A New Chapter for Burnie Glacier Chalet

Winter has arrived at The Burnie

After a dry, warm beautiful summer and autumn the seasons have finally shifted to winter here at the Burnie Glacier Chalet. Two snow storms have brought a total of about 20 cm at lodge elevation and likely triple that in the alpine. The skiing would already be passable in the alpine. In just a few weeks it will truly be ski season 2025/26.

Burnie Glacier Chalet at night – NW BC’s finest mountain hospitality.

There's another change afoot at the Burnie. After many years in the making, this week marks a new chapter for the Burnie Glacier Chalet. Ownership and stewardship have officially passed from longtime owner Christoph Dietzfelbinger to Tom Wolfe, founder of Sawback Alpine Adventures, and his wife Deb Lantz.

Tom and Christoph, June 2024.

The Burnie has long been known for its intimate, small-group atmosphere — and that’s not changing. Tom and Deb plan to uphold that same ethos while introducing integrated booking through Sawback’s platform and extending the operating season to fifteen winter weeks to meet growing demand.

They’re also thrilled that Christoph will continue to play a key role as a lead guide, helping to ensure that the chalet stays true to its original spirit while evolving just enough to remain sustainable for years to come.

We were able to sit down with Tom and Deb to talk with them more about the future of Burnie…

How long have you been going to and guiding up at Burnie?

Deb and I had our first child, Rohan, in April 2003 and in the winter of 2003 we had a wonderful family and friends trip over Christmas to Powder Creek Lodge with, among others, Joel McBurney who also had a young boy roughly the same age. We wanted to repeat the same experience at a different lodge in 2004. I knew Christoph through the guiding world and emailed him to ask about availability. He was very excited to host us and show us around his new lodge, which had only been open for two seasons at that point. (As an aside, Christoph’s first two seasons ran with just 2 bookings each winter, and each group was 3-5 persons! And there was no sauna and no shower).

Middle Solitaire peak looking across at Telkwa Peak.

Part of the expectation (in return for hanging out in this utterly spectacular venue for 9 days) was that I would help him get the lodge ready for his third season, which included building the shower and sauna. For me this was a dream come true. As a brand new ACMG guide I really looked forward to gaining this valuable experience at one of Canada’s premier ski touring destinations in the Howsons.

So it was on a clear blue winter day (my birthday, Dec 23) that we arrived by train to Smithers, BC. I was with our little boy, who was just 19 months at that time, my wife Deb, and her sister Bethany (who was 19 years old). We mixed our time between carpentry and ski touring. I immediately fell in love with Smithers, and Burnie, and thus began what has turned out to be a lifelong friendship with Christoph.

In 2011 I arrived with my first group of clients, a group of 11 South Tyrolians along with mountain guide Hansjorg Hofer. In 2012 I brought two groups, and since then I have always filled 2-3 weeks with guests at what has become my favourite backcountry ski lodge.

Ski tracks on Alltones, which leads down to the Telkwa Glacier. The South Tyrolians laying down tracks on Alltones, which leads down to the Telkwa Glacier. This is in the far reaches of Burnie’s ski runs.

What is a specific favourite moment you have from trips up at Burnie?

I have had so many amazing experiences at Burnie that it’s impossible to say which one was the “best”. But my favourite moments have been spending time here with my family. Specifically, my favourite “moment” would have been skiing what we ended up calling “Ruthie’s Run”. Ruthie is my daughter, who is now 18 but who has been skiing at Burnie since she could walk. There’s a run on the backside of Lakehead Peak that I had admired for years but nobody had ever skied. Then the stars aligned perfectly two years ago and that happened to be a week that Ruthie had joined me. (The guest rooms were full so we put a mattress on the desk in the guide’s office and that’s where she was sleeping that week!) It turned out to be one of my favourite runs. It’s SE facing and when the conditions and weather are just right (as they were that day) it’s a lovely powder run that brings you from a small ski summit almost all the way down into Sandpiper Creek.

Ruthie’s Run – SE face of Lakehead Peak.

What are your plans for the future of Burnie?

My main goal is to preserve all of the good things that Christoph has built here. It’s tempting to impose my own ideas without regard for the history that has gone before me. It’s useful for me to remember that Christoph is a very contemplative man and has carefully considered each step as he’s worked towards making Burnie such an incredibly special place. So while there are many improvements to be made – that’s part of running a lodge – I want to do so cautiously, and be sure to consult with Christoph to get his thoughts. Already we’ve done a few things he admits he would never have done – like a major upgrade to the outhouse. But there are a few things I’ve delayed indefinitely. For example, I was considering making an indoor toilet and installing a water heater. After speaking at length with Christoph on the pros and cons, I decided to hold off and give it a lot more thought. It’s always tempting to throw technology at things to make them “better” not realizing that there are sacrifices that might well outweigh any hoped-for benefit.

Heading up Burnie Glacier.

In terms of big-picture changes, I would like to see a summer program at Burnie. This year I’ll have spent 4 weeks at the lodge during the summer months and I can think of no better place to be. Hikes and easy mountaineering routes take you through some pretty jaw dropping scenery. The glaciers here are still majestic, with Burnie Glacier reaching down below the hut elevation. Craggy peaks and lofty ridge traverses tower above routes that have been lovingly crafted through virgin old growth forest by countless days of backbreaking labour by my predecessor, Christoph Dietzfelbinger.

An example is our Artist's Week. My wife Deb is passionate about this and ran our inaugural trip this year. It was a great success and we're looking at doing it again in 2026.

Burnie Glacier reaching below hut elevation Burnie Glacier reaching down below the hut elevation.

What maintenance and improvements have you been doing at Burnie?

This summer we’ve had a long list of improvements:

Outhouse renovation.

A major renovation on the outhouse. Sean Fraser took the lead on this one, assisted greatly by Joe Pojar and Jesse Sheffield. Both Christoph and I were sceptical about this project but the results are undeniable: taking a dump at Burnie will never be the same.
Canoe shelves by the lake to keep them off the ground. Burnie Glacier Chalet holds a secret: we have world class mountain paddling here on both the Upper and Lower Burnie Lakes and on the almost 3-km swiftwater river that separates them! Sean, Joe and Jesse did yeoman's work on this as well.

HVAC installation Sean and Dave installing the new heat-transfer system.

A whisper-quiet HVAC system (that will nonetheless shut off during sleeping hours) to bring the hot air created by the cookstove into the basement. We are hoping to cut down on our firewood consumption by at least 15% as well as create a more comfortable living space both upstairs and down.. Thanks to Joachim Grimmer, a German HVAC engineer who skied with Sean and I two years ago, for speccing this out for us! It’s almost complete – Sean and Dave Hibbard are putting the final touches on it while I type.
Shower head. “Keine Warmduscher” is Christoph’s witty motto here at Burnie. It literally means “No Warm-showerers”. Warmduscher figuratively means someone who avoids discomfort (of course German has a derogatory term for such a person) so you could translate it roughly as “No Wimps”. As I was contemplating a departure from this tradition with the water heater I did install a convenient shower head with hose. So it’s easier to shower – if the same chilly 5 deg C it’s always been!

Solar pole installation Rohan and Ruth installing the new solar pole system.

Solar array: We’re planning to add 6 modern solar panels next summer. It’s not a trivial upgrade and we’re picking away at it. First step was to install a pole – Rohan and Ruth worked away at this project. This winter you’ll see two poles, one bare and the other with 2 old panels on it. The plan is to plant two more poles which will hang the new panels. The two old panels will eventually end up on the E facing wall of the lodge to help with early morning power generation during the summer months.
Aaron Bryant worked hard at numerous carpentry projects. For those of you who remember the towering bunk bed: it’s now cut down to size. We also have a new linen cabinet downstairs, which frees up space in the upstairs common area. And a bunch of other things
Trail maintenance: Christoph, Aaron, Irene (Christoph’s wife), Mike Blarowski and I spent a few days making good progress on beating back nature’s assault on Christoph’s trails.

Pantry Fan The basement pantry has two fans, an intake and an exhaust.

Pantry cooling system: Burnie has two pantries, one upstairs and one downstairs. The cooks have long complained that both become too warm. So my son Rohan worked away at creating a cooling system using two 12 cm, 2.5-Watt 24V fans that run off our battery bus. It's a great success -- temps are around 3-4 deg C and holding -- food safe levels -- even when the lodge is heated to +20C at fall temperatures (0 deg C at night).

Are there trips coming up this season so we can come and ski and stay at the Burnie Glacier Chalet?

Yes, we have a number of weeks with availability still at Burnie Glacier Chalet:

Click here to book your spot or spots for your group, or email us to make an enquiry!

The Burnie.

Looking up at Burnie and Outer Solitaire Glaciers.

We’d like to raise a toast to Christoph and thank him for his years of dedication, vision, and hospitality. Here’s to many more great adventures together at the Burnie Glacier Chalet!

Christoph nearing the end of the hike from Upper Burnie Lake.

Tom, Deb, Christoph, Irene and Ruthie (foreground).