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Lodges and Huts
Ludlow Hut: Bill Ludlow and the construction of the hut
This hut is named for William B. Ludlow (1930-1953), an ardent Sierra Club member whose love of skiing in general and ski touring in particular was matched by his love of the Tahoe area that he had known summer and winter for most of his 23 years. Bill Ludlow, a native of Berkeley, hiked as a teenager with friends in the Echo Lake-Desolation Valley areas and later travelled to Europe where he climbed the Matterhorn. His first ski experiences were at Clair Tappaan Lodge and from there he went on to enjoy many ski touring excursions. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1952 with a degree in mechanical engineering and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. While stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, he was killed in 1953 in a tragic accident while instructing a class in the use of heavy equipment required to build airfields.
After his death, his family and friends decided that they would honor his memory to build a hut so that other skiers could share his joy of exploring the silent beauty of this snow covered wilderness. Construction of the hut during the summer of 1955 was financed with matching funds from the Sierra Club.
