• We start with great design and the understanding that people are going to use the cabins we build. A cabin is a sanctuary. The cabin experience is about recreation, and restoration. It should restore, not diminish your sanity.
• We are about building less. Building less means less money, less time, less waste, less stress on you and the environment. Building less means less of everything that doesn’t make you happy.
• We believe in a new approach to design and building a cabin. We utilizes building methods that result in faster construction times, higher quality, and greater affordability.
• We believe in streamlining design and construction in order to make good design by noted designers more accessible. We are building a framework that allows you to build a cabin that reflects a mutual passion for good design by both you us.

Read the rest of this entry »

As the days grow longer you might have a yearning to go climbing, kayaking, or kite boarding. Yet the rivers are still covered in ice, the trails deep in snow, and your favorite beach is made of snowbanks rather than sand dunes. You are going to have to pursue alternative measures. Here is a round up of our favorite summer activities re-invented for winter.
Read the rest of this entry »

With the official launch of www.formandforest.com less than a month away a lot of you have been asking "Just what are these prefab cabins going to look like anyway?" Some of the more impatient have even suggested the cabins are myth, going so far as to suggest that Form and Forest is actually a snow fort fan site dedicated to the men and woman who build them.

Well I can assure you that the cabins are real and are nearly ready for prime time with just a few more tweaks to go by D’arcy Jones and his cadre of superstar designers. Believe me the final wait has become as excruciating for us as for you. So to satisfy your longing we’re dropping a few spy snaps from the studio. Hopefully you get as excited by foam core sketch models as much as we do. If you need a greater fix be sure to sign up for our newsletter , the february edition is sure to tide you over with even sweeter previews.
Read the rest of this entry »

We all know the big players on the block with their multi mountain spanning resorts, gravity defying trams , and mountainside McMansions. But what about the hills of our childhoods? You know the ones with the rickety 2 person chair that you nearly froze too death on, or the t-bars that worked you out more on the ascent than the ensuing descent ever did? We’ve rounded up the 5 best places to Ski in Canada where the powder runs deep, the tickets are cheap and the lifts run slow.

1. Castle Mountain . Nestled in the last valley of the Canadian Rockies before you hit the never ending expanse of the prairies is Castle Mountain Ski resort. Castle’s location is both a virtue and a curse, a curse because it is the last stop for warm moist pacific air to drop its powder before turning into gale force Chinook winds that tear the doors off the farmers trucks to the east. Sometimes this phenomenon doesn’t wait for the prairies and decides to blow early threatening the lives of skiers riding the chair up the mountain while taking the snow with it. However with 2,833 feet of vertical, the wide open bowls and chutes are sure to reward the persistent especially on a big powder day. The big bonus is the lack of people to share your stash with and with 299 inches of snowfall per year there will be lots to go round. Castle is the type of place where locals ski in their coveralls and blue jeans still pass for snow pants. There are modest development opportunities if you happen to fall and love and build a cabin there.

2. Powder King. There are rumors that at one time Environment Canada refused to publish snowfall amounts from Powder King because they didn’t believe single snowfall amounts could be so high. But modern recording equipment proved the locals right. One might assume the cubicle dwellers at Environment Canada were hardcore ski fanatics trying to keep the place a secret. With 2,017 vertical feet to ski, crowds so thin that your morning tracks are erased by afternoon and Atco trailer luxury, Powder King is definitely authentic. With modest on-hill real estate opportunities you might just want to stake a claim to this powder stash and build a cabin there.

3. Shames Mountain . Located on the north edge of the middle of nowhere Shames Mountain boasts the highest amount of snowfall for a lift serviced hill in North America. In their inaugural season (1990) 72 feet of snow fell. With access to phenomenal backcountry and stunning views, this mountain truly is a hidden gem. The lore of this place alone make the trip to Terrace and subsequent shuttle to the hill worthwhile. Snorkel skiing anyone?

4. Hemlock Valley . When you think local mountains in the lower mainland, Grouse, Cypress and Seymour are sure to pop up. But theres one more. Hemlock Valley. Located an hour and a half east of Vancouver this little gem gets all the snow the Pacific can throw at it receiving 30 -35 feet of snowfall on average. Not a bad spot to build a ski cabin if you live in the lower mainland.

5. Whitewater Whitewater is a classic just 15 minutes up the road from picturesque Nelson in the West Kootenays that attracts 45 feet of snow on average every year. And thats dry powder or cold smoke as the locals call it not the wet concrete of the coast. The two double chairs are by no means modern but hey you’ve got earn your turns somehow and the ample groomers, glades, bowls, chutes, tree skiing and affordable lift tickets are well worth the slow ride up.