Snowmass, CO – For over 30 years, Snowmass skiers have been warming themselves beside a wood stove within a homemade cabin inside the ski area’s boundary. Over the summer, however, the U.S. Forest Service has begun to dismantle the cabin and declared it off-limits to the public.

The cabin was possibly constructed on the foundation of a suspected miner’s cabin at an unpatented mining claim, using deadfall from the surrounding area. Unlike patented mining claims, unpatented claims are still public land, not private.

In August, officials with the White River National Forest had a contractor remove the structure’s roof, attributing the cause to asbestos-laden materials, and replaced it with a tarp to give skiers time to retrieve their personal belongings as the cabin’s fate is determined via a legally obligated National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. A flood of sympathetic supporters is expected to participate in a 30-day public comment period once it’s opened sometime this winter.

The cabin is located on Burnt Mountain, between Snowmass’ Long Shot trail and the Burnt Mountain Glades. Aspen Skiing Co. officials have long known of the cabin, but undertook no measures to remove it. Officials with the Forest Service, who contend that the cabin was illegally constructed on public land, indicate that they’ve been aware of its presence for several years.

While the Forest Service’s Aspen-Sopris Ranger District decides by early next year whether or not they will destroy the remaining structure, in the meantime they’ve warned users to not replace the cabin’s roof and stay away.