes of epic lines and drunken antics.  Everyone was on such a high and this flowed over into the last day.  We had a great start with a mass ski, beer and nachos for lunch and wrapped up the farewellwith a  BBQ.  Saying goodbye the next morning was a little sad!!!

On a final note I would like to say congratulations to all those that achieved their certification as All Mountain Pros Stage 1 and 2.  Lastly a big high five to those snowboards now proud owners of a CASI Level 1 pin!!!!!  Come and visit us again in Fernie next year!

Jenny Mitchell - NONSTOP Master the Mountain Course Host

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If you like what you have read and want to be part of the action  next year on our Master the Mountain course, a unique programme designed for the adventurer in you, check out the websites below.  Learn how to ski and ride like a pro as well as hone in those back country skills in the Fernie powder before spending a weekend in a log cabin in the back country getting fresh lines on every run!