Hut of the Month – Lindley Hut

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TMDHA is excited to introduce our next Hut of the Month: the Lindley Hut. 

The Lindley Hut is part of the Alfred A. Braun Hut System (aka “Braun Huts”), which is the oldest backcountry hut system in Colorado! And in fact, Lindley was the first of the system’s seven huts to be constructed, back in 1960.

Hut History and Evolution 

The Lindley Hut has quite a storied history, and has experienced significant evolution since its inception, with three different versions of the hut taking shape over the years.

The original Lindley hut was designed and built in 1960 under the supervision of Stuart Mace, who helped pioneer the formation of the Braun Huts system, to enhance public winter access to the backcountry. Alongside the Lindley Hut, Mace also helped lead the charge on developing the Tagert (1963) and Markley (1965) Huts, the first three huts to establish the interconnected backcountry system.

The Lindley Hut was named for Alfred “Al” Lindley, a former mountaineer, Olympic skier, Olympic rowing champion, prominent ski official, and lawyer, who was killed in a plane crash in 1950. He was a principal of the National Ski Association at the time of his death. You can learn more about Al Lindley and his truly incredible life in a commemorative poster that adorns the walls of his namesake Lindley Hut!

After the original ‘A-frame’ style hut burned down in the 1970s, Fred “Opa” Braun (for whom the Braun Huts system is named) rebuilt the hut as a cinderblock building, which came to be known as “the ice box” because of its all-concrete construction and lack of insulation.

 

The hut was later remodeled in 2002 to its current form, designed by local Aspen architect Al Beyer, and renovated to include a solar-powered radiant floor system.

Fun Fact: The original price for visitors to the Lindley Hut back in 1960 was $1 per night, or 50 cents per day!

The Lindley Hut Today 

Today, Lindley is a beautiful, comfortable hut that sleeps up to 14 people, nestled in the woods just above Cooper Creek in the upper Castle Creek Valley.

Being one of the easiest huts to reach in the Aspen area, the Lindley Hut is great for families, but there are still significant avalanche hazards along the way, so hut users must be well prepared and educated for a trip to this area. It’s also great for large groups, with its higher capacity.

The Lindley Hut is a favorite for its phenomenal access to spring skiing, and makes a great connection to the nearby Opa’s Taylor Hut for those looking for a more advanced hut-to-hut route.

Insider Tip: The Lindley Hut is open until the end of May, and in late spring – especially during low-snow years – hut-goers can often ride bikes into the Lindley Hut, making for a whole different kind of hut trip!

Braun Huts Booking Opening

In addition to the Lindley Hut, the Alfred A. Braun Huts system contains six other fabulous backcountry huts in the Elk Mountains between Aspen and Crested Butte.

These huts are open for the winter season only (late November to end of May), and are booked on a first-come, first-served basis. Want to check one out next winter? Braun Huts system bookings open this Thursday, May 1^st at 8am MT, and can be booked online through the 10th Mountain Huts website, at huts.org.

You can learn more about the Braun Huts system and how to support its work at www.braunhuts.org.