Shelter of the Week: A Snowboarder's Tiny House

The Place: Pro snowboarder Mike Basich built this 225-square-foot cabin of harvested granite, pine, and douglas fir entirely by hand over the course of five years, on 40 acres of land just outside of Truckee, California. Three miles from the nearest road, the property is only accessible by snowmobile, running water comes from two creeks on the property, the toilet is outside, and there’s no real shower. (Basich sits on a stone bench inside the cabin and pours water, heated from a fireplace, over his head.) But there is a hot tub out front, heated from that same fireplace. 

The Region: Truckee is in the heart of North Tahoe ski country, with ski resorts like Northstar^[1] just a few miles outside of city limits. The cabin itself is located between town and the Donner Pass, which boasts serious ski and snowboard action in the winter (much of it happening at the North American Ski Training Center^[2]), and summer recreation with alpine lakes and serious climbing routes.

References

1. ^{^} Northstar (www.mensjournal.com)
2. ^{^} North American Ski Training Center (www.skinastc.com)