Many members said they were surprised to learn that the club was considering a sale. Diane Serlin, the chairwoman of the cabin committee, said that the club’s president, John Judge, and a member of the board of directors met with her on March 2 in Manhattan and told her that the cabin would be sold as quickly as possible and would not be available for use this summer.

“It was like getting hit on the head with a hammer,” she said, adding that she was pleased by the club’s decision to allow for a fuller debate.

The board was to discuss the matter during a March 15 meeting in Boston and, Mr. Judge said, could have voted then to pursue a sale. Club members in New York voiced opposition. On March 14, the club announced on its website that it would delay any vote, adding that over the next year it would “continue evaluating the use and impact of the cabin as part of the A.M.C. mission while also engaging in further dialogue.”

Mr. Judge said that there was no urgency to sell and that the club would conduct a “listening tour” on the issue. But the club also had to allocate resources carefully, he added, and weigh questions about holding onto a cabin that had room for limited visitors and could be jeopardized by powerful storms.

“It comes down to this idea of mission impact,” he said. “We have to pick and choose how to do the most good.”