There’s something magical and wonderful about backcountry huts. And that’s why we’ve devoted our February issue to them. Most simply, huts, lodges and yurts serve as shelter from a winter’s night. But what they offer goes so much deeper. Whether you’re planning your first hut trip or are a seasoned backcountry tripper, you’ll connect with the essays and how-to tips in this issue. Also inside, Sugarloaf, Maine goes really big, splitboard guide Liz Daley breaks ground, and we review our favorite microbrews.

FEATURES

2014 Hut & Lodge Guide
Because when darkness settles on the backcountry, being indoors is pretty sweet.

Imagine
Drew Pogge crafts the ultimate fort.

Reconnoitering with Joe
Sean Prentiss uncovers a San Juan hideaway.

Lodge Logistics
Execute a hut trip like the pros.

Shovel Duty
Ryan Stuart excavates for turns.

The Load
Heather Hansman bears a weight.

Pack 'n' Play
A dozen essentials for your next trip.

Hut Springs
Brigid Mander likes it steamy.

High Routes
North American hut traverses.

Backcountry Gourmands
Dick Dorworth goes gourmet.

The Ultimate Hut Listing
All 200+ North American Huts.

CONTENTS

Contributors
Skiers and scribes

Greater Expectations
A note from the Editor at Large

Letters
Pink headlamps, bro downs and something better than sex

Backstory
Reader Essay: Release Me

Learning Liz Daley
Touring Mt. Baker with the business's bubbliest boarder

June Bloom
Open for business: Central California's gateway drug

That Guy
Jackson patroller and rancher Pete Linn

2020 Vision
Inside Sugarloaf, Maine's mega sidecountry explosion

Lance's Lab
Rocker revelations: experiments with flotation

Mountain Skills
What you need to know before taking an avalanche course

Mountain Account
Escape from Glacier Bay, Alaska

Spectacle
Worth much more than 1,000 words

The Fix: 2014 Beer Guide
Après has never tasted so good

Biff America
Two-ply, bathrobes and five-star revelations

Last Col
You gonna finish that?