Untouched fall lines everywhere your eyes land, private lodgings for you and your friends, no cell phones, computers, or other distractions to take away from skiing powder, and a warm fire to tend—it’s hard to say no to a multi-day hut or yurt trip.
And while hut and yurt trips are inevitably incredible, I’ve discovered a handful of helpful hints for packing and gearing up that can ensure an epic trip. After all, angry feet, lack of hydration, or exhaustion from carrying an over-burdened pack can ruin a trip—just like being cold can. When packing for a multi-day ski touring trip, consider each activity you’ll be engaged in during the trip as well as its associated gear (or stuff to make said activity or time comfortable), and then create a checklist of what you do and do not need.
What will you need when you’re initially hiking in with a full pack? How about for those short tours from the hut/yurt? What about inside the hut—you’ll have plenty of evening to kill once the sun goes down. Consider these activities and look for gear that can be used for multiple purposes; this way you’ll be able to pare down essential needs—and ‘essential’ feels really good seven miles up the skin track, believe me.
The most important thing you can take on your trip is knowledge of the current avalanche conditions, as well as a strong familiarity with your avalanche safety gear. Check conditions before you go out, and ensure that all avalanche safety gear in the party is functioning properly. Know all the beacon basics. This is without argument, the most important factor to ensuring a good time touring in the backcountry.
Gear Checklist
- Water: At least two liters for a full-pack hike, at least one liter for touring from the hut/yurt. Also, bladders tend to freeze in winter conditions, so it’s a good idea to use screw-top containers.
- Beacon: But before you go, practice, practice, practice.
- Shovel
- Probe
- Goggles: I take goggles with interchangeable lenses so I don’t have to carry two separate goggles. Don’t forget to take a goggle cloth along.
- Backpack: There are two schools of thought here: bring one backpack that’s big enough for the approach, but can be compressed and can hold a shovel; or bring two backpacks—one for the hike in, one winter backpack for making powder laps.
- Food: I could write an entire series about the kinds of food to bring. It all depends on mitigating the weight-to-gourmet ratio–good food weighs more, but could be worth the pain.
- Extra gloves: these come in handy in case your primary pair doesn’t dry overnight.
- Hats (2): I take one to wear to wear while hiking and one for hanging out in the hut. This allows for drying time.
- Bandanna (2): these come in handy as sweatbands and sun shades.
- Extra socks (2/3 pair): I always wear merino wool. Taking multiple pair means you’ll always have dry socks.
- Baselayers (2 or 3 pair): Merino rules here as well. You’ll be warm even when sweat-sodden and you’ll stink far less after multiple days than you would if you wore synthetics. Let one pair dry while you’re out hiking/sleeping so you’ll always have dry undies.
- Insulation layer (puffy): Great for staying warm during lunch stops and evening hang outs. Doubles as a pillow.
- Sleeping bag: Most huts/yurts are well-insulated and tend to get plenty warm with bodies and a stove heating things up. Due to that fact, I like to pack a lightweight, 30-degree synthetic bag that I’d usually use for summer backpacking. It’ll weigh less than a big -20F down bag, and it’ll take up less space in your pack.
- Vitamin I (Ibuprofen): softens sore mornings, and helps with sleeping at altitude.
- Duct tape: blisters, broken poles, ripped pants/jacket: all problems that old grey can solve. Zip-ties are also a nice, lightweight just-in-case solution.
- First Aid Kit
- iPod and headphones: Music is good for downtime, and for snore-canceling after lights out (earplugs work too).
- Sani-wipes: avoid monkey-butt at all costs; it’ll end your hiking real quick.
- Electrolyte-infused beverage powder: tastes better than pine-tinged snowmelt and helps you retain water.
- Book: the sun goes down early in the winter—you’ll definitely have some downtime, so choose a winner.
- Slippers: Some people just use their boot liners for downtime in the hut. I prefer a waterproof-soled slipper.
This is what a successful hut trip looks like:
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Tags: backcountry skiing, hut-to-hut trips, yurt trips
Good stuff here. Would also recommend a headlamp for nighttime excursions to the crapper and a deck of cards or some dice for entertainment.
I struggle with the pack dilemma every time. Anybody know of a pack that is suitable for both multi-day hauling and day-skiing? My DK Poacher is a bit too small to fit all my gear on the approach.
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I have an Osprey Atmos 50 and it seems to work fairly well. It’s super light and the front stretchy thing can hold a shovel blade while the side compression straps secure the handle.
It’s only 6oz heavier than my DAKINE Pro II – 3lb 6oz vs 3lb – yet it’s almost twice as large (50L vs 26L).
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Here’s your one-backpack solution. I’ve been using this pack for about 3 years now, and its the best touring (and everything else) pack i’ve come across:
http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Arcteryx-Naos-55-Backpack-3230-3600cu-in/ARC0326M.html
This thing is basically a dry bag on a incomparably awesome backpack frame/suspension.
Lack of superfluous bells and whistles allows this thing to condense for day-trips, but the 55-liter volume holds enough for a week-long trip. Nothing compares to Arc’teryx’s pivoting hip-belt–it’ll save your hip flexors on long hikes.
Having a waterproof bag is money during stormy hikes, and the construction is as burly(but incredibly minimal) as it gets.
Imagine the lightest, best fitting, most durable pack ever.. and you’ll probably conjure up an image of the Naos in your mind.
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Any tips for booties or sandals for use around the hut? Thinking of picking up some Crocs even though I normally can’t stand them… anything better out there in terms of lightweight and sole durability?
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I’ve used Crocs in the past, and they are great as long as you have a well-established path out to the groover, as well as some water over-boots(most yurts/huts i’ve been to have a set on hand, but you can’t always depend on them) for when you need to chop wood, or do anything outside that might lead to wet feet.
I’ve used various house slippers from Depreso-Mart…, they tend to work the best as long as they have waterproof sole. Some people dig down booties, but with all that down my feet usually get too hot while in the hut. I usually shoot for the best combination of waterproof/breathable/comfortable/lightweight and go with that.
During my most recent trip, my buddy used some Sanuks and was really happy. I think i might try some next trip.
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