Rendezvous Hut - Lodging in Winthrop - , USA

Together with another family, we have made an annual tradition of skiing into and staying at the huts in the Rendezvous Hut system. When we started, the youngest kid was four; today we ski in and out with kids ranging from 16 to 7. ||||The huts: Each of the five huts are small, brilliantly efficient accommodations for all eight of us; some are a little bigger, some a little smaller, but they all work fine. Heat is generated with a woodstove; light and a stove/oven are run on propane; water is shipped up in a freight haul--and you can melt & boil snow-water, too. The huts have pots, pans, dishes, utensils, games, maps, and mattresses. Each cabin has a large bunk bed downstairs and a sleeping loft. We generally sweep the huts out and shake the rugs upon arrival b/c we've got some folks with cleanliness issues--but they're always in good shape.||||The ski: Inbound to the huts there's inevitably some elevation gain--whichever hut you're headed to. The huts are on the MVTSA groomed network, and can be reached by classic or skate skiing. The trails are lovely, and the destination pays it all off. Outbound is--from most huts--just a long, smooth, downhill glide||The freight haul: You don't have to use it; you should. Chicken, beer, backcountry skis, brownie mix, water, 95% of your gear...||||The experience: Look, these places are perfect. They're each perched high in the mountains, miles from each other; the woodstove keeps you warm; you can stay active digging snow, chopping wood, skiing the trails, and exploring the neighborhood; or you can sleep, solve puzzles, play cards, and enjoy good company. ||||The stars: Brilliant.

The Rendezvous Huts are a system of backcountry ski huts that offer a truly unique outdoor experience. The ski trails are excellent, scenery is amazing and the owners are extremely professional and accommodating. We spent two nights in the most remote hut and had a great time skiing trails and backcountry.

Had a great time staying in the Grizzly Hut with 5 people and 2 dogs! Could have slept more in there, but felt comfortable with that number of people and pups. Some icy conditions but was lovely all the same. The only downside was a pesky rat that left us plenty of poop presents but the hut people were aware of the issue and trying to resolve. But that's also part of nature! Also, Ben, the snowmobile guy, really helped us out of a pinch when we needed help! He's a great guy. Would definitely recommend but get your reservations in really, really early.

Wasps, wasps, and more wasps, all coming out of the woodwork. Fortunately, nobody was stung, but we spent hours killing all the wasps that were emerging and flying everywhere. The view of mountains across the valley was beautiful, and we had fun hiking between the huts, but oh, those wasps! Well stocked with water and wood. Solar powered lights. Propane stove and oven, plates, and utensils. Outhouse. All and all, we were happy to camp here, but did I mention the wasps?

We have enjoyed and not enjoyed our skiing experience at these huts. The launch point is up a long road that has typically been quite icy and slow in winter. If the snow is good, the skiing is wonderful. We had a couple years of very poor conditions in January, such that most of our party had to walk or be snowmobiled out because the ice was so bad on the hills.||||The hut we stayed in more recently, Heifer Hut, is small and very rustic without a view besides forest--would have been more comfortable if we had been a smaller group. I would not recommend coming to this hut with the number of people it is said to accommodate.||||I have had problems over the years with the customer service at these huts. I have not found it professional or very consistent/organized. This year was the worst when we made a reservation at a nicer hut, got a confirmation, and then a week later received a cancellation notice saying the cabin was double booked. The notice was curt and with minimal apology (almost seemed to verge on blaming us for putting them in the double booking situation--highly unprofessional in my book). ||||I wrote back asking for more information, and got a reply describing how stressed they are (dealing with rodents and freezing conditions) and letting me know that even though the conflicting booking happened after ours--these were "long timers" (longer than us, I guess) and would be given priority. I will leave it to the reader to make their own judgement about the correctness of this decision on their part.

It’s really a unique experience to spend the evening in a charming cabin with all your supplies snowmobiled in, living large in the backcountry. Rendezvous Hut layout was really great and had everything we needed.

Went here for my birthday and holy cow, what a view. Perfectly stocked with the basics for cooking and cleaning. There was even water jugs so we didn’t have to haul our own in, we did because the website said there wasn’t any but there was 3 5 gallon jugs. We will be back this winter.

One of most scenic huts on Rendezvous area. Absolutely amazing hut and location. I never stay here overnight, but visit few times during day skiing.