the challenge. 

Located in one of Colorado’s most storied ski valleys the Green Wilson sits near treeline at the base of Castle Peak next to the Tagert Hut. It accesses phenomenal alpine terrain and connects Aspen to Crested Butte in a hut to hut traverse. This hut is a soulful retreat for adventurous backcountry skiers.

The hut was built from a pan-abode log cabin kit in memory of Lu Lynn Green Wilson. After almost 50 years of love from thousands of visitors, time and weather have taken their toll. The structure has deteriorated and is not suited to heavy snow loads that have damaged the roof and bury the windows every winter.

These limitations reduce the hut’s safety, usability, and performance in the alpine environment.

the vision.

The re-imagined Green Wilson will be more than a hut—it will be a beacon for human-powered adventure and quiet restoration. Thoughtfully sited and crafted to belong to the land, it will offer warmth, safety, and stillness: a sunlit deck for unhurried mornings, a communal table where real conversation returns, and a doorway to new lines traced across untouched snow.

how you can help.

We are reaching out to the community, in hopes that donors both large and small will support this community asset. 

Our volunteer board is fully committed to this project and has given over $50,000 to cover our USFS and Pitkin County permitting costs.

We have received our USFS approvals for the project and our building permit is on track for a spring 2026 approval. We are very thankful for all of the support and excitement for the project in these processes.

Al Beyer, who designed all of our past hut remodels and the new Markley and Opa huts, has donated his architectural services. This means that every dollar you contribute will directly support the rebuilding of Green Wilson and sustaining it for future generations. Together, we can restore the Green Wilson hut to a place of light, rest, connection, and sanctuary.

We are reaching out for $750,000 in early leadership gifts.

This will be followed by a public campaign to reach our $1.5 Million goal.  

Join us in an enduring spirit of shelter!

Free from the pull of screens and schedules, visitors will rediscover time—time to learn, to listen, to be in nature, and to be with each other. This is where traditions are handed down, where alpine craft and care for place are taught in practice, and where the next generation inherits not just routes on a map, but a way of being in the mountains.

This is why we build huts. This is why we go to the mountains.

▲  To discuss leadership gift opportunities please call our fundraising chair Craig Ward 970-379-1254

▲ To give a gift of appreciated stock please reach out to Morgan Boyles morgan@braunhuts.org 970-948-8837

▲  If you are 70 1/2 or older and have an IRA, you can withdraw up to $105,000 and donate it tax-free.

▲ Mail us a check: Alfred Braun Hut System P.O. Box 7937 Aspen, CO 81612

Why we are giving:

Craig Ward, Fundraising Chair: “I have shared these Braun huts with many, many friends over the years, but the most meaningful moments and skiing memories have been with our families and their friends.”

Ashley Perl, Board President: “As President of the Braun Hut Board, of course I donated to the Green Wilson campaign, but more than that, I contributed because the Braun Huts have given my family our most meaningful experiences over the years and I want to ensure the huts are around for generations to come. Spending time in the backcountry has taught my young children essential life skills, including how to care for others and stewardship of the environment. A contribution to the Green Wilson campaign is an investment in the future of our community that will last a lifetime.

Thank you for joining us!

the Braun Story.

For sixty five years, Alfred Braun Hut System has provided shelter to backcountry skiers in the rugged Elk Mountains above Aspen. These unique huts were first built in the 1960’s and 1970’s by Jay Laughlin, John Holden, Stuart Mace and Fred Braun. Over the last 28 years our 7 huts have been rebuilt and restored by dedicated volunteers and craftsmen from our community.

Our small nonprofit’s mission is to: “Sustain and protect a system of small, intimate huts for public use within the fragile, timberline environment centered in the upper Castle Creek Valley.” 

Hut reservations are made through the 10th Mountain Hut Association which enables the Braun huts to be a highly efficient organization putting all of our efforts into providing the unique, high-quality hut experience we all love. 

A visit to one of the Braun huts is a peak experience for locals, families, and visitors. Help us rebuild the Green Wilson hut so that future generations can share in the solitude, adventure, and camaraderie of hut trips on our public lands.

building spaces for our community.

1997 Alfred Braun Hut System 501c3 nonprofit is formed and purchases the six original huts from the US Ski Association. The original huts, which were built in the 1960s and 1970s, were in such disrepair they were bought for only $3,000 with a grant from the Aspen Thrift Shop!

1998 Tagert hut remodeled with lead support from board member Boots Ferguson and friends.

1999 Barnard hut remodeled. Basic upgrades made to the Green Wilson hut.

2001 Goodwin Green hut at the top of Difficult creek remodeled with new roof, windows, outhouse and woodshed.

2002 Lindley hut substantially remodeled. The original cinderblock “ice box” was turned into the beautiful hut it is today.

2004 Markley hut is fully reconstructed. This project was funded by Jeff Kenner and friends who turned this hut into one of the most popular family hut destinations in the system.

2012 The new Opa’s Taylor hut built to complete the system. Named in honor of Fred “Opa” Braun this hut was funded by the Anthony Mollica Family.

2020 Braun huts purchases an office next to our partner the 10th Mountain Huts in the Benedict building. This was funded by an anonymous angel donor.

2021 The Braun Huts creates an endowment fund from the sale of development rights on a donated mining claim. We will work to continue to build this fund so that it can cover capital repairs of the huts into the future.

2024-2025 Permitting and design of the Green Wilson Hut replacement!

Fred Braun: Aspen Hall of Fame Induction

The Process: A film made skiing near the Braun Huts narrated by Bob Wade, Chris Davenport, and Andy Popinchalk