This could be in place as soon as 2016. For the latest information and advice on booking huts go to the Alpine Club website (www.alpine-club.org.uk). If for whatever reason a booking can’t be honoured then simply ring and explain. It’s never a surprise but you should let your hosts know.
Hut life
A typically stunning hut location – the Olpererhütte (Stage 11)
Mountain huts date back to the explosion of Alpine tourism in the late 19th century and were mainly developed by the German/Austrian Alpenverein (Alpine Club). The nearest non-alpine equivalent is a youth hostel. There are hundreds of them scattered across the Alps and, typically built before the emergence of town planners, they often command a dramatic location. They provide food, beer, accommodation and usually a shower (in limestone areas water is sometimes in short supply). Sleeping accommodation is in open dormitories or smaller rooms although you should expect to share even in the smaller rooms. Huts are a key part of the alpine tradition and come with a number of quirky rules. They are, however, very convivial, never run out of beer and after a good day in the mountains they provide an opportunity for some sleep (depending on your room-mates).
The first hut, the Tutzinger, provides a foretaste of what’s to come. Once you’ve arrived and armed yourself with a beverage it’s time to look at the menu and contemplate hut cuisine. It changes gradually after you cross into Italy but the Tyrolean influences persist for some time. It is not fine dining and is best described as ‘hearty’. Standard fare includes: soups (Suppe) with large dumplings – either Leberknödel (liver dumpling) or Speckknödel (ham dumpling); Gulasch, often served with dumplings (Semmelknödel); spaghetti Bolognese and, of course, large sausages (Bratwurst) served with bread, mustard and sauerkraut. It’s not ideal for vegetarians. In German and Austrian huts the Bergsteigeressen (literally ‘mountain climber’s food’) is usually the lowest cost option on the menu. Consisting of some sort of meat served with pasta, dumplings or potatoes, it is filling and good value. On the German side of the border, the best part of the meal – a major Austrian/German contribution to world welfare – is the desert where the nightly choice between wonderful Apfelstrudel (apple pastry) or Kaiserschmarrn, (a shredded pancake favoured by Emperor Franz Joseph) is a regular challenge.
Kaiserschmarrn
The main dormitory in the Tutzinger consists of two-storey platforms each populated, cheek by jowl, with lines of mattresses. Unlike most UK youth hostels, dormitories are not single sex. Bedding is provided but guests are expected to bring their own sheet sleeping bags (Hütten Sac) – some people also bring their own sleeping bags although the rooms can be very warm. Like most huts there is a drying room and a boot room. Hut etiquette includes not wearing outdoor shoes indoors and walking poles are left in the boot room.
Lights are turned out at 10pm. It’s not worth retiring earlier as the noise around bedtime can make sleep difficult. Getting to sleep may be a challenge – unfamiliar snoring will take a bit of getting used to – so it’s best to pack earplugs.
Breakfast, served at 7.30am, is interesting if not particularly exciting. It involves tea or coffee, bread and jam, some sort of cereal and processed ham similar to the subject of a famous Monty Python sketch. Austrian bread, like Austrian cakes, is an art form but for some reason the higher art forms don’t reach the higher altitudes and hut bread is of a particularly heavy and dark variety.
Planning your walk
Just some of the friends made along a first through-walk from Munich to Venice
Perhaps the first thing to decide, particularly if walking alone or as a couple, is whether to have a schedule at all. Instead of planning every day in advance and booking the trip ahead it is possible simply to turn up and assume that there will be space available, or you ring ahead one or two days in advance. In this way you can capitalise on good weather and walk further. Not booking ahead, however, naturally carries the risk that you will not be able to stay where you want to. This could be a problem at some huts in the Dolomites on August weekends, especially if you are walking as part of a group. Also, if you wish to sleep in family rooms rather than dormitories booking ahead is recommended.
If you’re planning to walk the route in one go, factors to consider when working out your schedule are:
whether you are prepared to use any of the chairlifts or take a bus at any point;
whether you prefer to avoid the mountain huts where alternatives can be found (particularly important in the Dolomites in August);
whether you plan to walk any of the variants;
how many hours a day you want to walk.
Another consideration is whether to schedule spare days, either as rest days or to accommodate potential bad weather. For example a schedule could include a provision for two or three nights at Alleghe, a pretty lakeside town located in the middle of the Dolomites with plenty of accommodation. If bad weather then means sitting out a day’s walking earlier in the trip one of the days at Alleghe can be dropped without throwing out the rest of your itinerary.
One thing to check before finalising a schedule is whether or not ‘shooting days’ are taking place in the Tux Alps. A military exercise range still exists there and very occasionally the troops are using live ammunition and access is prohibited. All the routes cross the range and it’s worth checking at www.wattenberg.tirol.gv.at and following the link to ‘Truppenübungsplatz Lizum Walchen’.
What to take
Climbing the Geirjoch in August (Stage 10)
The golden rule is only take what is needed. Weight is a key consideration and the greater the load, the bigger the strain on the body particularly the knees. Weigh everything and restrict the total load (excluding water) to no more than 7kg.
When packing prepare for wet and cold weather. On a 30-day trip across the Alps you will almost certainly get some wet weather at some point and in July and early August it can be thundery. It can also be cold and snow, particularly above 2000m, is not unusual. In addition to good quality waterproofs pack a fleece or a lightweight down jacket, a warm hat and gloves.
It addition to the cold and wet prepare for the sun and include a brimmed hat, high-factor sunscreen, lipsalve and sunglasses. With any luck the cold and wet weather gear will stay at the bottom of your rucksack and shorts and T-shirts will be the order of the day.
For emergencies carry a head torch (also useful in the huts), a whistle and a compact first aid kit.
For the huts, as well as personal toiletries, pack a lightweight towel, a sheet sleeping bag and earplugs. Outdoor shoes aren’t allowed inside and although indoor shoes are provided some sort of lightweight shoe will be needed for the hotels and for walking around Venice.
At the beginning of each stage of route description there is a tip about where you can get refreshments during the day. There is usually somewhere to stop but you should always carry emergency rations and snacks. Everyone will have their own solution but a bar of chocolate hidden at the bottom of the rucksack (out of the
