Burton Hut

About the Hut

The Burton Hut, also known as Sphinx Hut, is the VOC's oldest current hut. It is located in Sphinx Bay, on the east side of Garibaldi Lake. Access is best in winter when the Lake is frozen.

Facilities

The Burton Hut sleeps about 10 people comfortably - 6 on a sleeping platform and 4 in the attic. It's quite drafty by modern hut standards, so it tends to be colder than usual inside. There is an outhouse, and a nearby stream (and a huge lake) for water.

Skiing

The Burton Hut is an awesome base for fair weather skiing, with amazing long glacier descents all around. There are few trees however, so it is a poor destination in bad weather or in unstable conditions. The hut is often used as a stopover on the Garibaldi Neve Traverse.

Mountaineering

There are good nearby climbs on Castle Towers, Sphinx, Deception Pinnacles and Guard Peak. Short, alpine rock routes can also be found on the Phyllis Engine and the Bookworms.

Access

Access to the Burton Hut is complicated by the fact that there is no trail, and that Garibaldi Lake is so huge that it doesn't usually freeze until sometime in January.

Winter

Mid winter access is generally straightforward. Ski / Snowshoe the well used trail up to Garibaldi Lake (9km) and then continue across the frozen lake to the hut (4km). Make sure to scout the ice from a hill first, as the far side of the lake around the Burton Hut is always the last part to freeze, and it is not easy to spot open water from so far away if you are standing at lake level.

Summer

Summer access requires walking around the Lake, usually via Black Tusk Meadows, over the Helm Glacier to Gentian Pass, and then bushwacking down from Gentian Pass to the hut.

History

Try asking Roland Burton. The hut was built back in the 1960s, making it the VOC's oldest standing hut. For many years, the hut was the site of an annual Sphinx Spring Ski Camp. This used to be a huge event with dozens of people trekking across the lake around easter to ski in the basin. There's even an old 8mm movie in the clubroom archives somewhere about it.

The Burton Hut has seen somewhat reduced activity in recent years, and remains in pristine condition despite its age.