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Tunnel Creek

Tunnel Creek Hut is a mountain recreation facility located in Tunnel Creek in the Lizard Range. The project has been in planning for almost a decade and was brought to fruition in December of 2011 when the light-weight modern hut and out-house were flown to their foundations at 5600ft.

In the Autumn of 2015 a large day-use addition was completed. This new addition has a wood stone and kitchen. The original cabin remains as the sleeping area for overnight guests.

This was the first hut to be constructed by the Fernie Trails and Ski Touring Club in over 20 years and celebrates a new era in backcountry skiing and mountain sports. Technology, awareness, education and adventure have reached new limits and the new facility reflects these advancements.

In Fernie, lift serviced skiing celebrated its 50th year of operation at Fernie Alpine Resort. Lift serviced skiing brought skiers to the Elk Valley and they soon discovered the backcountry and developed motivation and created technology to effectively explore and ski the peaks. At the same time, 40 years ago, the Mountain Equipment started selling affordable mountain adventure tools in Vancouver and further facilitated this adventure spirit.

For us the spirit came together with all the volunteers and organizations that helped make this project happen. From the trail builders to the fundraisers and the carpenters and their helpers, the community gathered and made it happen. This project owes its existence to the the great people and following organizations who donated their resources. Thank you!

In 2022 the original bunk house was replaced with a new larger structure to meet todays increased usage.

The rebuild was an investment of 600 hours of volunteer time and $32,000 in materials and helicopter support. The increased space, enclosed wood shed, trap door wood entrance, new beds, new wood stove, new lighting, new kitchen counter and grey water sink, and other details have created a new level of comfort.

Here is the list of organizations and businesses who without their support, the Tunnel Creek Hut rebuild would not have happened. Thank you!

Columbia Basin Trust
Recreation Sites and Trails BC
Regional District of East Kootenay Area A
City of Fernie
Canadian Tire Fernie
Regional District of East Kootenay Area B
Regional District of East Kootenay Area C
District of Sparwood

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2024 Summer Cabin Improvements

Every spring, the Fernie Trails and Ski Touring Club reviews the cabins and plans improvements for the summer and fall. These upgrades go above and beyond the annual cleaning and restocking of supplies, such as firewood, propane, and other essentials. Preparing the firewood involves bucking and splitting, followed by several helicopter flights to each cabin […]

How and when to Book the Cabins

How and when to book the Cabins are frequent questions and this post is intended as an overview to assist you. Thunder Meadows and Tunnel Creek cabins are bookable as a whole cabin only online for overnight stays by members. This is not exclusive as the cabins are also available for day use. Day use […]

Club Hut Booking Policy 2024

Recognizing the valuable volunteer efforts required to operate and maintain the backcountry hut system, the Club offer early access to hut bookings for volunteers. Here’s an overview of our booking policy: Volunteer Access: • Active Volunteers who contribute their time and skills to the club have early booking privileges. • Volunteers must maintain a current […]

2023 Cabin Improvements

Every summer the Fernie Trails and Ski Touring Club directors, members and friends volunteer their time to improve our backcountry cabins. The dedication of the volunteers and the support the club receives from various organizations is commendable. The organizations include the Columbia Basin Trust, RDEK Area A, the City of Fernie, Home Hardware, Fernie Alpine […]

Thunder Meadows Summer Renovations

Our love and commitment to improving the cabins never ends. This July a new roof, a new woodshed, a fresh inside coat of paint and a clean up happened at Thunder Meadows. Thank you to all the volunteers who dedicated their time and to Home Hardware Fernie and the Columbia Basin Trust ReDi Grants for […]

Cabins Open with Tunnel Creek Rebuild

The Thunder Meadows and Tunnel Creek Cabins opened today for overnight stays for the season! Current bookings are up to January 31 and February to April will be available for online booking on January 15 @ 6am. Harvey Pass is a warming hut for day use only and is a popular day ski and snowmobile […]

Grizzly Hibernating in Thunder Meadows Cabin

Fortunately this is a ploy to get your attention however it could be a reality. Yesterday during a wood delivery to Thunder Meadows we found the cabin and toilet doors open with snow blowing in. Fortunately we visited before the structures filled with snow and/or had a grizzly move it. Please latch the doors and […]

Tunnel Creek Hut Renovations

The Fernie Trails & Ski Touring Club Tunnel Creek Hut renovations are looking great thanks to outstanding volunteer efforts and generous support from our sponsors. The plan to replace the old Tunnel Creek bunk house with a new permanent structure that matches the newer day use facility are ready for this season. This renovation on […]

Cabin Bookings Details-Updated

On November 1, 2022 at 6am MST Thunder Meadows and Tunnel Creek bookings go online for the period from December 1st to January 31, 2023. On January 15th, 2023 Thunder Meadows and Tunnel Creek bookings go online for the period from February 1st to April 30, 2023. The cabins can only be booked by Fernie […]

TUNNEL CREEK PARKING ADVISORY – Updated

The RCMP caught the scumbag! It’s unfortunate to report that the Tunnel Creek parking lot has been subject to fuel theft. Even worse, the culprits are drilling fuel tanks causing expensive damage to vehicles. At this time we suspect it’s happening late at night however it’s not confirmed. PLEASE report any suspicious activity to the […]

Hut Etiquette

The Alpine Club of Canada recently requested pieces of hut etiquette from their cabin users and they tallied up the responses and published the most requested pieces of hut etiquette. Their results are common sense and do apply with exception that our Fernie cabins are rented to groups only. Here is what was suggested, read […]

Tunnel Creek Renovations Planned for 2022

The FTSTC is planning for Tunnel Creek renovations the summer of 2022. The plan is to replace the existing Tunnel Creek bunk house with a superior structure that matches the existing day use structure. This renovation on the hut would increase the quality of overnight stays and improve the day use experience. The footing and […]

Fernie Premier of La Liste: Everything or Nothing

The Fernie Trails and Ski Touring Club (FTSTC) is hosting a film at the Vogue Theatre showing the most extreme backcountry skiing of all time…it’s insane! From the award-winning filmmakers Sherpas Cinema their latest film “La Liste: Everything or Nothing” is a must see! Big mountain skiers, and close friends, Jérémie Heitz and Sam Anthamatten […]

Injured Skier at Tunnel Creek

Fernie Search And Rescue was activated on December 5th by a 911 call to respond to a report of an injured skier at Tunnel Creek Cabin. The two skiers had overnighted in the cabin and were due out that day. With very little flying time remaining, Fernie SAR Techs responded via helicopter for a rapid […]

Early Season Backcountry Skier Death

Konan Wendt, of Invermere, was out skiing for the day with three friends on Monday when tragedy struck on Robertson Glacier, Kananaskis Country. Robertson Glacier is a popular early season destination for backcountry skiers that is comparable in early season traffic to Fernie’s Harvey Pass. Wendt suffered a serious head injury when pitched forward into […]

Tunnel Creek and Thunder Meadows Bookings

THERE IS AVAILABILITY IN APRIL AND BOOKINGS ARE NOW OPEN FOR JULY 1 TO THE END OF OCTOBER. THERE ARE A FEW DAYS IN APRIL AVAILABLE AND THE TOURING CAN BE VERY GOOD. MAY CAN ALSO BE GOOD AND WE’LL CONSIDER OPENING FOR MAY DEPENDING ON CONDITIONS. The Fernie Trails & Ski Touring Club’s 2020 […]

Fernie Ski Touring Club Cabins Close

Unfortunately the Fernie Trails & Ski Touring Club will be closing all cabins effectively immediately due to the immediate threat of Covid-19. These cabins include Thunder Meadows, Tunnel Creek and the Montane Hut. We ask you to please respect the closure. Island Lake Lodge has also shutdown operations as of March 18, 2020. Please refer […]

Tunnel Creek Incident Report

Fernie SAR was activated today for a report of an injured skier. The skier, part of a group of six skiers based at Tunnel Creek Cabin, were involved in an avalanche triggered by a cornice in the 1942 Chute area. One skier fell an estimated 200 metres through challenging terrain, sustaining a chest injury. The […]

FTSTC Funds FTA

The Fernie Trails & Ski Touring Club (FTSTC) presented the Fernie Trails Alliance with a cheque for $4000. The cheque represented 50% of 2019’s collected membership funds, the remaining 50% will be used for FTSTC trail maintenance projects. The FTSTC introduced the new Fernie Trails Winter & Summer 2019 membership last year. This years 2020 […]

Winter Cabins Update

We have more firewood split and ready to transport than ever before. Why? So we don’t run out like we have the past two winters. Locating and transporting firewood in March is not fun. The skiing was good. Volunteers Welcome This Saturday we need help loading wood at 8:50am on Anderson Road. Look for the […]