Reservations Lottery
Dates reservations open for the huts:
- Summer, 10th Mountain system: October 1st
- Lottery forms due Feb 14th, 2012
- Winter Lottery for members, 10th Mountain system: March 1st
- Winter Call-In for members, 10th Mountain system: April 1st
- Winter for non-members, 10th Mountain system: June 1st
- Braun and Friends huts, May 1st
- If the 1st is on a weekend, reservations will open on the first business day of the month
Winter reservations for huts in the 10th Mountain system begin in the spring each year, through a lottery followed by a call-in booking period. 10th Mountain and Summit Huts Association members are welcome to participate in this early booking system. This process is an attempt to fairly allocate the limited winter hut space available in the huts each year. Membership dues go to support 10th Mountain education programs, as well as supplying and maintaining the huts.
How does the lottery work? In late-December or early-January each year, 10th Mountain mails lottery entry forms to all members. Members complete these forms by listing an unlimited number of options for trips that they would be interested in taking during the next winter. Every member is welcome to submit one lottery entry to receive up to one itinerary (this can be for a multiple night trip, to more than one hut, and/or for multiple people). Forms must be completed and returned to 10th Mountain by Februrary 14th, 2012.
Starting on March 1st, 10th Mountain begins drawing entry forms. We draw each and every form (this takes weeks!) and read through each member's choices, working in order of their preference to try and book a trip. If one of the member's choices is available, we book that trip, charge their credit card for the trip cost, and mail out confirmation materials the next day. Each year we receive more than 1,000 entries and about 87% of entrants receive a trip.
After the lottery, members have the option to book more trips during an early call-in booking period during the months of April and May. Regular ($25) members can reserve up to two additional trips by calling on or after the first business day of April (or three, if they did not receive a trip in the lottery). Leader ($100) and Lifetime ($1000) members can reserve an unlimited number of additional trips. Non-members can begin reserving trips on the first business day of June.
Download the Lottery Form
Tips for getting a Lottery Trip
- The hut system is extremely popular. The downside of this is that the lottery is becoming extremely competitive(last year we got over 1000 forms), especially for weekends and holidays. The most popular dates are the weekends from the middle of January through the middle of March. The most popular holidays are New Years, MLK Day and Presidents Day. Listing options outside of these dates and holidays or listing weekday choices will greatly improve your chances of getting a trip. If you list weekends in February as your only choices and your form isn't chosen in the first few hundred, your chances of getting a trip are greatly reduced.
- Just as some dates are more popular, there are also some huts that are more popular. The huts closest to the Front Range and Denver (Janet's, Francie's, Eiseman Hut, 10th Mountain Division Hut, Uncle Buds and the Sangree Froelicher) see more traffic and are more popular in the lottery than the huts that sit in the Roaring Fork Valley (Harry Gates, Margy's Hut, McNamara Hut, Benedict Huts and the Betty Bear Hut.) Listing some of the huts in the Roaring Fork Valley will greatly increase your chance of getting a trip in the lottery (the one exception to this is the Peter Estin Hut, which is extremely popular.)
- We realize the reason the huts closer to Denver are more popular is because they are a much shorter drive for people living along the Front Range. Furthermore the Roaring Fork Valley has the reputation of having few affordable lodging options for people who may want to come over the night before their trip and get an early start the next day. Because of this we have listed some of the more affordable lodging options that are within 1 to 1.5 hours of any of the trailheads in the Roaring Fork Valley. This list is by no means exhaustive, but we hope it will help expand the options people have when filling out their lottery forms.
Lodging in and around the Roaring Fork Valley
- The Little Red Ski Haus(Aspen) - (970)925-3333
- The St. Moritz(Aspen) - (970)925-3220
- Tyrolean Lodge(Aspen) - (970)925-4595
- Best Western Aspenalt(Basalt) - (970)927-3191
- Comfort Inn(Carbondale) - (970)963-8880
- Days Inn(Carbondale) - (970)963-9111
- Hampton Inn(Glenwood Springs) - (970)947-9400
- Holiday Inn(Glenwood Springs) - (970)928-7800
- Holiday Inn Express(Eagle) - (888)303-2453
- Diamond J(Basalt/Fryingpan) – (970) 927-4188; Diamond J Website
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