Not only do members gain a sense of ‘belonging’ when using an Alpine Club hut, they also receive worthwhile discounts on overnight fees, and free worldwide mountain rescue insurance.
Hut conventions
On arrival at a mountain hut remove boots and leave them in the porch or boot room, along with trekking poles. Select a pair of hut shoes, clogs or crocs for indoor wear if available. Boots must not be worn indoors.
Locate the warden, who will normally be found near the kitchen (küche) to announce your arrival, seek a bed for the night and present your Alpine Club membership card if you have one.
Make your bed using a sheet sleeping bag – pillows and blankets or duvets are provided. Keep a torch handy, as the room may not be lit when you need to go there after dark. Respect the lights-out time, and if you leave early in the morning, pack your rucksack outside the dormitory to avoid disturbing others.
A typical hut dormitory in which duvets replace blankets – you provide your own sheet sleeping bag
Snacks and drinks are normally available throughout the day, but meals are served at set times: breakfast (fruhstück) is generally served between about 6.00 and 8.00am; dinner (abendessen) from 6.00 to 7.30pm – but check first. Not every hut offers menu choices, but in Austrian huts a bergsteigeressen will often be available. Literally a mountaineer’s meal, this low-cost alternative is variable in content but it must contain at least 500 calories and is usually good value. Austrian huts also enable users to make their own drinks by providing a litre of hot water (teewasser) for a small charge. If you want to take advantage of this service carry a few teabags or coffee sachets with you. You can borrow cups from the warden. Where needed packed lunches should be ordered the night before you leave.
In most huts it is customary to pay (by cash only) for meals and accommodation the night before you depart.
Before departing fold the blankets at the end of your bed, and write your name in the hut book along with a note of your planned destination.
Berghausen and other options
A few berghausen (mountain inns) are also found in some of the high valleys, and these often provide atmospheric overnight lodging that falls midway between that of a traditional mountain hut and a hotel; some of these give the option of a small dormitory as a slightly cheaper alternative to a twin-bedded room.
In resort villages located in outlying or feeder valleys, more mainstream accommodation is usually plentiful, depending on the size and location of the resort in question. The main resorts here are Klosters (www.klosters.ch) in Switzerland and Brand (www.brand.at) in Austria, both of which have hotels of practically all standards, as well as holiday apartments for rent.
Notes for walkers
Knees aching from the steep descent to Alp Sardasca receive ‘treatment’ (Trek 1, Stage 6)
Getting fit before setting out on any of the treks will be of great benefit, and you should be comfortable with the prospect of walking for five or six hours each day – excluding rests – over rough ground carrying a rucksack weighing up to 9kg (20lb). Although the three main treks are of a modest duration compared with the Tour of Mont Blanc or Chamonix to Zermatt Walkers’ Haute Route, for example, a few stages – especially on the Tour of the Silvretta Alps – cross challenging terrain where for a good part of the summer you may see no-one else for several hours. Navigational skills and good ‘mountain sense’ will be important, and while no technical climbing ability is called for, there are a number of narrow, exposed sections that could be unsettling for first-time trekkers. Often such exposed or difficult areas will be protected by fixed cables or chains, a length of metal ladder bolted to a rock face, or an iron stanchion or rung for foot placement. Check each item of protection before committing your weight on it.
In late spring and early summer snowmelt will invariably raise water levels, and where such streams have to be crossed – and there are no bridges, or a bridge has been washed away – it will be necessary to wade through a torrent. Choose your crossing place with care, and only attempt the manoeuvre with caution.
When snowmelt raises stream levels and there are no bridges, it may be necessary to remove boots and wade through
The majority of trails are straightforward and well maintained, but if they are wet, covered with snow or skimmed with ice, there could be potentially dangerous sections calling for additional care. Remain alert throughout each day.
Where trails cross cattle-grazing pastures you may well find an electric fence barring your way. There is almost always a ‘gateway’ to enter or exit these pastures, with a rubber- or plastic-covered grip to enable you to unhook a section of wire and pass through without receiving a minor shock. Always re-attach these behind you.
As mentioned above, accommodation will mostly be in mountain huts or the occasional berghaus, each of which is manned throughout the summer. Meals are provided for those who stay overnight, as well as snacks and/or packed lunches to eat on the trail, thus enabling trekkers to travel light, unencumbered by large rucksacks. Backpacking and wild camping are not options here; Alpine trekking is a delight of small sacks, big horizons and the conviviality of a cosy hut at night.
Note that on practically every stage of the treks in this guide, there will be no opportunities to buy refreshments (food or drink) between leaving the hut in the morning and arriving at the next one later in the day. Before setting out for the day make sure you have enough provisions to sustain you on your walk.
Please be considerate when making a toilet stop while on trek. Keep well away from water sources, burn used toilet paper and bury faeces as effectively as possible. Remote buildings or ruins should not be used as public toilets; they could serve as a shelter from storm by a shepherd, other walkers – or yourself. Please leave no litter, but take packaging with you for proper disposal in a village or town out of the mountains.
Clothing and equipment
On the final stage of the Silvretta tour, trekkers contemplate the wild upper reaches of the Seetal (Trek 1, Stage 6)
What you select in regard to clothing and equipment could be crucial to your comfort and enjoyment. Weight is an important factor; carry too much and you’ll regret it on every uphill trail, so choose with care and pare your load down to a minimum. With plenty of versatile and durable lightweight equipment available, there’s no point in using a heavier alternative, and it should be possible to limit your load to about 8–9kg (17–20lbs).
As camping is not an option on any of these treks, a conventional sleeping bag will not be required, although you will need a sheet sleeping bag (sleeping bag liner) for use in mountain huts – blankets and pillows are provided. Silk liners are much lighter and easier to pack than the cotton variety. As for what to wear and to have spare, one complete change of clothing should be sufficient, for it’s usually possible to wash and dry clothing overnight.
Experienced trekkers will have their own tried-and-tested favourites, but the following list may be useful.
2 shirts, 2 T-shirts, 2 pairs trousers, 3 pairs underwear, 3 pairs socks, 1 pair lightweight sandals or crocs (for indoor wear).
Boots should fit well, be comfortable and tested on long walks before leaving home. They need to provide sound ankle support and have thick cleated soles with plenty of grip. For early-season trekking a pair of lightweight crampons or microspikes could be useful. Change your socks daily to avoid discomfort.
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