Hut-to-Hut Ski Tour Index 2026

The PD–TD scale is the standard European ski-mountaineering rating: PD (Peu Difficile) = slopes up to 30°, no significant exposure, basic crampon use, suitable for first hut-to-hut tourers — e.g. Hardangervidda Crossing, Beaufortain Loop. PD+ = 30–35° with short rope sections — e.g. Silvretta Traverse, Sellaronda. AD (Assez Difficile) = sustained 35–40° passages, glacier rope-team travel, technical descent terrain — e.g. Haute Route, Ortler, Stubai Höhenweg. AD+ = 40–45° with crux couloirs requiring ski crampons throughout — e.g. Glacier Patrol, Écrins. D (Difficile) = 45–50° with mandatory rappel sections, complex glaciation — e.g. some Triglav summit routes. TD (Très Difficile) = expert ski-alpinism with sustained 50°+ skiing and technical climbing — e.g. Mont Blanc via Trois Monts. First-time hut traverse skiers should choose PD or PD+ tours; AD requires 2+ prior seasons of off-piste experience plus formal crevasse-rescue training.

Each national Alpine Club runs its own booking portal: Swiss SAC (sac-cas.ch), Austrian ÖAV/DAV (alpenverein.at), Italian CAI (cai.it), French CAF (ffcam.fr), Slovenian PZS (pzs.si). Booking opens 1 October for the following spring season (mid-March to mid-May). The marquee Haute Route huts — Cabane des Vignettes, Cabane de Bertol, Cabane des Dix, Konkordiahütte — sell weekend dates within 48 hours of opening; weekday slots remain available much longer. Alpine Club membership (CHF 110, EUR 60–90 per club per year) gives 30–50% hut discounts and pays back after 3–4 nights. Most clubs participate in reciprocal-rights agreements so a Swiss SAC card is valid in Austrian/Italian/French huts. Hut bookings in Norway (DNT), Sweden (STF) and Slovenia (PZS) follow the same model but with later booking windows (1 November) and more available capacity.

Fitness baseline: capable of 1,000–1,400 m vertical ascent per day with a 9–12 kg pack, repeated for 4–7 consecutive days. Practical proxy: a 4-hour skin-up day at 600 m/hr with full overnight kit should feel comfortable. Gear: AT or telemark setup with skin-friendly bindings, 100–110 mm waist skis, boots with walk-mode rated for 100+ km of skinning, ski crampons (mandatory on AD+ tours), B/C-rated ski touring boots, ski touring pack 35–45 L. Glacier-grade tours (Haute Route, Ortler, Stubai) additionally require: harness, 2 ice screws, ice axe, 2 prussiks, 30 m glacier rope per team of 3. Avalanche: transceiver/probe/shovel (mandatory, no exceptions), avalanche airbag pack increasingly standard, formal training to AIARE 2 / Lawinenkurs 2 / SLF Stufe 2 equivalent minimum. Insurance: standard travel insurance does NOT cover off-piste ski-mountaineering — you need a specialist policy like Globelink, Snowcard, BMC Alpine and Ski, or French Carte Neige.

Five PD-grade traverses with mostly non-glaciated terrain are widely recommended for first-time hut tour skiers: (1) Queyras Tour (France, 6 days PD+) — sunny, low-altitude, family-friendly, EUR 1,650 guided. (2) Beaufortain Loop (France, 4 days PD) — short, low-vertical, easiest French hut traverse. (3) Sellaronda Ski-Mountaineering (Italy, 3 days PD) — Dolomites scenery, low avalanche risk, lift-assisted ascents reduce daily effort. (4) Hardangervidda Crossing (Norway, 6 days PD) — flat plateau ski, no glaciers, DNT huts. (5) Kungsleden Abisko–Nikkaluokta (Sweden, 5 days PD) — trail-supported, STF huts, late-season midnight-sun light. Avoid AD-grade tours (Haute Route, Stubai, Ortler) on a first hut trip — the failure modes are unforgiving and require previous tour experience to handle conditions changes mid-traverse.