Inside the BlackTusk Snowmobile Club’s Alpine Learning Centre
At 1,494 metres above Squamish perched on the rim of an ancient volcano, sits one of the most quietly impressive pieces of snowmobile infrastructure in British Columbia.
The Black Tusk Snowmobile Club calls the Brohm Ridge Chalet home — a place where alpine history, volunteer stewardship, and modern mountain learning come together in a way that feels distinctly BC.
Built in the 1960s for a ski resort that never materialized — and rumoured to have hosted members of the Rat Pack — the chalet found its true purpose in the early 1980s when it became the heart of the Black Tusk Snowmobile Club. What began as a mountain refuge has since evolved into something far more intentional: a fully immersive alpine learning environment.
A Classroom Without Walls
The club’s Alpine Learning Centre supports a wide range of mountain education — including avalanche training, mountain rescue courses, Search and Rescue group training, and other professional and volunteer programs. What connects them all isn’t the curriculum. It’s the setting.
Students don’t commute to this classroom. They live in it.
Days are spent training in real terrain, under real conditions. Evenings are spent debriefing where the lessons were learned — with the snowpack, the weather, and the surrounding peaks shaping the conversation. That level of immersion deepens understanding, sharpens judgment, and creates learning that sticks, particularly in complex Coast Mountain environments.
Built for Multi-Day Learning
Brohm Ridge is designed to support that kind of experience. Between the main Chalet (sleeping 40+ guests) and the smaller Clubhouse (sleeping an additional 14), the facility can host more than 50 overnight guests.
Courses are fully catered by a professional chef, allowing participants to stay focused on learning while creating space for connection and reflection once the sleds are parked. It’s demanding, practical, and unexpectedly comfortable — a rare combination in the alpine.
Coming Up: AST 1 at Brohm Ridge
On January 24–25, the Black Tusk Snowmobile Club is hosting an Avalanche Skills Training Level 1 course that includes:
AST 1 instruction
Overnight accommodation at the Brohm Ridge Chalet
Three chef-prepared meals
The Brohm Ridge Chalet has seen a lot over the decades — changing uses, changing users, changing winters.
What hasn’t changed is its role as a place where people come to slow down, pay attention, and learn from the mountains themselves. The Black Tusk Snowmobile Club maintains groomed winter access to the chalet, cares for the surrounding riding area, and continues to invest in the long-term life of the building — most recently completing a major roof renovation to ensure it remains part of the alpine landscape for years to come.
For those lucky enough to spend time there — whether riding, training, or teaching — the lessons tend to last long after the sleds are parked and the doors are closed behind them.
