Routes staff, Ben Goodmen, went on a winter hut trip with his family over the Christmas 2022 holiday. Along with three other families, the Goodmen’s drove from Monument to Leadville - where they spent the night. The next morning, they drove past Ski Cooper and arrived at the Mineral Belt Trailhead with their Alpine Touring (AT) skis. AT skis, also known as backcountry skis, are similar to downhill skis. In order to go uphill, though, ‘skins’ can be placed on the bottoms and they have a pin binding - allowing the foot to move up and down. (Routes has AT skis for rent this winter!)
Ben and his family and friends skied for about 5 miles, taking 4-5 hours, until arriving at the Fowler-Hilliard Hut, part of the 10th Mountain Hut Division. For the last 7 years, Ben and his family have reserved and stayed in a 10th Mountain Division hut through a lottery based system. In 2020, they got off to a late start and couldn’t find the hut in the dark. They had to bed down in the snow, under a tree for the night, in freezing temperatures.
On this trip in 2022, they stayed three nights. During the day, they skied around the hut in fresh powder, taking in the amazing views, but making sure each person had a shovel, beacon, and probe in case of an avalanche. Each family took turns cooking meals, the hut had a common area to play games together, and adults and kids alike congregated around the wood-burning fire. The last morning, they departed and the descent back to the trailhead only took about an hour.