Frequently Asked Winter Lottery Questions

The 10th Mountain Huts winter reservation lottery is a lottery system that was created to help allocate our limited winter hut space as fairly as possible, as the demand for winter hut trips in our system continues to grow. 

To enter the lottery, you must have a current 10th Mountain Division Huts Association membership. You can check your membership status, and renew or purchase a membership, online during the lottery submission process (or at any time by visiting our Membership page here). 

Complete instructions for submitting your lottery entry, along with both digital and printable (PDF) entry forms, can be found here. 

Please read all instructions carefully before submitting your form, and feel free to reach out to our team directly with any questions! You can reach us by phone at 970-925-5775, or by email at huts@huts.org.

The winter reservation lottery is completely chance-based. Once the entry window closes, all submitted entries are randomized through a certified random number generator. From there, our team manually runs through every single entry, based on the order that was determined through the randomization process. 

As we review each entry, we assign hut space as available, based on the trip requests listed on each respective entry, in order of designated preference. So, if the first requested trip itinerary on an entry form is not available, we move to the next one to see if it is available, and so on and so forth… continuing on through the entire list of requests on each form until we are either able to get a trip booked, or determine that none of the requested trips are available. 

Through this process, our team diligently takes every step we can to assign as many trips as possible, but in some cases there is still not enough availability – especially on popular dates like holidays and weekends! – for all requested trips to be fulfilled. In that case, groups receive a notice via email that they were not awarded a trip through the lottery.

Each year we receive roughly 3,000 lottery entries from 10th Mountain Huts members, and roughly 80% of those entrants receive a trip through the lottery.

The winter reservation lottery applies to all of the 10th Mountain-owned huts, the Broome Hut, and all of the privately-owned huts operating within our system, except for Friends’ Hut. 

It also does not apply to any of the huts in the Alfred A. Braun Hut system. The Braun System Huts, along with the Friends’ Hut, have a separate winter booking process – an open booking system that begins at 8am MT on May 1st, 2026. 

To note, we are no longer booking Summit Huts reservations through our winter reservation lottery (or in any capacity). For more info on booking Summit Huts, please visit the Summit Huts website. 

Please do not list requests for any Summit Huts, Braun Huts, or the Friends’ Hut on your lottery form, as we cannot grant these trips through our lottery system.

From start to finish, the full winter reservation lottery process takes several months to complete, between the submission period and hut assignment process. Below is an overview of the key dates in the lottery process, and what takes place across these timeframes. 

• • Early January – Mid-February: Lottery submission window is open. 
    • Remember: These submissions apply to reservations for the following winter. So, right now in January and February of 2026, hut users are submitting lottery forms for hut trips they want to take next winter season (which runs from late Nov. 2026 through April 2027). 
    • You can renew or purchase a new membership through the submission process, but you must be a current TMDHA member to take part in the lottery!
    • You can access the updated lottery form and complete instructions for submission here. 
    • Members fill out these forms by listing an unlimited number of trips they would potentially like to take during the next winter. Every member is welcome to submit one entry to receive up to one trip itinerary (though this can be for a multiple-night trip, to multiple huts within the same itinerary (e.g. hut-to-hut), and/or for multiple people). You can also submit an entry as part of a group. See the “Group Entries” section of this FAQ for more details. 

• The final date that submissions can be accepted is February 13, 2026! All submissions must be completed and turned into TMDHA by midnight on that day!

• March 2nd – 27th: Trip Assignment Process

• • • During this window, the 10th Mountain Huts team draws each and every lottery form based on its randomized order assignment and reads through each member’s list of choices, working in order of their preference listed, to try and book a trip. If one of the member’s choices are available, we book that trip, charge their credit card for the trip cost, and email the hut trip confirmation letter. If none of the trips listed are available, the lottery entrant will receive a “sorry” notification via email, letting them know we were not able to book one of their requested trips. 

• April 1st: Early booking period for members opens

• • • After the lottery has been completed, members have the option to book additional trips (or retry to book a trip, if they didn’t get one through the lottery), during an early booking period that opens at 8am MT on April 1st. The best way to book at this time is to visit our website and book through the online booking platform. You can also call our reservation line at 970-925-5775 – but booking online gives you the best chance to secure a specific itinerary, due to the high volume of calls we receive during each booking opening. 
      • To note, once all lottery trips have been assigned, you will be able to review remaining availability for the coming winter season online here, roughly one week ahead of this opening date.
    • Regular 10th Mountain Huts members can book up to two additional winter trips during this time, on top of a lottery trip (so, three trips total for the season), while Leader and Lifetime members can book an unlimited amount of additional trips. 

• June 1st: Open booking begins

• • At 8am MT on June 1st, the open booking period opens. At this time, non-members can begin booking trips from the remaining availability of winter hut spaces. As recommended above, we encourage hut users to book online at this time for the best chance of securing their desired trip

Lottery entries are limited to one entry per membership (so, one entry per person). To note, members can choose whether they want to submit an individual entry, or submit an entry as part of a group. See the “Group Entries” section below for more details on entering the lottery as a group. 

When submitting your entry, you may list as many different trip requests as you like – and we encourage you to list several different options, and be as open-ended as possible with the options that you list (e.g. ‘any hut on X dates,’ or ‘X hut any day of the week’, etc….) to increase your chances of getting a trip. The more different options you give us for potential trips, the more likely it is that we will be able to find something available for you. 

However, please be aware that once your form is drawn and a trip is booked and charged, our regular cancellation policy applies – so make sure you list trips that you would in fact be able to take!

Each entrant can only be awarded one trip itinerary through the lottery. (Though this itinerary can be for a multi-night trip, to multiple huts within the same itinerary (e.g. hut-to-hut), and/or for multiple people.) 

After all lottery trips have been assigned, regular members can book up to two additional trips during the Early Member Booking Period (open April 1st), and Leader & Lifetime members can book unlimited additional trips.

The process of assigning trips takes place throughout the month of March, after the lottery submission window has closed. During this window, the 10th Mountain Huts team draws each and every lottery form based on its randomized order assignment and reads through each member’s list of choices, working in order of their preference listed, to try and book a trip. 

If one of the member’s listed trip choices is available, we book that trip, charge their credit card for the trip cost, and email the hut trip confirmation letter. If none of the trips listed are available, the lottery entrant will receive a “sorry” notification via email, letting them know we were not able to book one of their requested trips. 

This process takes several weeks for our team to complete – as we go through roughly 3,000 entries each year! – and outreach takes place throughout that window as we process each form, so you won’t see an email come through until we have gotten to your particular form. All forms should be completed by the end of March, at which time all individual lottery entrants should receive either a trip confirmation or a “sorry” email letting them know they did not receive a trip. 

To note, if you applied for the lottery as part of a group, the communication process for receiving a trip confirmation is different. Please see the “Group Entries” section of this FAQ for more.

The process for submitting your entry as part of a group is essentially the same as submitting an individual entry, except these entries become part of a pool of submissions you are linked with (your “group.”) When submitting a group entry, you will fill out a submission form just the same way you would as an individual, listing an unlimited number of potential trip options – but you will also list a group name on the entry form. 

When we process the group entries, we pull the form of the individual within the group that received the lowest (and therefore ‘best’) number in the randomization process, and review/assign a trip itinerary for the group based on the requests listed on that particular form. Because there is only one form being reviewed in the end (that of the entrant who drew the lowest lottery number), it is critical that each member submitting as part of a group is well coordinated in their submissions, and fully aligned on their trip request list and order of preference. All group members should make sure their trip request lists match, correctly reflecting the group’s desired itineraries and order of preference. 

It is also crucial for group submissions to have strong communication among group members. When trips are entered for group submissions, only the person whose form was processed (again, the person who drew the lowest lottery number) will end up receiving an email with the trip confirmation, and it is that person’s responsibility to forward/communicate that trip confirmation to all other participating members of the group. That person will also end up having their credit card charged for the full cost of the trip, so it will also be their responsibility to communicate and work directly with other group members on any applicable cost-splitting for the trip. 10th Mountain does not get involved in any cost-splitting among groups. 

To note, if a group does not receive a trip in the lottery, then each member of the group will receive a “sorry” email notification. 

Note: If you are submitting as part of a group, please select a unique/non-generic group name (and make sure all submissions within your group reflect that same name), to help avoid any potential confusion among group submissions.

Applying as part of a group can help increase your chances of getting a trip, since our team reviews group forms based on the lowest/best number drawn among all participants in the group. (So, for example, if your entry ended up being assigned #1,500 in the lottery draw, but your groupmate’s entry drew #20, the group’s hut trip gets assigned at position 20 in the hut assignment process.) However, you should only apply as part of a group if you intend to take your trip together as a group, and can be well-coordinated through your lottery submission and all post-lottery communications. 

Remember that when applying as a group, only one form ends up getting processed on behalf of the group, and only one trip is awarded to the group as a whole – so you can’t also be awarded a separate individual trip.

If you have 10th Mountain Huts hut credit that remains valid (not expired) through April 30th, 2026 or beyond, it can be applied to a trip received through the lottery. Please indicate on your lottery form that you have hut credit, so we can apply it when we book your trip! Not sure if you have hut credit? You can give our reservation team a call, and we can check it for you.  

Note: Hut credit for the Alfred A. Braun Huts, and the Friends Hut, is separate from 10th Mountain Huts credit, and cannot be applied to a trip awarded through the 10th Mountain Huts lottery!

• • First and foremost: read through the submission instructions carefully to help ensure you’ve filled out your form appropriately, and refer to this FAQ as needed for additional guidance. Please reach out to our reservation team by email (huts@huts.org) or phone (970-925-5775) if you have additional questions or need further assistance. 

• Do your research first! Remember that once a lottery trip is booked, that trip is considered finalized, and will be subject to our regular cancellation policy. So, it’s important to research the huts first, and make sure your trip requests suit your group’s capabilities. Feel free to reach out to our reservation team with hut-specific questions. 

• • Be specific when listing the number of spaces you are requesting, the number of nights you’d like to stay at the hut, and if you are requesting space for anyone aged 12 and under. 
  • When listing your requested trip dates, please clearly list the date you want your trip to start (when you will go in to the hut), and when you want it to end (the day that you will come out from the hut). Note: The back-end date that you list will be read by our team as the day that you will leave/check out from the hut, so this would NOT be considered a hut night. To avoid any potential confusion, t is also helpful to specify the number of nights you want to stay at the hut in addition to your requested dates. (e.g. ‘Come in April 2nd, Leave the 5th – staying for 3 nights’). 
  • If listing multiple sets of both dates and huts for your trip options, please let us know if you want us to review your options prioritizing hut choice first, or dates first. (e.g. ‘run through all potential dates for X hut first, and then move to the next hut,’ or ‘run through all potential huts for X date first, and then move to the next date). See the cross-referenced example shown here for more details. 

• Be as flexible as possible with your trip options! The more limited/specific you are, the less likely you are to get a trip. By being more flexible, with more potential date options and/or days of the week, or more potential huts you’re willing to visit, you will greatly increase your chances of securing a trip. A few more things to keep in mind, in that vein:

• • • Weekends and holidays fill up first! When you only list weekends and holidays on your form, if those are all filled up by the time we get to your entry, you will receive no trip. If you can be open to weekdays as a back-up option, you will significantly increase your chances of securing a trip. One specific tip from our team is that booking Sunday-Tuesday trips (so, staying Sunday and Monday nights) is a great way to get some weekend time, and substantially increase your chances of getting a trip. 
    • Being open-ended with your dates/days of the week gives you the best chance of securing a trip. (e.g. ‘any three consecutive nights in January;’ ‘any Thursday-Sunday in February or March,’ etc.)
    • Being open to sharing the hut with others (so, requesting a smaller number of spaces, rather than a whole hut) also significantly increases your chances of securing a hut trip.
    • Be open to exploring different huts! The huts closest to the Front Range and Denver are the most popular. Huts near the Roaring Fork Valley tend to be less popular; however, there are good lodging options within 1.5 hours of any of the trailheads in the Roaring Fork Valley.

• The bottom line: Keep an Open Mind. There is no limit to the number of choices you can list, but if none of your listed choices are available when your entry is drawn, you won’t receive a trip. So, while you can be more selective with your first-choice trips, we highly recommend listing backup options that are more open-ended. 

• Make sure you have correct, up-to-date contact information listed on your lottery submission form. If our team has any questions about your form, we will need to contact you for clarification. It’s important that you call us back right away, to help ensure you get your desired trip!
• Make sure your credit card information is current and will not expire before the end of March. If we can’t process your payment to secure your trip, this can cause delays in the lottery process, and could ultimately impact your trip. 
• If you are submitting as part of a group, please select a unique group name (and make sure all submissions within your group reflect the exact same name), to help avoid any potential confusion among group submissions. 

Last but not least: Please review your form carefully before submitting! If you do find any errors in your submission, please email us at lottery@huts.org to let us know which corrections need to be made.

Please email us at lottery@huts.org to let us know what corrections need to be made to your form.

If you were not awarded a trip through the lottery, you can try again to book a trip through the Early Member booking period that opens at 8am MT on April 1st. You will be able to review remaining availability for the coming winter season online here roughly one week ahead of this opening date, after all lottery trips have been assigned.