Berlin section of the German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein, DAV), it’s the largest in the district, and every group I’ve taken there has been wowed by the hut and its outlook. Built in 1879, 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. It stands near the head of the Zemmgrund, some 3 hours’ walk from Gasthof Breitlahner on the road from Mayrhofen. Not only is the hut a striking building in its own right, but its location looks out on snow-draped mountains and rushing streams, and the 8km walk to reach it from the Breitlahner bus stop is both obstacle-free and full of interest.
Totalp Hut in the Rätikon Alps is extremely popular with visiting walkers
While still in the Zillertal Alps, there’s another fine hut to visit, standing just across the Italian border at the head of the Zamsergrund – the upper reaches of the long Zillertal where buses from Mayrhofen terminate at the Schlegeis reservoir. The 2-hour walk through the Zamsergrund begins here – a delightful walk through pastures bright with alpenrose and dwarf pine, with views of waterfalls crashing down the right-hand slope. At the head of the valley, the 2246m Pfitscher Joch carries the Austrian–Italian border below the Hohe Wand and Hochfeiler. There’s an old abandoned customs house standing there, and shortly after, when you’ve walked between two small lakes on the Italian side, you come to the privately owned, 30-bed Pfitscherjoch-Haus, also known as Rifugio Passo di Vizze (www.pfitscherjochhaus.com), which looks down the length of Val di Vizze.
Although Austria has numerous first-class huts and hut walks, the Italian Dolomites can challenge any alpine region for dramatic landscapes. They also have some wonderful multi-day treks, exciting via ferratas and a rich selection of rifugi (huts) to visit on a day’s walk, a number of which are large inn-like buildings with excellent facilities. At least one boasts a sauna, but at an altitude of 2752m Rifugio Lagazuoi (www.rifugiolagazuoi.com) is more like a high-altitude hotel than a conventional mountain hut, and while it’s on the route of Alta Via 1, it can also be reached by cable car from the Falzarego Pass. With stunning views of the Tofana and Cinque Torri, it has 18 beds in small rooms and 56 dorm places, and has been cared for by the same family ever since it was opened in 1965. If you’ve never stayed in a mountain hut before, try this one for size. But remember, not all rifugi will provide quite the same experience.
Without question, the best-known and most popular of Dolomite mountains is the three-turreted cluster of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the Dolomiti di Sesto, with Cortina the main centre and several understandably busy huts nearby, all accessible by good paths or tracks. For sheer spectacle, there’s nothing quite like it. A toll road climbs up from Misurina to end in a massive car park at around 2330m by Rifugio Auronzo (www.rifugioauronzo.it), with the towering cliffs of the Tre Cime above and the Cadini pinnacles drawing attention to the south. From here, it’s just a 20-minute walk to Rifugio Lavaredo (www.rifugiolavaredo.com), beyond which a bare saddle at 2457m gives an amazing view of the Tre Cime in profile.
Three hours’ walk from the nearest road, the Berliner Hut in the Zillertal Alps boasts a chandelierlit dining room
When the crowds have departed Refuge du Lac Blanc is a magical place in which to spend the night
Ahead, and some distance away, Rifugio Locatelli can be seen, with a tiny white chapel nearby. Also known as the Drei Zinnen Hut (www.dreizinnenhuette.com), as a reminder that before World War I all these mountains were Austrian, it has a direct view of the Tre Cime from its windows. Easily reached from the Auronzo car park, and with an impressive menu and generous portions served in the dining room, it is no surprise that during the summer months Locatelli makes a very popular excursion for day visitors, and is a great place to spend the night. For accommodation, it has 100 dormitory places and 40 beds in smaller rooms, and a good many visitors make it their first overnight stay in an alpine hut.
Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland and France all have numerous huts worth visiting, but if you are limited to spending just a single night in one, and find yourself on a walking holiday based in or near Chamonix, then Refuge du Lac Blanc it must be (www.refugedulacblanc.fr). Overlooking the small mountain tarn after which it is named, and built on the slopes of the Aiguilles Rouges some 1200m above Chamonix, the refuge can be reached via several exciting trails, as well as by a combination of the Flégère cable car, Index chairlift and a well-marked high-level path. It is a privately
‘a hole appeared in the clouds to reveal the huge face of the Grandes Jorasses’
owned hut with just 40 dormitory places in two buildings; it has hot showers, and a dining room that looks directly across the valley to the Chamonix Aiguilles and along the glacial highway of the Mer de Glace.
One night when I was there, a great storm erupted over the mountains. The refuge shook, lightning forked onto distant fingers of rock, and hailstones hammered on the hut roof. Then suddenly there was a lull, and a hole appeared in the clouds to reveal the huge face of the Grandes Jorasses, aloof amid the maelstrom. It was one of life’s magical moments and the memory of it lives on.
Ten of the best-for huts
For a day visit: Totalp Hut (Rätikon Alps, Austria)
For a first hut overnight: Refuge du Lac Blanc (Mont Blanc range, France)
For an overnight on trek: Rifugio Bonatti (Tour of Mont Blanc, Italy)
For climbers: Gleckstein Hut (Bernese Alps, Switzerland)
For outstanding location: Cabane d’Arpittetaz (Pennine Alps, Switzerland)
For views: Rifugio Locatelli (Dolomites, Italy)
For sunsets: Cabane du Mont Fort (Pennine Alps, Switzerland)
For starry skies: Starkenburger Hut (Stubai Alps, Austria)
For solitude: Burg Hut (Bernese Alps, Switzerland)
For watching wildlife: Rifugio Vittorio Sella (Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy)
Used by trekkers on the Tour of Mont Blanc, Refuge des Mottets was converted from a dairy farm. Some of the beds are in what was once the milking parlour
Reflections in the Alpenglow
I’m never quite sure which is the most rewarding: anticipation of a day’s climbing, the climbing itself, or the aftermath when you savour the memories.
Anticipation is the game that allows you to imagine perfect conditions, just the right amount of challenge, the ability to overcome all obstacles – and the view from an uncluttered summit. Reality of course rarely lives up to those expectations, while memory can be as selective as conscience allows.
But if you’ve had a good day out and survived to tell the tale, those moments of quiet contemplation take a lot
