My good Friend Matt Mosteller contacted me several months ago asking if I would be interested in taking a helicopter into the beautiful Purcell mountains to spend a week at Boulder Hut with a group of very cool people. Kimberley is our starting point and since it wasn’t far from home of course I replied YES… only moments after receiving the email.
Now my backcountry alpine ski touring experience is weak at best, but I knew I would be with a big group of advanced and novice skiers and I would fit in just fine. I didn’t even need to ski if I was too worried about my skill, however you would be crazy not to, because the powder is just that good!
I am so happy I said yes to this trip, with not a lot to expect. It turns out I knew most of our group and the ones I was introduced to turned out to be the kindest and most interesting people. The Boulder hut is accessed by helicopter in winter, and the family Mark and Sarah Yancey live here permanently in the winter months with their two children, Grace and Alden. The kids are home schooled here these months and very good at skiing, they are really great company too.
We had fun laughing around the table at dinner with our group of 13 people. We chatted about our day on the slopes, because usually everyone would split into three groups. We would strategize about our next day but mostly we would tease each other about hogging the powder.
The hut speaks for itself in the photos, it is the most adorable little hut with the most cozy vibes. We slept in a bunk room with dividers, much nicer than any backcountry hut I've been to. There was no need to bring sleeping bags or pillows because all is provided and the sleeping hut is very warm from the stoking wood fire place.
Tea and coffee was available at all times so I was happy happy. We had an excellent cook named Allie, she was gracious enough to cook me vegetarian all week, and it was so delicious, she also took a little skin up the back of the mountain with me to a glorious little run with the most luscious powder.
On our last day I was sad to leave the tranquility and remoteness of the zero cell service hut, but a week was the perfect amount of time to disconnect from one part of my life and reconnect to the natural world.