Hilda Hut - Valkyr Adventures

Valkyr Adventures 3 lodges might be where I have spent the second most amount of time in backcountry lodges. Fun Kootenay terrain, a little bit of everything! Hilda Hut at 1920m might be my favorite in the West Koots for sure. Best mix of lodge, lines and snow.

Lodge *****

Terrain ****

Snow ****

Strengths

Terrain is right out the door. Tree shots, Alpine runs to 700m, Avalanche Paths to 600m sprawl in 3 directions and end with a 140m climb back to the hut. Not much wasted flat miles to get to the lines! Peak bagging and circuit tours are possible too.
Lodge has all of the creature comforts - 2 person private rooms, flush toilets, running water, hot showers, sauna, power, comfy couches, sauna. Top 5 of lodges for sure.
Family built, family run - if Shelly, Martin, Shannon or Randy are there, you will get story after story of every nook and cranny in the range.

Weaknesses

If the winds blow or the avalanche danger is high, options are not as expansive as some other lodges.
Like VMT, snowfall amounts are a bit lower here than some other lodges in BC.
The dinner table can be a bit tight…but that’s being picky!

When and why to ski at Hilda? January through March. Let the December snows fill in the rocky terrain and the alder in the bottom of the avalanche paths. Cold smoke in the heart of winter with one of the comfiest places to sleep at night. When the calendar turns to April head to the higher, more northerly lodges for some big glacier days.

Naumulten/Valkyr Lodge

The original Valkyr Lodge, Naumulten is perched up high at 2200m for the Kootenays and gets the best sunsets around.

Lodge *****

Terrain ****

Snow ***

Strengths

Top 5 for lodges with all the amenities and comfort of Hilda. All the comforts of home…but in the mountains! And the best sunsets going.
Open Alpine/Treeline terrain in all conditions out the door. Safe and easy access to open powder slopes no matter what, and circuits and peaks that can be done in all conditions. You will get to ski somewhere new every day basically. Very fun circuit tours for this part of the world, as all of the drainages link together in fun ways.
Spring time hut to hut tour with the other Valkyr Lodges. Spring skiing is a bit better here as its higher.

Weaknesses

If you don’t know where you are going in a storm, it’s easy to get lost on the broad ridges, and finding the best lines and tours isn’t obvious - HIRE A GUIDE!
Shorter and broken fall lines closer to home. Some of the best terrain, like McBride and Viking Holler, are a bit more committing to get too. But a run like Orgasm Alley (McBride) is one of my favorite runs at any lodge!
Same plague as VMT and Hilda, but the higher elevation on the mountain top tends to get a bit more snow than the other local huts.

When and why to ski at Naumulten? January through April and have a desire for doing cool circuit tours. I wouldn’t come here to do powder laps, that’s more a Hilda thing. If you want to tour summits and ridges with great views and link up drainages this is an awesome spot. All with coming home to a comfy lodge and great cookin

LQ Outpost - Valkyr

LQ (short of Laquereaux the peak next to the hut) is the newest addition to the Valkyr empire. Perched up high at 2200m, there are all time ski descents and peaks in every direction.

LODGE: ****

TERRAIN: ****

SNOW: ****

Strengths:

The best tree skiing of any lodge I have been to. Out the door in all directions, runs of up to 900m, which can be done in many conditions. You can go down to 1500m which is quite low for these parts. One of the all time best is called ‘The Machine’ which takes you through stump pillows, old growth and gullies. Simply the best!
Alpine peaks to bag very close to home, but only 2 are somewhat accessible. These do provide a few easy to snag chutes like Sauna and Poker.
Small group size - 8 in the hut, with some guide accommodations available as well. It’s a refreshing break from the massive 13-20 person huts.

Weaknesses:

A bit on the simpler side, which isn’t necessarily a weakness, but you don’t have the flush toilets and showers of the other Valkyr Lodges. You need to haul water as well, which is a bit of chore.
The lodge is on the ridge top…which means almost every tour ends with an uphill. The converse is that you start your day with a huge pow run, but you are in debt for the rest of the day!
The terrain is tricky and steep. Which is great, but in high danger, many of these steep tree shots slide and have some dangerous features like gullies and terrain traps.

When and why to ski LQ?

You’ve got a tight group who wants to do some high quality mid winter tree shredding and pow surfing. You don’t need internet and running water, you just want an off the grid week of fun times. Good kootenay style exploring and a peak or two, but no glaciers or northern selkirk style alpine.