Category Archives: Hut operations

Hut-to-hut in USA: situation and outlook

Hut to hut in the USA: situation and outlook

by  Sam Demas and Wilson Josephson

[Note: This 2015 post is out of date.  See our book for more recent analysis of huts in USA.  Will update later.]

Sam August 2021

This is a preliminary overview of the 15 hut-to-hut systems in the USA.  There are a number of systems under development or expanding, and I’m hoping readers will tip me off to others that should be included.  Currently these 15 systems comprise 107 huts, yurts, and cabins, and offer 1,496 beds for long distance hut-to-hut hikers, bikers and skiers. This sketch of hut-to-hut infrastructure in the USA provides an overview by region, and very briefly discusses: business models, recreational uses, staffing, and some. Based on the data presented, it concludes with some musings about the future of hut systems supporting long distance human-powered travelers in the USA.  hut to hut in usa

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Hut-to-hut skiing: a tale of two Mt. Tahoma Huts

Featured Huts: A tale of two Mt Tahoma Huts

by Sam Demas

 

 

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Mt. Tahoma — High Hut and MTTA Notes on History and Operations

Spring 2012, Karly Siroky, High Hut Manager.

High Hut Trail Guide Excerpts

Notes kindly compiled by Leyton Jump, Manager of High Hut, Mt. Tahoma Trails Association

OUR MISSION

2005

The Mt. Tahoma Trails Association operates and manages for public use a year-round hut-to-hut trail system adjacent to the slopes of Mt. Rainier, offering trail users of differing skill levels and economic backgrounds a safe and inspirational backcountry experience. MTTA leadership maintains a functional working partnership with all stakeholders (MTTA members, trail users, volunteers, and our host land owners) based on mutual trust and honesty. Volunteers provide labor to achieve this mission.

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State of the Huts – Tenth Mountain Division – 2015

The state of hut operations outlined by Ben Dodge, Executive Director of Tenth Mountain Division Huts, is reprinted from their Summer 2015 Newsletter with permission.  Hut maintenance is featured.  Retiring Hawk Greenaway’s contributions as hutmaster are acknowledged and Morgan Boyles is introduced as his successor.

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Mountain huts and yurts: Colorado Mechanical Survey Results

Note on Operations:

By Mary Ann DeBoer, Spruce Hole Yurt

Huts and yurts in Colorado and southern Wyoming offer everything from the luxurious to rustic in backcountry, off-the grid living.   A 2014 survey of 25 hut and yurt operators from the Colorado Hut and Yurt Alliance, highlights many creative solutions to the everyday problems of providing water, light, heat, sanitation and communication in remote locations.   The survey represents 56 huts and 10 yurts that operate on either public or private lands.

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Implementing online reservations at 10th Mtn. Division

By Ben Dodge, Executive Director, Tenth Mountain Division Hut System

[Editors note: Many hut systems struggle with clunky online reservations systems.  Tenth Mountain Division Huts designed their own and have successfully upgraded it to handle online reservations.  Thanks to Ben for this first piece in a series of “Operational Notes” to share hut management practices and innovations. — Sam Demas]

Tenth Mountain Division Huts decided in late 2013 to add the capability to book hut trips online, in addition to booking by phone.  This decision was based on feedback received from hut visitors who stated their preference to book online because they were familiar and comfortable with online commerce, and to book anytime they wanted including evenings and weekends.

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Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe

By Lis Nielsen, President European Ramblers Association (ERA-EWV-FERP)

Walking is a very popular and growing pastime worldwide. Europe is no exception! All over Europe more and more people tie their bootlaces and set out during their holidays and leisure time to discover a variety of natural beauties on foot. Indeed, Europe offers thousands of kilometers of amazing trails enjoyed by the locals and tourists alike.

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Featured Hut: New Monte Rosa Hut, Swiss Alpine Club

by Sam Demas

This glittering, crystalline structure changes the aesthetic paradigm and technical concept of Alpine lodging.  A technologically sophisticated building, the New Monte Rosa Hut sets a new standard for hut design and is an exemplar of design for self-sufficiency in remote places.   It is located at an altitude of 2,883 meters, above the Gorner glacier and near the the Matterhorn and Dufourspitze, Switzerland’s highest peak.  It is at least 90% self-sufficient in meeting its energy needs and is said to be 65% self-sufficient overall (alas, it cannot  grow its own food!).

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How do huts operate? Lets find out: help us write “operational profiles”

A few people around the nation know a great deal about how hut systems operate.  But in the U.S. there is very little written about how hut systems are designed, built, and operated.  Almost nothing is known about the economics and demographics of hut systems.  And, other than the Colorado Hut and Yurt Alliance, there are no formal mechanisms for information exchange among those who do know.  This will need to change if we are to learn from each other, develop “best practices” and ensure that hut systems are operating optimally for their clients, for their owners, and for environmental protection.

h2h aims to stimulate activity in filling this gap in the nation’s knowledge base by publishing “operational profiles”.  We are at the beginning of this process and have three so far:

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Welcome to hut2hut.info!

h2h is a work in progress, but we’ve finally launched!  The website is a call to community,  information exchange, research, debate, and discussion.  It will be successful to the extent readers join the conversation!

With 21 posts, articles and news items, this first “issue” of HutMag provides a sense of what we are about.  We’ll continue to publish new content monthly for the next few years and see where it leads.  Our other primary section is Operational Profiles.

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