Living: Hut, Two, Three, Four

Skiing at even the most glorious of resorts can pall after a few days, for reasons of tameness and sameness. Up the lift, down the beautifully groomed trail, half an hour in the lift line with several hundred nice people, then up and down again: the alpine skier turns himself into a yo-yo. And after the fifth or tenth chug around the splendidly scenic cross-country circuit, the Nordic skier can feel like a toy train.

Jaded skiers, take heart. A civilized but still adventurous alternative, long pursued in the Alps and in Scandinavia, is catching on in the U.S. Skiers trek...