Alta Via 2). Meanwhile, across the border in the Vanoise National Park in France, ibex, chamois and marmots can often be spied around the Col de la Vanoise and from several of the refuges that border the Doron gorge above Termignon – especially Refuge de l’Arpont (www.refuges-vanoise.com), a national-park-owned building renovated in 2013, which looks towards a series of waterfalls pouring over cliffs below the Vanoise glaciers.
The warden at the Gleckstein Hut spreads salt on the terrace wall to attract ibex in the early morning
At the head of the gorge on the eastern side of the valley, and nestling on rough pasture below the 3855m Grande Casse, the privately owned Refuge Entre Deux Eaux (www.refugeentredeuxeaux.com) is another old farm used as a refuge by trekkers following the ultra-long distance GR5, and by others straying from the splendid Tour of the Vanoise. Although not as promising for watching wildlife as Arpont, Entre Deux Eaux would be hard to beat so far as atmosphere is concerned. It is a charming, 100-year-old building, comfortably quirky and with an aura of peace that makes it a perfect haven in which to relax for a day or two.
Where ibex roam
Ibex (bouquetin in French, Steinbock in German) can often be seen grazing near huts. The wonderful Rottal Hut is one such hut, but being set 1800m above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, it’s quite a haul simply to watch wildlife, although the hut and its literally breathtaking location make all the effort to get there worthwhile.
I was in the area one summer on a writing assignment with a small group making a tour of the Bernese Alps. Although a day’s rest was on the itinerary when we arrived in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, I knew that a route to the Rottal Hut began not far from Stechelberg. With a reputation for having a spectacular location, the hut was, until then, one I’d only read about but longed to visit. I figured that if I could get an early lift to the roadhead, there was the possibility of making a quick there-and-back visit. Well, with more than 1800m of height to gain, the ascent might not be all that quick, but I’d give it a go, and I’d be travelling light with only the bare necessities in a small rucksack. I was also considerably younger than I am now, and fit and agile as an ibex.
So shortly after dawn next morning, I and two others left the campsite while everyone else was sleeping, and headed upvalley to the roadhead. From there, a riverside path teased us away from the village, but the gentle nature of the trail didn’t last long, and within minutes of setting out, we were racing one another up a steep grassy slope before making a rising traverse to reach an alpine farmer’s stone hut some 600m above the river. That left 1200m still to climb, but the views were growing with every step.
Now we cut left to enter a broad gully rising wedge-like at its head, which eventually took us to a band of abrupt, near-vertical crags split by a much tighter gully. This we climbed with the aid of fixed ropes and chains, and emerged to find a clear path winding up an old moraine rib. It continued along the crest of the moraine that flanked the Rottal glacier, then up a steep snow slope headed by a small cliff. Another fixed rope aided the ascent of these rocks, and less than 5 hours after leaving Stechelberg, we arrived at the Rottal Hut, where the first of several huge flasks of tea was soon placed before us by the part-time warden who was there just for the weekend.
At an altitude of 2755m, the Rottal Hut is very much a climbers’ hut used for tackling routes on the Jungfrau, Ebnefluh and Gletscherhorn. With 34 places, it’s only manned at weekends in summer, although with self-catering facilities and a wood-burning stove it’s open for use at other times.
But on this occasion we were not there to climb, to stay the night or even to prepare a meal. Just being there to soak in its atmosphere was reward enough. Beyond that, we had no need to consider anything except a long knee-wrecking descent back to the valley, and a weary return to the campsite. But not yet. That would have to wait until we’d allowed time to appreciate the hut’s extraordinary position under the south-west flank of the Jungfrau, and its outlook towards the head of the valley where the Lauterbrunnen Breithorn, Tschingelhorn, Blümlisalp and Gspaltenhorn rose above cascades of ice. It was a fabulous view, and I deeply regretted not being able to spend the rest of the day and a night there to soak it all in.
As if to add to the hut’s appeal, as we sat outside without need for words, an ibex came clambering over rocks bordering the glacier to inspect the new arrivals.
Huts for walkers
Hundreds – perhaps thousands – of alpine huts exist that would meet the needs of mountain walkers looking for somewhere to stop for refreshment on a day’s hike. And for those who’ve never spent a night in one, a day visit provides an ideal opportunity to sense what it would be like to stay there.
Austria‘s Alps are particularly rewarding for this. Consider the Rätikon Alps in Vorarlberg in the far west of the country. Relatively easy to get to, Brand is a small but popular resort on a bus route from the railway station at Bludenz, and from it you can either walk across meadows and through woodland to a cable car station, or take a bus to the roadhead and ride the cableway, eventually to be deposited on a dam wall overlooking the Lünersee reservoir. The large un-hut-like Douglass Hut (www.douglasshuette.at) stands next door, its restaurant brimming with visitors by day, and with walkers and trekkers when the last cable car has descended to the valley. It has excellent facilities for those who stay the night, but a day visit restricted to the restaurant won’t give you much of an idea of a ‘real’ mountain hut. A much better plan would be to walk alongside the reservoir, then take a signed path climbing steadily to the timber-built Totalp Hut (www.totalp.at), set in a wild, almost barren landscape at 2385m (just 1¼ hours from the cable car station).
Only a few metres above the Burg Hut in the Bernese Alps a memorable view rewards the walker
The immediate surroundings of the Totalp Hut may be as barren as suggested by its name (literally ‘dead alp’), but it has exciting views onto the Lünersee 400m below and south-east along the mountain ridge that forms the border with Switzerland. Refreshments and lunchtime meals are served at tables outside, or indoors if you prefer, while above the hut rises the 2964m Schesaplana, highest of the Rätikon peaks, whose summit may be reached by a non-technical route in a little under 2 hours. With its atmospheric Stube and 85 places in creaky-floored dormitories, the Totalp Hut would be a great place to spend a first night in a hut, and it’s so easy to get to.
Another refuge accessible by a very fine morning’s walk from the Douglass Hut cable car station is the Heinrich Hueter Hut (www.hueterhuette.at), a delightful building clad with larch shingles at the foot of the Matterhorn-like Zimba. Its balcony provides a distant view of the Drei Türme of the Drusenfluh, while its location above an alp farm adds to
‘it is justifiably famous for the chandeliers in its panelled dining room, the lovely hallway and wide staircase more in keeping with some baronial schloss’
its charm. The hut itself can sleep 110 in bedrooms and dormitories, has good showers and even an indoor climbing wall, and the bright and comfortable dining room provides a clear hint of the hut’s atmosphere.
Further east, the Zillertal Alps, with Mayrhofen as the main valley base, are another great area for walking, trekking, skiing and mountaineering, with a number of huts within the reach of most active walkers. None would be better suited for a there-and-back visit than the historic Berliner Hut (www.berlinerhuette.at).
