In 2004, several German businessmen leased property 50 km north of Scotch Creek, British Columbia with dreams of developing a cat skiing operation. Good progress was made on building the lodge but after a year of financial difficulties, construction and business operations ceased.
The lodge sat abandoned, suffering significant vandalism and weather damage, for nearly two years.
In the Spring of 2007, 3 businessmen from the oil patch purchased the lodge as a side project with hopes of developing the business further by marketing it for snowmobilers as well. While the lodge structure itself had been finished, very little had been accomplished inside save from the one wing of rooms on the main floor and a very basic kitchen. In need of help with construction and maintenance, Adam Trainer was hired in the Fall of 2007. Over the next two years, the basement floor would be poured with in-floor heating, main-floor rooms were finished and a functional kitchen was installed. A wood-fire boiler system was also set in place which would provide hot water and heat for the lodge while taking some load off the generator. Using heat exchangers, this boiler system now heats the lodge, provides hot water on demand, heats the basement floor, and keeps our hot tub above 100 degrees even when the lid is left off!
Over those two winters, friends and family often came up to stay and Adam had many opportunities to explore the Pukeashun backcountry by snowmobile. The perfect trees and powder-filled lakes and bowls quickly convinced him that snowmobiling should be the primary focus of the lodge. When the owners decided they were no longer interested in pursuing lodge development in 2009, a deal was negotiated and Adam took over full ownership.
December 2009 saw the first official lodge clientele – primarily local users and small groups connected to friends and family. Gwen Pauls did the majority of the cooking with Adam and a second caretaker doing the bulk of the cooking for smaller one night groups. It was quite a rustic experience for guests as much of the building was still unfinished. Luckily, great food, good company and even better snow goes a long way to keep guests coming back for more!
Through a video filmed by Snowmobiler TV, Grizzly Lodge landed on the cover of SnoGoer magazine in Spring 2011. This was a significant turning point, catapulting Grizzly Lodge into the heart of the snowmobiling industry. The following seasons saw an exponential increase in booking and popularity.
In January 2013 the local Polaris dealership came up for a promotional ride bringing world-renowned snowmobiler Chris Burandt with them. Adam and Chris hit it off right away and not only a friendship was formed, but also a strong business relationship. Burandt’s Backcountry Adventure (BBA) in BC has been a huge success over the last 3 years and has helped BBA expand in Canada while putting Grizzly Lodge on the map with BBA’s world-wide clientele.
While these events have been crucial in the development of the business, it’s the relaxed family-type atmosphere, combined with incredible terrain and mouth-watering meals that keeps our guests coming back year after year.