Vagabond at Kicking Horse Resort

Arrival is on foot, more or less: Vagabond Lodge sits a short walk from the gondola base at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, so skis or bikes go straight from the door to the lift. The lodge holds ten ensuite rooms, finished in timber with heated floors, and six open onto balconies facing the peaks. Deluxe Queen, Deluxe King and Twin rooms make up most of the count, alongside two Loft Suites with a queen bed downstairs and a double above, built for families or groups wanting extra space. Downstairs, a river-rock fireplace anchors the lounge, and a lower floor holds a sauna, an outdoor hot tub and a pool table for the hours after skiing or riding. Breakfast is included and changes with the season: sourdough, waffles, eggs, fruit, cheese and preserves, with coffee running all day. The lodge opened in 2004, modelled loosely on an alpine club in Leysin, Switzerland, and it still caps out at 24 guests, a scale that keeps it closer to a shared house than a resort hotel. From here, Golden's slopes, trails and the Kicking Horse River are minutes away, and Yoho, Glacier and Banff national parks are all within a day's reach by car. Check-in runs from around 4pm.