Backpacking Section (BPX) Educational Series - Winter Backpacking Without Tents - an Expert's Guide to Hut Trips

Interested in winter backpacking but don’t want to sleep in a tent? We will show you how to plan and lead a successful winter hut trip. We’ll walk through the process of reserving a 10th Mountain Division hut, assembling a strong leadership team, and navigating CMC scheduling, reimbursement, and trip activation. You’ll learn effective strategies for communicating with participants, managing sign-ups and waitlists, coordinating transportation and food, and preparing for changing weather and avalanche conditions. This event is designed for winter adventurers who want to expand their skillset by planning and leading hut trips. Join us as we work to make BPX a truly year-round backpacking section.

This event is hosted by the Backpacking Section (BPX) for BPX members only. Contact the CMC office if you would like to join the BPX Section.

Your Presenter: Dan Schweissing has been a CMC trip leader since 2019, Dan leads hikes, snowshoe trips, backpack trips, winter camping trips, and hut trips.  He also teaches in the Backcountry Incident Management School and the Wilderness First Aid program.

A native Coloradan, Dan grew up in the Denver area, where he ran track and cross country during the school year and was an avid road cyclist during the summers.  Significant teenage cycling accomplishments included a month-long cycle tour of New Zealand, completion of the inaugural Denver Post Ride the Rockies Tour, peddling over Snowy Range Pass in Wyoming during a July snowstorm, and summiting Mount Evans--his first and only fourteener--on a road bike.

He is also a technician class amateur radio operator and enjoys combining emergency radio communications with his outdoor endeavors.  

Zoom Meeting Instructions
Instructions will be sent by email to all registered participants before the event.