Ski off a glacier from Cabane Tortin, a fully-staffed private chalet in Switzerland

Working from an Airstream trailer in northern Norway—and, indeed, wherever he fancies dropping anchor—Snorre Stinessen is familiar with inhospitable terrain the way few architects are. His projects are often photographed laden with snow or teetering over water. And they always come with irregular contours, like the kind determined by nature.

That said, no two are alike. By Stinessen’s latest project, unveiled this winter, has many of the telltale qualities that make his practice so sought after, though you could never pick it out as a ‘Stinessen’. You likely could never pick out Cabane Tortin at all, as it is so private and exclusive, sited 3,000 metres up a Swiss glacier. You’ll have to make do with the photos.

The ultimate holiday rental, the eight-person chalet has almost inconceivable access to Verbier and the entire Nendaz region of southwestern Switzerland — though renters can just as easily avoid the resorts and ski off-piste (or paraglide, snowshoe, ski-tour or jump on a husky dog-sledge). A ski-in-ski-out mini-resort, Cabane Tortin sits on the footprint of an older cabin of the kind occasionally spotted and fantasised about from a chair lift. The difference is its sustainability, built with locally sourced stone and timber integrating solar panels, sunlight-capturing glass and a pellet-fuelled burner. Water is harvested from a natural spring high in the rock face. Three double bedrooms and one twin are all enveloped in timber and glazing. They share shower rooms and bathrooms, a sauna and a vast fire-lit common area with equally panoramic views across the Alps.

Cabane Tortin benefits from a team of ‘guardian staff’ akin to concierges. A private chef shops and cooks entirely around guests’ desires, serves an après ski menu of cocktails with canapés and even packs lunch for the road. A mountain guide is also on call to plan routes and lunch stops across the range, and a spa therapist takes over during the off hours. These are as much a necessity as luxuries, sequestered as you are so high in the mountains, and they push the cost of a stay into the five figures. But they do make for a seamless, unforgettably privileged holiday.

www.cabanetortin.com