Alpine touring/randonée skiing - anyone?

[antimony]

That looks awesome. Of course, I don't know how to alpine ski or telemark, and the equipment looks formidable, but I think I would like this.
DH took a look at the pictures and said "no way." Trying to convince him to do a hut to hut nordic tour of the Maine Woods. The sticking point is having to go outside to use the rest room in the middle of the night, when it's 0 degrees F.

If you're looking at Maine Huts and Trails, while you do have to go outside, it's a short and generally well-kept path (and on the newer huts it's actually a boardwalk between them, raised off the ground). The bathrooms aren't outhouses -- they are composting toilets but real sinks, and real showers with a short time limit. The food is really great, the trails are well-maintained, and the only bad thing about the trip was that I chose poorly in one new pair of socks and had horrible blisters.

[Crankin]

Thanks, Antimony. We were (are) looking at the AMC hut to hut x country ski trip, that is led by a guide and they haul your gear on a snowmobile. So, different huts and facilities. As I said in the above post, at Little Lyford there were outhouses behind each cabin and a bathhouse in the middle of the compound. The food was great, and we really want to support AMC, as we are bike trip leaders for them. We know we can do the skiing. But in August, it was 40 degrees at night, so I can imagine going out there to pee in February.
Sorry about your blister experience. I had that snow shoeing at Von Trapp a few years ago and it put an end to any more outdoor activity for the remainder of th trip. It was too warm to x country ski, the snow was mushy, and 3/4 of us ended up with blisters that day. It was horrible.