Hut-to-hut skiing:
a priceless winter adventure
Colorado’s Tenth Mountain Hut system offers rugged backcountry luxury
By Claire Walter
© Adventure Photo.
Hut-to-hut skiing is defined as much by what it is not, as by what it is. It has nothing to do with ski lifts, day lodges, snowmaking or groomed runs. Instead, imagine traveling through the snowy backcountry on skis or snowshoes, with a pack on your back and a remote cabin as your overnight destination.
The first reward for what can be an arduous journey is to relax in the cabin, warmed by a crackling fire. Another is to step onto the deck at night and gaze up at a clear sky sequined by thousands of stars, or watch thick clouds depositing another frothy layer of Rocky Mountain powder. For telemarkers, the greatest reward of all is skinning up to a ridge or hillside above the hut to etch twilight or full-moon turns in untracked new snow.
Europeans have been skiing between alpine huts for decades, but the tradition began here only in 1980 with the construction of two high-elevation huts near Aspen. Now, 28 backcountry cabins are strung along 350 miles of marked, ungroomed trails in an arc that that takes in Aspen, Leadville, Eagle, Vail, and Breckenridge.
Twenty-one are operated by the Tenth Mountain Division Hut Association, named to honor the Army’s fabled Tenth Mountain Division, which trained at Camp Hale near Leadville and fought heroically in Italy during World War II. (Click here to read a previous EnCompass article about Camp Hale and the Tenth Mountain Division.) Between Aspen and Crested Butte are the seven simpler Alfred A. Braun and Friends huts. The Tenth Mountain association handles reservations for all.
Skiing or snowshoeing even to just one hut, let alone linking several together into a multi-day excursion, requires skill, strength and stamina. Your options are to go independently or with a guide. In either case, you need to be able to travel six to nine miles at elevations approaching or exceeding 11,000 feet, using free-heel touring gear or snowshoes and carrying about a 30-pound pack with your clothing, personal gear, food and sleeping bag. Each hut contains bunks with mattresses (but no bedding) and kitchen equipment (but no food). It’s like camping, but with a solid roof over your head.
Hut aficionados value the self-reliance and tranquility that is part of the hut experience. People leave the stress of everyday life behind when surrounded by the peaceful solitude of snow-covered pine trees in every direction as a reward for the effort of getting there.
The Shrine Mountain Inn, only 2½ miles from a trailhead that is directly off Interstate 70, is the easiest and safest hut to reach without a guide. Its three chalets are among the few with a private bedroom or two, running water and indoor toilets (either the plumbed or Swedish composting variety). Most huts are more rustic, with bunk accommodations, privies, and water obtained by melting snow in enormous pots and purifying it. You’ll also need to prepare your own food in the communal kitchen, chop wood, and help keep the fire blazing in the woodstove.
Clearly, a winter hut excursion is not to be taken lightly. Group travel is virtually mandatory. The “group” can be as few as two, if both are experienced. The maximum is limited by the space in the destination hut. Ideally, participants travel at roughly the same speed so they won’t get strung out too much along the route, because a party should move only as fast as its slowest participant.
Someone in the group must be skilled at using a map, compass and altimeter to find the route in variable snow, visibility, and weather conditions. And, oh yes, someone must be knowledgeable about avalanche awareness and snow safety. It is crucial to be prepared and equipped to bivouac outside in the rare case that the group can’t make it to shelter before dark. In all, hut-to-hut touring is way beyond Scouting 101.
What to wear out there is not to be taken frivolously, either. Mountain weather is fickle and can be cold, windy, snowy or some combination. Garments made with high-tech, high-performance fabrics and insulations, and designed to be layered, keep you warm and dry, and also prevent overheating. The base layer worn next to the skin consists of polypropylene or some other miracle fiber that provides some insulation but mainly wicks perspiration from the body. The mid-layer, usually a synthetic polyester fleece, continues transporting perspiration from the body and is also the main insulating layer. The top or outer layer must be a waterproof, breathable fabric that lets moisture out but not in. These fabrics come in various thicknesses. A hat, headband, sunglasses, goggles, fleece neck gaiter and sunscreen are mandatory accessories.
The equipment of choice is alpine touring gear: sturdy skis, free-heel bindings, supportive plastic boots, telescoping backcountry poles, climbing skins, a headlamp in case your trek runs later than expected, and gaiters to keep the snow out of your boot tops. If you don’t own these items, you can rent most of them. In some situations, avalanche beacons, probes and shovels are advisable — and the skills to use them. If you go with a guide service, they’ll tell you what you’ll need.
Despite the physical and mental challenge, legions of Coloradans have become converts to this special experience, captivated by the sheer beauty of scenery, the quality of the snow, and the combination of tranquility and conviviality that reigns in every hut every evening. Weekends are booked up virtually as soon as reservations are taken for the coming winter, and midweek reservations can be difficult to obtain.
You can avoid the potential difficulties of reservations and route finding by booking a guided trip with one of the three outfitters that lead groups on the Tenth Mountain Trail. Taking this option will also allow you to ski with others even if you have no buddies who are up for a hut trip. And you can lighten your pack, because outfitters reserve space and cache sleeping bags and non-perishable food staples in the huts for their clients.
Guides show the way, buck up sagging spirits, rejoice in the thrill of their clients’ accomplishments, prepare meals, and, most importantly, provide an invaluable element of safety with their backcountry knowledge. Some huts (notably Polar Star, a 6.3-mile ski-in from the nearest trailhead) are notoriously difficult to find. And such routes as the daunting slog over 11,925-foot Hagerman Pass in the mere four-and-a-half miles between the Betty Bear and Skinner Huts are difficult and exhausting.
Once a group has arrived, some people are eager to go out for an afternoon adventure. Without heavy packs, skiers feel unburdened as they ascend a nearby ridge and swoop down a powder-filled bowl, making graceful telemark turns back to the hut. Others are happy to stoke the woodstove and relax, have some wine and cheese, perhaps do a jigsaw puzzle or nap until dinner time.
Such priceless experiences — exhilaration following exhaustion — are the pay-off for every grueling uphill step. For some people, hut-to-hut skiing is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Even for veterans, every hut trip is a special experience. Each trip reflects the purity of winter, the magnificence of the Colorado Rockies, the accomplishment of physical goals and the savoring of an achievement.
It is an attitude we can all appreciate. In our fast-paced world, true luxury sometimes comes in a place where time is suspended while we test ourselves against the winter backcountry, taking in intoxicating views and enjoying genuine camaraderie.
- Current Issue
- Digital Edition
- Weekend Getaways
- Contests
- Reader Service
- Newsletters
- Events
- FAQ
- Contact Us
- Advertise
RSS/ XML- Home
Click the cover image for our Digital Edition
Privacy Policy
AAA Colorado proudly serves AAA members in the state of Colorado.
If you live in another area, find the AAA website that serves you.
AAA Colorado:
1-866-625-3601
Roadside Assistance:
1-800-AAA-HELP
Copyright © 2010, AAA Colorado All rights reserved