Burnt Hut Down Under

Here's an impressive ski house down under...in the Australian Alps.  While I have not skied in Australia (yet, anyway), I have spent considerable time researching ski houses there...and this beauty is among the best I've seen.  The Ski House of the Day is Burnt Hut right on the mountain at the Mt. Buller ski area (which kicked off its 2013 ski season earlier this month) in Victoria, Australia.

The location of this ski house (middle of the photo below) is right along the 'Shaky Knees' ski trail, and it's one of the few chalets here where you can ski to and from the door (that's my kind of ski house).

The house sits in a great location in the snow among the gum trees...and it gets even more interesting on the inside.   The architectural and designer touches are obvious throughout the house, and they combine with modern technology to make this a beautiful, and functional ski house.  I love all the large, unobstructed windows to take in the views.  The feeling in this ski house is comfortable luxury with an exotic flair. Check out the comfy, fur covered places (which even include stuffed Persian camel sacks) to lounge in front of the wood-burning fireplace:

...the very complete, modern kitchen:

...and sleek breakfast bar seating (or apres-ski cocktail hour seating):

This very inviting dining room looks irresistible:

Nice place to share an apres-ski dinner;  it even has the romantic appearance of being perched up in the tree-tops. (But...um..., in a house called Burnt Hut, I'm thinking that maybe the centerpiece should be something other than...fire...?).   No matter, it's simply gorgeous!

I love the comfy seating with a view:

This ski house has four bedrooms (plus sleeping loft)...

...and three bathrooms, like this sleek one (...more seating with a view):

This place has features that really make a house a ski house...downstairs is a ski room and drying room, and upstairs is a sauna:

The average annual snowfall at Mt. Buller is 2.42 m.  It has a vertical drop of 4,511 ft., and has 22 lifts.  Approximately half the mountain's trails are rated as intermediate....but there are chutes to be found as well;  check out Aussieskier's Buller Chutes off-piste run.

From Burnt Hut there's a picutesque view of the mountains through the icicles:

...but speaking of being 'down-under'...I'm wondering what (or who) is 'down under' the snow on the roof just 'down under' this beautiful house!  

I think Burnt Hut is a fantastic ski house...now if I can only get...down under.

Moonbah Hut

The ski season is still in full swing "down under", in fact, Perisher reports a new 20 cm today, and has recently announced that they are extending their season to remain open until early October.  And here's a most unique ski house...not too far from there.  The Ski House of the Day is the rustic, quaint and captivating Moonbah Hut:

The hut has been described as "not so much a hut as an experience,"  and it looks like a beautiful experience indeed.  The Moonbah Hut is located 15 minutes from Jindabyne, on property that borders the Kosciuszko National Park (in which the area's ski fields are located) and is right on the Moonbah River, a pristine trout stream.

On the property wildlife abounds...and includes wombats, a resident platypus, emu, kangaroo, cockatoos, and wild brumbies:

The setting looks totally serene and spectacular...it seems like it's a perfect place for isolation as well as inspiration:

The stone and slab hut (built in 1822) looks absolutely magical inside...


In addition to the warm, inviting stone fireplace, there's also a Canberra wood-stove for heat (and creative cooking) plus a hotplate and a small fridge to round out the "kitchen facilities."

The hut's cozy sleeping area is nestled along a rustic natural stone wall adorned with antique wooden snow-shoes and  poles...simply beautiful!

The hut also has an unexpected luxury...a heated floor!  Although it looks like this might be the kind of place you'd expect to have to use an out-house, there is an "inside" bathroom.

If you decide that you actually want to leave this cozy place to get out into the snow and ski, you may have a bit of a drive...

...but what an inspiring place to return to as the stars come out!

Cheers to the extended ski season, and to the captivating Moonbah Hut!

Bogong Rover Chalet

The Ski House of the Day is the Bogong Rover Chalet in Victoria, Australia. The chalet, in the Bogong High Plains, is owned and operated by the Rover Section of the Victoria Branch of the Scouts of Australia.  This organization is dedicated to fun and adventure while serving the community, so there's a communal atmosphere where everyone staying in the chalet pitches in to make things work.

The Bogong Rover Chalet is a place where the Rovers Scouts learn the skills of back-country skiing, ski-touring and learn the day-to-day operation of a ski chalet.  Getting there requires an 11 km trek on skis...so they caution visitors that if you can't carry it in your pack, don't bring it:

The chalet has dormitory style rooms that can accommodate up to 35 people (they bring their own sleeping bags), it has showers, and the kitchen has a grouping of picnic tables for mealtime. The chalet uses solar, gas, wood and runs its own generator for power, but has no mobile phone reception in the chalet itself, and has no tv, etc...in fact, they discourage any electronics at all saying that "ipods are anti-social...so you'll need to make your own fun."  And to help make your own fun, there's a guitar and a "didgeridoo" to play in the chalet (didgeridoo...?).

The Bogong Rover Chalet claims to have the only privately owned ski tow in Australia:

In the late 1930's charitable donations funded the chalet project...and when the chalet was built in 1940, it was the only ski lodge in the entire area (ski resorts in the area were developed years later).  Over the decades that followed, improvements have included the addition of a ski room, a new kitchen in 1953 that involved pushing a huge cast iron stove into the chalet from Rocky Valley on greased poles, an environmentally friendly waste system, a kitchen renovation in 2000, and more.  Surely each of these improvements benefited not only the chalet and future users of it, but also benefited the young people who, through their service, made them happen.

There's an external emergency shelter in the chalet as well...which is a good thing since the area has an average annual snowfall of about 4 meters of snow:

I admire the existence of this chalet because it is a symbol of what can be accomplished through the goal of service to others...a ski house that was built and still exists because of a dedication to skiing, adventure, serving the community!  And the Bogong Rover Chalet still serves its original purpose...the education of young people in a fellowship of open-air and service.

Holiday House Down Under

One thing I've learned from perusing Australian ski houses is that the majority of them have sleek and  modern styling.  This down-under ski house however, while sleek in some ways (especially the bedroom/bathrooms) is one that offers a few more cozy and comfortable features than many others in the area. The Ski House of the Day is a mountain chalet called Wareen Holiday House in (Crackenback) Jindabyne, New South Wales,  Australia.  Near the Snowy Mountain Range, it's on the Alpine Way with nearby access to skiing at Perisher (and Thredbo a little farther away).

The open-concept ski house has a massive stone fireplace centered on a wall of windows in the living room (or "lounge" as it's called down-under);  this combined with the skier-friendly furniture creates a warm and comfortable gathering spot:

Interestingly, there's another fireplace, actually a cozy wood-stove (or "slow-combustion fireplace" as the  rental agent calls it) on the opposite wall, near the kitchen...making this a truly warm room in more ways than one:

The nicely vaulted ceilings continue into the kitchen which is bright and open to the "lounge" (living room):

This house is set up for apres-ski fun with a pool table within view of that large fireplace:

Sleek but comfortable-looking, this bedroom (one of the four+ bedrooms in the house) seems so very tranquil:

The nearest skiing is at Australia's (self-proclaimed) most popular snow-holiday destination, Perisher. On national park land, Perisher is huge with seven peaks (summit elevation 2054 m), 47 lifts, several base villages, and more trails than they wish to count.  But what really intrigues me is the method of access to the ski area from here.

The preferred way to get to Perisher is not to drive up the access road (which apparently is extremely limited), but rather to take the Ski Tube, an electric "rack" (cog) railway that travels mostly underground!  (So, I guess you could say that you get to ride "down-under" the mountain before you get to ride up on it).  Anyway, this ski house is just 5 minutes from the Ski Tube.  Opened in the late 1980's, the Swiss-designed Ski Tube whisks skiers from the valley up to the ski area in just about 15 minutes or so.  I find this to be an interesting and most unique way to start a ski day!  Here's a look at the trip from the valley to Perisher on the Ski Tube. The Ski Tube runs from 5 am til 1 am, so skiers can get there for first tracks, and stay for apres-ski on the mountain.  And here's a mesmerizing close-up of the inside of the Ski Tube tunnel on the downhill return trip.  Now that's down-under.

Tasmanian Ski Lodge

Some ski houses are just about the snow, and here's a unique example of that.  The Ski House of the Day (if you can find it) is the Zermatt Lodge in Tasmania:

The remote lodge is located at the highest residential elevation in Tasmania (an Australian island and state), and is inside the Ben Lomand National Park with its Ben Lomond Ski Fields.  The park contains the island's second highest peak at approximately 5,150 ft.

This remote little ski house has just the basics:  a fireplace, a generator, and one bedroom (a bunkroom for 6)...



...so it's not for everyone;  but it is unique, way out there, with a blanket of snow (at least at times), and views of the surrounding mountains:


And by the way, watch out for the Tasmanian Devil!   (According to the national park, the Tasmanian Devil is the world's largest surviving carnivorous marsupial, nocturnal and with a spine-tingling screech!).