There are two kinds of backcountry skiers in Colorado: those who participate a year in advance in the lottery system for the right to spend a coveted weekend in a 10th Mountain Division Hut and those who don't. Guess where I fall on the spectrum?
Correct! I do not have a sweet hut trip planned yet for the upcoming season, despite a hut trip being one of my most absolute favorite things in the world. When you skin miles away from a parking lot, gain elevation, and reach a cozy log cabin stocked with everything you need for a night out (beds, plates and silverware, cooking instruments, solar-powered light bulbs, wood burning stoves, ginormous pots for melting snow and making drinking water, outhouses, and, when you're lucky, a sauna), it is downright incredible. Who wouldn't want to spend a winter evening or three in such simplistic luxury? (And believe me, when you're spending the night anywhere without central heating in the winter, things like wood burning stoves and mattresses rank high on the luxury list.)
But just because I don't have one booked (the lottery took place sometime last spring when I was mired in newborn baby details, although I've never actually gotten my act together to enter a hut lottery), doesn't mean I am not going on a hut trip this year. In fact, I guarantee I will go on a hut trip --and I'll tell you exactly how you can follow suit.
1. Forget about going on a weekend, especially a holiday weekend.Even though the 10th Mountain Division manages 29 huts connected by 350 miles of routes, there are a lot more people who want a spot than can get them. Unless you were a lucky early bird, getting a hut on New Years or President's Day or during spring break or actually almost any weekend of the winter is like the Democrats trying to hold on to the Senate in these mid-term elections. So suck it up and take vacation time.
2. Familiarize yourself with the territory.Colorado's mountain ranges are -- to say the obvious -- vast. A hut trip could leave from Breckenridge, Leadville, Vail Pass, or Aspen. Orient yourself here to get the lay of the land. Check out the hut descriptions here, and think about whether you want a lot of space or a cozy cabin for three. Then move on to step number three...
3. Expand your range.Now that I've got a baby in tow, I want to get a hut that has as short a ski in as possible. Yes, I absolutely LOVE the 11-mile sufferfest into the Friends Hut from Crested Butte, but will 8-month old Henry? I doubt it. That said, I realize it may be a pipe dream to score a hut for me and my pals at Shrine Mountain Inn or Francie's, both of which have a mere mile or two trek in. So I'm going to limit my search to huts that have a four-mile-or-less ski in.
**Warning, this is an annoying thing to determine because the huts.org website doesn't have an easily accessible table comparing the hut routes. If you're a Luddite, be prepared to take some notes and if you're computer savvy, write a program and then donate it to the nice 10th Mountain Division folks to make my life easier. Thank you.
4. Jump on the calendar.Go to "hut availability", click on a week, then a hut, and start your search. You'll see some huts have a few spaces available. This means parties have reserved some, but not all the beds. If you don't have a potentially crabby baby, go ahead and squeeze in with strangers-maybe you'll find your soul mate or make friends for life. If, like me, you're bringing baby, be nice and find an empty hut (hint: look for Monday-Thursday). No one wants to hear all about Junior's first ever hut trip ---especially if it is from Junior screaming his lungs out at 4 a.m. You can thank me later.
5. Act fast.When you find a hut in an acceptable location with an acceptable number of open spots CALL (you cannot make reservations online) the reservation line at 970-925-5775. Most huts cost between $23-$43 per person (kids are half price!) plus tax. Seriously, be quick. I've already lost a few spots because I dawdled after noticing them while I waited for my friends to confirm if they were in or not.
6. Congratulate yourself, then start preparing.You can't be an idiot in the backcountry. You're going into avalanche terrain, in the elements, when there is very little daylight. Go to the local mountaineering shop and get help buying the right map and buying or renting the right gear. And make sure you have a beacon, probe and shovel per person along with some basic avalanche knowledge. Also invite your friends and ask them to ante up their money share ASAP -- everyone is always excited about a hut trip, but when the date actually arrives, many people bail. They're less likely to if they've already paid.
7. Bypass all these steps by going straight to the forum.The forum has a buy/sell thread, and you can always troll there for availability. Be warned: many of the entries are "wanted," and not "for sale."
-- Rachel Walker