Radius Retreat in Radium Hot Springs is a forested mountain side retreat offering an experiential holiday with walk-in yurt rentals and 1,000 acres of explorable wilderness. The story began when Curtis Norman worked for Loren and Brian Braat at Freebird Adventures. The three became close friends while Curtis completed his Eco Tourism degree at Mount Royal University, and the three decided to embark on a new adventure together. As part of his schooling, Curtis had completed a business plan for an eco retreat, and that sparked the idea for them to create their own wilderness mountain retreat.

Their search for the perfect location originated in the foothills of Alberta, but when nothing suitable was found they expanded their search to the Columbia Valley. It was love at first hike. The trio quickly found a 1,000 acre parcel bordering Kootenay National Park that boasted its own creek, highway access, and (overgrown) trails and meadows from a previous Christmas tree farm operation.

The land was purchased in 2016 and Radius opened for business in 2018. There was a lot of work to do, including building their own off-grid yurts to live in year-round, but they were up for the challenge. Since then, they have built 7 hike-in guest yurts, established a 12 km trail system and started work on a gathering space with a large stage.

The majority of their summer guests hail from the Calgary area, looking for the perfect retreat close enough for a weekend getaway. Using various online booking sites, they have attracted international guests from as far away as France and even Japan. They were pleasantly surprised to find off peak demand from the local community looking for a unique and relaxing staycation.

They have worked hard at establishing local business partnerships to offer their guests a superior experience. If guests are unequipped for yurt living, FAR OUT Adventure Hub has a Radius package for rent with everything they need. Pleiades Spa & Wellness offers in-yurt massage and yoga. If you are looking to go exploring, Scootin’ Kootenay Tours offers segway tours on the Radius trails. Partnerships like this make it possible to offer guests added experiences that benefit multiple local businesses.

Radius prides itself on being 100% off grid. Any power required is generated onsite through micro hydro generation using the creek. Even the electric ATV used for maintenance is ‘creek powered’. Each yurt has a solar panel which provides power to indoor lights.

It has been a busy few years creating their forested mountainside retreat but there is no standing still for this threesome. They are currently working on building a group gathering area. There is already a large stage and meadow with a fire pit and picnic tables (check out their annual BC/DC concert). They will soon be adding a 40-foot yurt suitable for corporate & wellness retreats, weddings or parties.