PNW Ski Huts

What about far up smith brook road, to get to jove and beyond? The forest service operates hundreds of cabins remote in SE alaska (I was just there). I'm sure if you could find a suitable location that it wouldn't be too much paperwork to get it through permitting. The next decision would be how big of a shot ski to build...

funny you mention the area around Jove...at the base of the NW flank of Jove, on the west side of Lake Janus, there used to be a cabin.   Never been back there in the summer, so I don't know if there are any ruins left, but at one point (decades ago I think) there was a structure back in there.

My first climbing mentor/teacher had a stack of Off Belay magazines (anybody here remember those).  He loaned them to me when I first showed interest in climbing and I read every one cover to cover even though they were 15-20 years out of date. 

This topic of huts reminds me of an article that I think I read in one of those old magazines.  It talked about mountain huts around the world and how there used to be a number of old cabins/lean-tos sprinkled around the state (in both the Olympics and Cascades) that had been systematically demolished by the forest service (or maybe it was the NPS) in order to reclaim the wilderness.  The article lamented the loss and talked about the pros and cons of having huts.  It would be cool if somebody had that old article.  It might shed some historical context on this discussion. 

What other locations might be suitable for a hut?

Teanaway area?

Also, are there ranger districts that are more open to the idea than others? Maybe we should concentrate on finding 2-3 suitable locations within a single ranger district that has expressed openness to the hut idea.

Also, are there different views within each forest area - such as Snoq./Baker vs Wenatchee national forests? What about the areas south and north- around Crystal / White Pass or Chelan to Harts Pass?

Thirdly, with some locations, we should anticpate use from all snow travelers - snowmobiles included? Or should we place the hut in an area which would physically limit its use to non-motorized users? We have to take this into consideration because many of the locations outside designated Wilderness areas are open to snomos.

I kind of like the wilderness aspect of the cascades but also agree that in certain areas a hut system would add a lot without taking much away.

I'm with Buke on this. My tent is my hut. However, I can think of a few areas that would be cool to have a hut system, and you may be able to get some funding/sponsorship from the resorts, if you could persuade them that it would be beneficial for them.

I was specifically thinking a hut system from Crystal to White Pass or even from Snoqualmie to White Pass might be possible. You could possibly use the PCT to access points of interest for hut placement as well. Also, the traffic would be generated to the specific ski resorts, so they might be willing to help? Just an idea. No snomos though.

Thirdly, with some locations, we should anticpate use from all snow travelers - snowmobiles included? Or should we place the hut in an area which would physically limit its use to non-motorized users?

I'm not sure the resorts would want to mess with this. They will be more concerned about using their relationships with USFS and others for things like development plans or just grappling with ongoing issues. Plus, they may be worried about competition for parking space, plowing, etc. - witness the upper lot at Alpy, the Yodelin lot, etc.. We might get more support in an outlying RD looking to show support for its rural communities in need of some winter visitors.

Smith Brook is a good idea. So is the Teannaway. Maybe something up at the end of the Icicle, or even up the Wenatchee/White drainages would be good.

My first climbing mentor/teacher had a stack of Off Belay magazines (anybody here remember those).  He loaned them to me when I first showed interest in climbing and I read every one cover to cover even though they were 15-20 years out of date. 

This topic of huts reminds me of an article that I think I read in one of those old magazines.  It talked about mountain huts around the world and how there used to be a number of old cabins/lean-tos sprinkled around the state (in both the Olympics and Cascades) that had been systematically demolished by the forest service (or maybe it was the NPS) in order to reclaim the wilderness.  The article lamented the loss and talked about the pros and cons of having huts.  It would be cool if somebody had that old article.  It might shed some historical context on this discussion. 

You have a good memory. Here's a link to brief notes about that commentary piece:

www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/notes/peri...ffbelay-1976-dec-p13

Off Belay, Dec 1976, p. 13: Pargeter, Dick, "On Olympic Trail Shelters"
The National Park Service is planning to remove forty shelters in the Olympic Mountains because they are no longer necessary, too expensive to maintain, not in keeping with wilderness, and concentrate impact. The author argues against this plan.

In the April 1977 issue (p.21), John R. Douglass, Chief Naturalist of Olympic National Park, responds to Pargeter's concerns. He discusses the Park Service reasoning and notes that the Wilderness Act prohibits structures except as necessary to meet the minimum requirements for administration of the area. Interior Department policy dictates that facilities not be provided in the wilderness for the "comfort and convenience" of the traveler. Since November 1976 a moritorium on shelter removal has been in effect while the policy is reviewed.

I have a full run of Off Belays, courtesy of John Meulemans. The Mountaineer Library also has them.