Had the Army’s 10th Mountain Division not successfully captured Riva Ridge, the outcome of the Italian conflict in World War II would have been disastrous. The unit of warriors on skis suffered an inordinate number of casualties, yet many of the survivors returned home to change the face of Colorado forever.
Their love of the outdoors and skiing prompted the establishment of ski resorts throughout the state – Vail being the most famous. Because the 10th trained on the mountains near Camp Hale, behind Vail, this section of the state was near and dear to their hearts.
While entrepreneurs were building alpine resorts that catered to downhill skiers, nordic devotees concentrated on improving the ski-hut system, a series of cabins designed to shelter backcountry skiers during multiday treks in the mountains.
A 10th veteran, Fredric “Fritz” Benedict, together with several Aspen skiers in the 1980s, formed the most extensive of the ski-hut systems, managed today by the nonprofit 10th Mountain Division Hut Association.
Its purpose is to plan, finance, build and manage a hut system for public use that promotes understanding and appreciation of the natural environment while developing self-reliance. The spirit of the men of the 10th Mountain Division is realized in the opportunities afforded by today’s hut system.
Those early huts, dating as far back as 1916, were primitive at best. Today’s structures verge on palatial.
In all, the 10th Mountain Hut Association manages 29 backcountry shelters among Leadville, Aspen and Vail. A few “huts” feature saunas, showers and flush toilets. Most cabins offer wood-burning stoves for heating and cooking, firewood, starter paper, matches, propane burners, photovoltaic lighting, mattresses and pillows. And all huts have been built with large decks for relaxing in the sun.
You’re required to bring your own food, sleeping bags and emergency gear. In the more remote cabins, you’re responsible for your own drinking-water purification.
The huts contain three to 20 beds, with private bedrooms and communal sleeping areas. Most huts are shared by members of separate groups. Some huts can be rented exclusively by one group. No dogs are allowed.
The hut system is used year-round – by snowshoers, and telemark and nordic skiers in the winter, and by mountain bikers and hikers in the summer.
Janet’s Cabin, at timberline next to Copper Mountain Resort, is named for avid skier Janet Boyd Tyler, a Vail resident who died in 1988. Her lifetime ski pass is buried in the foundation of the cabin.
One of the system’s more popular cabins, Tyler’s is a 3,000-square-foot, two-story structure built with 10-inch Montana pine logs. Twenty guests can be accommodated in its four bedrooms.
The Shrine Mountain Inn is a series of three elaborate huts near the summit of Vail Pass. Chuck’s, Walter’s and Jay’s cabins sleep a total of 36 people in as luxurious a style as you could ask for in the wilderness. Here, you can enjoy a sauna, shower or bath in addition to each cabin’s comfortable amenities. This location has the easiest ski-in access, as it is 2.7 miles from the trailhead at Interstate 70 and the summit of Vail Pass.
Depending on your choice of cabin, each person will pay $20-$39 a night. Some cabins impose a rental rate for the entire facility, which is $69-$250 a night.
Though online reservations are not accepted by the 10th Mountain Hut System, you can research everything you need to know about each hut, availability of rental dates, rates, directions and maps at
Lillian Ross is a freelance writer who lives in Howard.
The details
The 10th Mountain Division Huts Association takes reservations at 970-925-5775.
For complete information, visit
