PNW Ski Huts

The Wing Ridge Hut is a set of A framed structures (kitchen, sleeping and sauna) with tarp sides that are removed in the summer and gloriously resurrected in the winter.  They have seasonal permit from the FS and have to remove everything each year (imaging skiing/skinning with a cast iron stove!).  Rodger sold the entire operation a few years ago so things may have changed, but I doubt/hope not.   

What a place

Ok so it seems like I am not alone in wondering why there aren't more huts here in WA. While the igloo idea does sound great, I do worry about how viable that is as a long term solution.

The idea is there though. So what would it take to start up an organization dedicated to bringing small climber/skier oriented rough, Public Access, no-frills, backcountry huts to the cascades?

Does anyone on the board have experience with an organization that has done something similar? Is this something a small group of dedicated backcountry ski volunteers can do? Or do projects like this need backing from larger, more well known groups like the Sierra Club, or the Mountaineers?

Also - to keep the thread lively, what are people's ideas of good hut locations? Ideally, hut access routes have limited avalanche exposure, are remote enough to discourage casual visitors and potential vandals, yet are a decent day's ski/hike in from a trail head.  Summer road access does seem like it would be a nice way to keep building and maintenance costs reasonable. I assume more research would need to go into hut locations but lets throw out some ideas...

The Wing Ridge Hut is a set of A framed structures (kitchen, sleeping and sauna) with tarp sides that are removed in the summer and gloriously resurrected in the winter.  They have seasonal permit from the FS and have to remove everything each year (imaging skiing/skinning with a cast iron stove!).  Rodger sold the entire operation a few years ago so things may have changed, but I doubt/hope not.   

What a place

Rodger sold to a company that does horse packing in the Wallowas in the summer -- when I stayed at Wing Ridge last March I got the impression that the new owners might be making some improvements to the camps.  

The Wing Ridge camp isn't hut -- the camp consists of four large canvas wall tents setup on platforms.  Each tent is covered by massive tarp covered A-Frame that keeps the snow off the tent.   Two tents are sleep tents and hold 5 each.   There is a cook tent with a dining table and two sleeping bunks and finally there is a sauna tent, which is smaller, darker (no window) and has benches huddled around a wood stove.

All the stoves are "Barrel Stoves" and pump out plenty of heat for drying gear and hanging around in shirtsleeves.

I've thought about some places in the central cascades where it would be nice to have an overnight hut (or even a warming hut)  and I've talked with some of the forest service rangers about the feasibility of permitting such huts.   The biggest challenge is the need for an environmental impact statement / declaration of non-significance.   Since I'm not a field biologist -- I don't see how I can do this in a DIY manner.  So it seems like one would need to form a company or non-profit organization and run the huts on a fee basis to cover all the costs of permitting and operating huts in a legitimate manner.     Perhaps in a few years after my youngest is in college I'll have time for such an undertaking.

I've thought about some places in the central cascades where it would be nice to have an overnight hut (or even a warming hut)  and I've talked with some of the forest service rangers about the feasibility of permitting such huts.   The biggest challenge is the need for an environmental impact statement / declaration of non-significance.   Since I'm not a field biologist -- I don't see how I can do this in a DIY manner.  So it seems like one would need to form a company or non-profit organization and run the huts on a fee basis to cover all the costs of permitting and operating huts in a legitimate manner.     Perhaps in a few years after my youngest is in college I'll have time for such an undertaking.

I agree with the need to form a non-profit, but I don't think this is out of reach if it means enough to a group of folks.  I have done some SEPA work and as long as what you want to do is reasonable it has not been that bad.  It is not easy and takes experts in various fields, but it can be done.  I would be willing to pitch in to help make this happen.

I would think that with any structure the biggest issue is always going to resolve around, how do you say it, poopy and it's storage and disposal.

I remember one hut on the Haute route that had a "terror throne"' where you basically did the business over a hole and your number2's dropped about 500 ft to the cliffs below. Not probably acceptable here.

Number 2 issues would have to be dealt with.

I agree with the need to form a non-profit, but I don't think this is out of reach if it means enough to a group of folks.  I have done some SEPA work and as long as what you want to do is reasonable it has not been that bad.  It is not easy and takes experts in various fields, but it can be done.  I would be willing to pitch in to help make this happen.

I don't have a lot of expertise, and I'm not in a position to spearhead anything at this time, but I can assemble information and type, create documents, transcribe letters and reports etc. It's how I (try to) make a living, so I could do that if needed at some point to make this project fly . . .