Brandywine and Brew Hut
50°02′ N 123°11′ WATES Challenging terrainSeasonal
Brandywine and Brew Hut, south of Whistler off Highway 99, suit ski tourers who want a deep-snow hut trip, because the VOC's first-come hut sleeps up to 16 above mellow slopes around Brew Lake, and the trade-off is a long approach on cat-skiing roads and a whiteout-prone final climb with no markers.
Photo by Matt Drenth on Unsplash
Read the terrain
Brew Hut sits on a high col just south of Mount Brew at 1,686 m, with mellow open slopes north and west of Brew Lake below it. The older Canadian Avalanche Association list rated the trip from Roe Creek to the hut and the Brew Lake basin challenging. The VOC's interim list rates the bowl and the Shady Trees run east of the hut challenging and Brandywine Bowl below the hut complex. Avalanche Canada's Trip Planner maps most of the Roe Creek Trail as simple with challenging pockets, puts the hut in a simple zone and fills most of its Brandywine area with complex zones.
Gate rules
- Brew Hut is open to all non-motorized, non-commercial users and takes no reservations. The VOC's fee in 2026 is $15 a person a night, paid online or in the drop box at the hut.
- VOC trips have priority at New Year's, Reading Week and Easter, so contact the club before planning a trip then. Commercial groups contact the VOC before using the hut.
- Campfires are prohibited at every VOC hut. Use the wood stove sparingly, because the club flies its firewood in by helicopter.
- Powder Mountain Catskiing holds a tenure on the slopes east of Cypress Peak, a few kilometres from the hut. The VOC says the company will keep its clients away while a party is at the hut, and for the five days before, if you call two weeks ahead.
Watch for these hazards
- The Roe Creek trail crosses open rocky slopes below treeline that face south and shed wet loose avalanches in the sun, the VOC warns.
- Whiteouts are common above Brew Lake, and the final alpine stretch to the hut carries no flags or markers, so a map and compass are essential.
- Brandywine Bowl and the run from the hut's door down to Brandywine Creek sit under very steep slopes that avalanche often, and the bottom of the run is a runout zone.
- Big cornices and wind loading build on the bowl west of the hut, by the VOC's description.
- Snowcats from Powder Mountain Catskiing use the Chance Creek and Roe Creek roads in winter and run up several side roads, so their tracks will not lead you to the trail.
Pick a route that suits the day
Roe Creek to Brew Hut
Challenging terrain
Ski the Chance Creek FSR and the Roe Creek Road to the R200 branch and pick up the Roe-Brew Trail at the orange diamonds on a stump, about 50 m past the steep bend. The 4.7 km trail wraps around the ridge south of Mount Brew to Brew Lake, and the last alpine stretch to the hut is unmarked.
Brew Lake basin
Challenging terrain
The north and west sides of Brew Lake hold big, mellow open slopes, and the VOC calls the west side a good place for beginner skiers. The older Canadian Avalanche Association list rated the basin challenging because of a few small steeper slopes.
Shady Trees and the bowl east of the hut
Challenging terrain
A short run east from the hut drops to a small lake, and the Shady Trees run carries on through the trees to a flat bench at about 1,300 m. Watch for the big gully on skier's left, and know that the VOC's interim list rates this ground challenging.
Brandywine Bowl
Complex terrain
The bowl west of the hut holds lines on north, north-east and east aspects that run down into Brandywine Creek, under big cornices and steep couloirs that avalanche into it often. The VOC's interim list rates it complex, and Avalanche Canada's Trip Planner maps complex zones around it.
See the terrain in 3D
The Chance Creek FSR leaves Highway 99 about 1 km south of the Rubble Creek road to Garibaldi Lake and crosses the Cheakamus River and the railway. Park at the cat-skiing base at km 1.6, where the ploughing stops. From there you ski the logging roads to the R200 branch and pick up the Roe-Brew Trail, 4.7 km to the hut. The trail rides a bench around the ridge south of Mount Brew and ducks in and out of forest and across the tails of talus slopes. Those open slopes face south, and the VOC warns that they release wet loose avalanches in the sun.
The last stretch above Brew Lake is open alpine with no flags, and the VOC calls whiteouts there common. The club reckons Brew can get as much as 50% more snow than Whistler Mountain, and a forecast of flurries in Squamish can mean a full storm at the hut. Ski the sparse trees at the north end of the lake when visibility closes in, and save Brandywine Bowl and the run from the hut's door into Brandywine Creek for stable days.
The VOC built the current hut in 2005 and runs it for anyone on skis or on foot, first come first served, for $15 a person a night in 2026. It sleeps about 12 in comfort and 16 at most, with a wood stove, a solar LED light and an outhouse just north-east of the hut. Drinking water comes from the pond or from snow on the west side. Read the VOC's hut registration page before you go, because the club posts its bulletins there.
Worth knowing
- Call Powder Mountain Catskiing two weeks before a winter trip to the hut so it can keep its clients away, and ask about parking and road conditions at the same time.
- Leave a trip plan with someone at home with your route, your group, your hut nights and your return time, plus when they should call 911. AdventureSmart's free planner is at adventuresmart.ca.
- North Shore Rescue's ten essentials apply here too, with a headlamp first and a map of sheet 92 J/3 and a compass close behind.
- Avalanche Canada sets AST 1 at two days or more and lists licensed providers at avalanche.ca/training/courses.
Quick answers about Brandywine and Brew Hut
Do you need to book Brew Hut?
No. Brew Hut takes no reservations and opens to all non-motorized, non-commercial users, with a 2026 fee of $15 a person a night. VOC trips have priority at New Year's, Reading Week and Easter.
How do you get to Brew Hut in winter?
Park at the Powder Mountain Catskiing base at km 1.6 on the Chance Creek FSR, ski the logging roads to the R200 branch and follow the 4.7 km Roe-Brew Trail to the hut at 1,686 m. The final alpine stretch above Brew Lake carries no markers.
What ATES rating does Brew Hut have?
The trip from Roe Creek to Brew Hut is rated challenging on the older Canadian Avalanche Association list. Brandywine Bowl below the hut is rated complex on the VOC's interim list.
Can you snowmobile to Brew Hut?
No. The VOC runs the hut for non-motorized users, and it allows air access only for hut work such as firewood and building materials.
How long is a tour on Brandywine and Brew Hut?
A typical tour on Brandywine and Brew Hut climbs the VOC's figures put the ploughed end of the road at about 430 m and Brew Hut at 1,686 m. From there you ski the Chance Creek FSR and the Roe Creek Road to the R200 branch, then follow the 4.7 km Roe-Brew Trail to the hut.
When can you ski tour Brandywine and Brew Hut?
The touring season on Brandywine and Brew Hut runs the VOC reckons the Brew area can get as much as 50% more winter snow than Whistler Mountain, which makes it a good bet when snow is thin elsewhere and a poor one in stormy weather. Avalanche Canada starts its daily forecasts for 2026/27 on 25 November at 4 pm.
Do you need a guide for Brandywine and Brew Hut?
Experienced, equipped groups tour Brandywine and Brew Hut on their own, though a local guide finds better snow.
Where do you check avalanche danger for Brandywine and Brew Hut?
Read the day's bulletin from Avalanche Canada (https://avalanche.ca/map) before every tour on Brandywine and Brew Hut.
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