The hut will sleep up to 16 persons + 4 custodians. The maximum number of people in one party is restricted to discourage full-hut bookings (see the Reservations page for more detail). Full-hut, exclusive bookings are allowed for academic institutions and educational programs only and will be processed manually by the Reservations Coordinator.

Hut facilities or outhouse: $25 per person per night, or $20 if you are an Alpine Club of Canada member of the Whistler, Squamish or Vancouver chapters.
Children 14 and under are eligible for a 20% discount.
Dogs are free, but must be kept outside the hut.

We have a 7 day-cancellation policy. That means cancellation notice given via email to accwhistler@gmail.com 7 days or more prior to the first night’s stay will be given a full refund, minus a $5 administrative fee. However, if the avalanche conditions as rated HIGH or EXTREME by Avalanche Canada for the northern portion of the South Coast Inland region bulletin within 24 hours of your departure, we will refund you in full if you wish to cancel.

If you are unable to make it to the hut because of navigation error or fatigue or group dynamics, we cannot refund your payment.

The Wendy Thompson Hut is located in the Marriott Basin backcountry, in Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) Challenging terrain. The winter route is NOT marked, and you will be responsible for route-finding and navigating. The Marriott Basin is zoned non-mechanized - no helicopter/sled/motorbike, and we are expected to maintain that usage as a condition of our tenure.

Useful Navigation and Route-finding Tools for Winter:

1. Compass and/or GPS and skills to use either.
2. An area-specific map. We recommend “Duffey Lake”1:50 000 by John Baldwin ISBN 978-0-9691550-5-8. Available from any fine outdoor store in the locale. The Wendy Thompson Hut is marked on this map.
3. An area-specific guidebook. We recommend Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis: A Guide to Ski Mountaineering (Third Edition) by John Baldwin ISBN 978-0-9691550-3-4. Available from any fine outdoor store in the locale. See pages 128-131 specifically for hut details and recommended ski tours.
4. Avalanche training. Minimum appropriate levels would be CAC AST1 or equivalent.
5. Weather forecast and avalanche forecast. See South Coast Inland Avalanche Bulletin.

Driving directions: Take hwy 99 north from Pemberton until you reach the Ministry of Highways salt shed (about 41.5km from the Petrocan Station in Pemberton). For up-to-the date road weather check out Cayoosh Summit MOH Remote Weather Station. To access recent weather data, click on the weather button below the photo.

The orange-marked route into the Wendy Thompson Hut marks the summer hiking trail only. No winter route is marked, though portions of the summer route might be appropriate for access under favourable winter conditions.

If you don’t feel able to navigate and route-find in avalanche terrain under forecast conditions, you might consider the use of a guide to lead your group to the hut. We would be happy to recommend ACMG Assistant or Full Ski Guides or Mountain Guides for you if this is the case.

Directions for Winter Travel:

1. Follow the north edge of Hwy 99 west for less than a hundred metres to an obvious three metre wide clearing that turns right and heads north into second growth forest (re-brushed Fall 2012).
2. Follow this clearing up about 100m: this brings you to a landing on a forest service road. Stay on the main trunk which heads generally north for a few hundred metres until you see a sign (currently being replaced) indicating that this is the route to the Wendy Thompson Hut, continue on the main trunk (generally north).
3. About one km up the main trunk, a branch heads to the right uphill. For hut access, ignore this branch, staying on the main trunk (the main trunk has been brushed recently).
4. At about two km, the road ends, but a narrow track heads into mature forest directly ahead. Less than 50m in there will be a plaque on a tree to your left noting that this is the route to the Wendy Thompson Hut.
5. Continue into the forest tending north. Avoid getting into the main creek drainage to the west and only use the obvious slide path on the right on the east if snow stability is good and there is little likelihood of the icefalls above melting.
6. There are orange markers on trees that indicate the summer route through this lower headwall. Do not try to follow the steep summer route directly, but we suggest that you keep a general track of these markers as you climb.
7. Note that a summer trail forks to the east near the top of the first headwall ─ this leads to Mt. Rohr, another destination. Both trails are marked with orange markers–do not assume following orange markers will take you to Marriott Basin.
8. As one continues up and to the north-northwest, a large meadow complex is reached. This is the run out of a climax avalanche path and is the bottom of the Climax ski run. This turns the route to the northwest. Be aware that the route travels through avalanche terrain during this part of the trip. We recommend that groups do all they can to minimize their exposure during this part of the trip. Our suggestion is to keep to the west of the avalanche scar, climbing through steep forest slightly above the run out to gain the top of a moraine that is fully forested. This will lead to a small lake (Marriott Lake)
9. After passing by Marriott Lake (300m long) climb a short distance to surmount the first bump NW of the lake. The hut is located on the top of this bump in an meadow area resulting from an old burn.
10. Please note that in a normal winter snowpack, the hut may be very difficult to pick out in poor visibility. This is because the roof may accumulate substantial amounts of snow and blend in well.

The hut is a modest Gothic-arch styled cabin. There are two floors. The lower floor contains the main entrance on the north side, which hosts a kitchen table, two six person tables, four long benches, and four folding chairs. There are four sinks (with buckets underneath), and a counter with three cook stations for you to cook and do kitchen prep. There are buckets provided for grey water and for pure water pulled from the creek. Keep them separate. Please use only indoor footwear in the hut and please keep your dogs outside.

Bring your own cooking stove. Please prepare your meals on the counters provided and do not leave your stove and food prep on the counters while eating - to be considerate of others. There are sufficient utensils, plates, cups, and cooking pots for a full hut of visitors. Please re-rack them after cleaning.

Please, please do not leave ANY food at the hut. Despite best intentions, these foods attract rodents and other small mammals, who attempt to chew their way into the hut. It is up to users to remove materials that they have brought to the hut. Please do your best to keep the hut as clean as possible. It’s a good idea to bring in a small dish sponge and two dish towels to dry your dishes. Please do not leave used sponges or towels in the hut. They also attract rodents. Bleach has been left in the kitchen to help purify dish washing and washing up the counters.

Upstairs is a loft which contains the sleeping area with a large bunk bed. There are no single beds. You must bring your own sleeping bag but we have added new 4″ covered foam mats for sleeping. Please leave these mattresses on the bunks and do not move them around the hut. Please respect the space of other users. There are shelves on the wall opposite the beds and hooks to hang packs and stuff sacs from. Ear plugs are recommended to improve sleep quality.

Heating for the Wendy Thompson Hut is by a wood stove. Note that a great deal of volunteer time and helicopter transport was needed to provide the wood stacked at the hut. This is expensive, due to helicopter time and difficult logistics in the winter environment. There will be measures put into place to reduce the amount of wood used during any particular part of the season. Please respect these measures. Please use the wood according to the posted instructions at the hut and be mindful that the season is a long one. A small hatchet for creating kindling is cabled at the wood storage. Axes or splitting mauls are not to be brought into the hut. A good plan is to bring some dry kindling in your pack to make it easier to light the stove. Please do not keep the stove burning if you are out for the day or overnight. This is a backcountry hut and it is not expected to be t-shirt warm in the evenings. Note that the wood burning stove is locked from May to the end of October, as temperatures do not warrant heating.

In 2015, a solar lighting system was added to the hut. Under normal usage, three banks of light can be maintained during dark hours. Please only use the lights that are necessary for your purposes, but feel free to use whatever light you require. Note that the lights are on a two hour timer and will shut off after that time. Please do not adjust the time sequence. Just turn them on with a quick touch and turn them off when you don’t need them. Timing begins when they are switched back on. There are four USB chargers also located beside the switches.

New outhouse facilities, completed in September 2019, are located outside of the hut, accessed by a boardwalk from the front entrance. These urine-separating toilets are very effective and signs will explain their proper use. Containment barrels for solids will need to be changed occasionally and instructions are provided in doing so. Our facilities are user-maintained, so we appreciate that our guests will assist in changing the barrels before they overflow.

Gray water can be disposed of at the "pee" tree located near the wood-shed as long as solids are strained from it. A small sieve or an old nylon stocking works well to do that. Remember to pack out that strained waste along with other garbage. Gray water should NOT be disposed of in the toilet.

Please be respectful of the natural environment by disposing of waste as described above.