How high flying fashion editor turned her back on city life to go off-the-grid and live in an isolated yurt with snowboarder husband

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People pay millions for a box apartment in New York City or a rundown walk-up in San Francisco.

But this couple are trying to show that life isn't always better in the thick of it.

Mollie and Sean Busby live off the grid in a yurt nestled in northern Montana.

There is no central heating and no running water.

For the Busbys, however, it's worth it.

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This is the yurt Mollie and Sean Busby built in northern Montana when they decided to turn their backs on city life

Mollie was a high-flying fashion editor before she decided to dedicate herself to Sean's type 1 diabetes charity Riding On Insulin

The couple said their friends are baffled by the move but they couldn't imagine living any other way

With no central heating and no running water, they fully immerse themselves in nature to eat, stay warm, and wash

'This way of life that we’ve created for ourselves – literally, by building this yurt with our bare hands – has been the most eye opening, team-building adventure of our lives,' Mollie wrote in an article for Solarlife last year.

Mollie and Sean met in 2010 at the funeral of their mutual friend's 13-year-old son Jesse, who died as a result of type 1 diabetes.

Sean, a professional snowboarder who also has type 1 diabetes, runs a charity called Riding On Insulin, which brings people with the auto-immune disease together at snowboarding events.

Instantly enamoured, Mollie, a high-flying fashion editor, became consumed by the cause and quit everything to help Sean elevate the charity to new heights.

Eventually, as they worked on a snowboarding project in Montana, they had the idea of moving there permanently.

This is their cozy bedroom, which they built themselves. While many think yurts are for glamping, this is a permanent home 

Aside from the tent-like ceiling, this kitchen-dining room could easily be in a conventional home

The Busbys decided to make a home out of a yurt in Montana where they run snowboarding events to bring diabetes sufferers together

'When [we] tell people that we live in a yurt, their reaction usually falls somewhere between clueless and stoked,' Mollie explained

'This life, yurt life, has shown us that despite the pace of the world today, it is possible to slow down,' Mollie (pictured) said

Once they come round to the idea, their friends love to visit the yurt for a secluded weekend in the wild

It is the source of amusement, confusion, and excitement for their friends.

'When [we] tell people that we live in a yurt, their reaction usually falls somewhere between clueless and stoked,' Mollie explained.

A yurt, a round tent-like building, is typically found in rural parts of Eastern Asia. 

In the past few decades, camping sites in the West have erected their own luxurious yurts, and dubbed the glamorous option 'glamping'. 

But Mollie and Sean were not interested in a novelty experience. 

This, they say, is for life.

The couple documented their entire journey building the yurt after turning their backs on city life

While people pay millions for a walk-up in San Francisco, the Busbys decided to put everything into an elevated tent

Mollie said the experience brought them even closer together and changed their lives

Friends flocked to help them put the final touches on their marital home where they plan to raise children

They may not have bars, restaurants or convenience stores, but they do have an astonishing view of the northern lights

They have even worked out how they will raise children there, and share all of their experiences on their blog The Busby Hive.

Writing in Solarlife, Mollie said: 'We can lay in bed and listen to the owls hooting across the canopy. 

'We spend more time on dishes because we don’t have a dishwasher. 

'We carry in wood from the woodshed each day together to keep our heat source alive. 

'This life, yurt life, has shown us that despite the pace of the world today, it is possible to slow down.' 

To follow the Busbys' daily experiences, follow Sean on Instagram.