What Works: Hut Trip Etiquette

Dear What Works:

I’m going on my first hut trip, and I have somewhat of a rowdy, inexperienced group. The thing is, we’ve only got half of the hut booked. Any tips for getting along with other groups in a hut?

What Works:

Great question. We’ve definitely had our fair share of awkward hut experiences, but there are seven things you can do to ensure that a good time is had by all.

1. Introduce yourself.

This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s super awkward when you’re staying in the same quarters as someone else and you haven’t said a word to each other. Getting to know other groups, as well as their objectives for coming to the hut, goes a long way. And it all starts with a smile and a handshake.

2. Be respectful of hut rules.

If there are no dogs allowed and you come bowling in with enough huskies to field a sled team, you’re going to have a hard time making friends.

3. Obey hut quiet hours*

This tip follows number two, as most huts have rules around when it’s bed time. If a group comes to ski and you came to party, they’re not going to be stoked if you’re bumping music and taking shots after quiet hours.

*The one time you can ignore the suggested bedtime,

4. Make water and chop wood.

These two chores are the most integral in any hut scenario. Wood keeps the fire stoked, which in turn melts the snow you’ll need for water. Melting snow takes a lot longer than expected, so you’re going to want to be constantly gauging water levels.

5. Don’t make yellow snow

If there’s a bathroom, it’s there for a reason. With all the people relying on snowmelt for drinking water, being lazy isn’t really an excuse for tainting a winter’s worth of water.

6. Sharing is caring

This is sort of a cheesy example, but let’s say you’ve just sliced up a log of salami and a block of cheese. You’re about to dig in when the next group arrives, panting from a 7 mile skin in a full-on blizzard. Offering to share those sliced delicacies, as tough as it may be, will come back to you in spades. Maybe they’re hauling an even tastier log of salami or a flagon of fine whiskey. Hut karma is real.

7. Look out for other groups.

While there’s no Hutgoers’ Code that you’ll have to sign before you venture out in the backcountry, there should be. If another group has a member that gets hurt or lost, you should offer to help—unless they seem to have everything under control. The same goes for traveling in avalanche terrain: always be ready to help out another group if things go wrong.

You can follow all of these tips, but above all else, you really just want to read the situation. Who knows? That other group might be just as rowdy and inexperienced as yours is. 

In the new “What Works” column, Active Junky gear testers will be answering your questions. Send an email to whatworks@activejunky.com with questions on all things gear, tips and more.