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This spring, the Alaska State Legislature approved 13 million dollars to set aside for the Alaska Long Trail project. What is the Long Trail, you ask? Well, the proposed long trail project will follow sections of the Historic Iditarod Trail and other routes. Many segments of the trail already exist, like Lost Lake and Bear…

An overflowing woodpile! Woodstock this June was a huge success! Thanks to all who came to haul wood, clean the cabins, and so much more. On top of the 12 cords of wood, we got a new range in the main cabin installed and ready to go, new floors in the main cabin (thanks to…

Our beloved friend and invaluable board member Shawn Lyons died suddenly on Feb. 2 in an Anchorage hospital. He took ill and passed so quickly that it appears no one in town knew that he’d even gone to the hospital until a day later. He was 66, young at heart, and as open to adventure…

The temperature hovered in the low double digits—and would soon begin to sink, probably dipping into negative numbers, once the day had passed for good. Leaning on the frosty rail of the bridge over Mills Creek below Manitoba Cabin, I could hear the muffled rush of the creek beneath its thick sheath of snow-covered ice. Around me the woods already stood silent in the deepening cold of the coming night. Two miles up the creek to the southeast, loomed the flank of Raven Ridge. Across its broad, snow- and spruce-patched face the cold orange of alpenglow darkened into purple mist of evening. And so the shortest day of the year turned toward night. Some skiers had already schussed down from a day pf carving the broad west face of Manitoba Mountain. The more persistent skiers would opt for one last…

Do you have a backcountry trip out to some remote cabin accessible only by a 40-mile hike planned for early November? Maybe you’ll be splitting firewood day in and day out for the next few weeks, without much thought for anything else. Scratch something easy off your to-do list ahead of time by getting your…

Alaska Huts has CANCELLED A Flannel Affair on April 23rd due to COVID-19 and bans on large gatherings. We are rescheduling for a FALL date, so please stay tuned. We look forward to hosting Flannel Affair with you all when the time is right! We have also cancelled Spring Work Weekend and will be cleaning…

It was a cold and clear Saturday morning as 26 women gathered at Manitoba Cabins and Yurts for the second annual Women’s Backcountry Ski Weekend. Smoke billowed softly from the warm main cabin as women bustled on skis back and forth from each yurt and the Mile 48 parking lot. A keg from Girdwood Brewing…

“Hi, I’m Lei, and I like to ride bikes” I chirped from my spot among the twenty or so other women. We were gathered for a weekend of all things bicycle. A plan brewed up in a local coffee shop last March manifested into a successful event simply dubbed Women’s Mountainbike Weekend. Amy Dalton, former Executive Director for Alaska Huts said, “there’s a demand for women’s only outdoor experiences.” I spent the weekend at Manitoba Cabin to get the story as Alaska Huts sought to answer those demands. In this video, the amazing Petra Davis shares her story of being mauled by a bear during an endurance cycling event to a curious prospector who came upon the group of riders while working a gold claim. 

Earlier this month, Alaska Huts held their first ever Women’s Backcountry Weekend. The purpose of the weekend was simple: get a group of like-minded women together to celebrate backcountry skiing/splitboarding in the beautiful location of Manitoba. As some of you know, backcountry skiing can be intimidating. Not only is it physically challenging, but safe backcountry…

NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM HAS EYES SET ON NEW HUT SYSTEM Alaska Huts Association is excited to announce that Amy Dalton has been named the new Executive Director. Amy has served as the Interim Executive Director and brings a rich and varied background to the organization. Amy’s history with Alaska Huts goes all the way back…

This fall, as many of you are aware, we had our annual Woodstock event at Manitoba. The primary goal of Woodstock is to stock Manitoba’s woodshed for the winter, but this year we managed to sneak in quite a bit more. The firepit and paths around the sauna are now graveled, thanks to our generous…

A new world waits in the mountains above Manitoba Hut, but few know it. Most, after all, use the hut as a base from which to ski or hike Manitoba Mountain. Others use it to just get away for a day or two. Some of these people have probably paused on the bridge crossing Canyon…