In reply to Col:
The hut being rebuilt from scratches is the Gonella, on the Italian normal route. Initially there was some talk about the works being completed by June 2007, but now the opening is definitely set on June 2008. The good news are that the new hut will have very good facilities and will make the Italian normal route more appetible.
The last (steep) section of the hut access is officially closed, and access there and to the hut's platform is forbidden. The prohibition is not only a matter of bureaucracy, as there's a real danger of being hit by falling material while the works are under way. Also, remember that in case anything happens there, the access prohibition will make any kind of rescue a very expensive affair (VdA laws are quite clear on that!) - and often insurances are not valid if you weren't supposed to be there!
The "big" old yellow hut is simply no more there - the old, historical cabin (that is being transformed into a mountain museum when the new hut will be built) is now closed. When work will begin again - not sure when, possibly end of May - the hut will be used as a shelter for the working team - as much as they're nice people (Maurizio, the team leader, is a old friend of mine) I don't think they can really share some space there.
There are several bivy possibilities below on the Miage, or on a scree/grass slope halfway between the glacier and the hut called the Chaux de Pesse. The place is nice and there's water there, but remember to sleep under one of the boulders, as there's a bit of rockfall chance here. Remember also that you must add one hour to next day effort.
There are also some (uncomfortable) spots between the hut location and the glacier above, Don't be tempted by idea to bivy on the upper Dome glacier plateau below the Piton des Italiens, as it's an exposed and awkward place.
The Quintino Sella hut is still there in its splendid isolation and solitude (well, apart the local colony of mices!). Contrarily to what you may have read somewhere, the preferable access is not the Gonella-QS link couloir, but the "old" access via the Mt. Blanc glacier, at least until glacial condition don't change again.
If you will use the QS hut, PLEASE, keep it as tidy and as in order as you can. There are enough places in the MB range that are being transformed into difficult-to-reach toilets - the QS has avoided this fate so far because its inaccessibility, and I hope this will not change in the future.
