The Pocatello system was set up to give priority to organized events of the sponsoring organizations as well as trips by volunteers. After reservations were made for organized events and volunteers, the system was open to the general public. Members of the public could make reservations through the City of Pocatello Parks and Recreation Office. Hut fees, however, will be raised significantly in the future to recover some of the initial expenses as well as provide replacement costs. In the second year of the program, the canvas tents were replaced by yurts.
Yurts are dome-shaped canvas structures which have an internal frame supported by a steel cable.
All the strength of the structure is placed on the cable which enables it to support large accumulations of snow without collapse. Yurts are also aesthetically pleasing with a plastic skylight capping the peak of the structure making them light and accenting the feeling of roominess. The yurts used in the Pocatello system were designed by Kirk Bachman. Bachman, originally a staff member of the ISU Outdoor Program , now owns a backcountry guiding and outfitting business in the Teton area. He has designed a special backcountry adaptation of the yurt which he has fine tuned and tested for the last six years.