a dome in front of the fireplace, and we found it warmer to sit outside on the roof to cook and eat. After we’d gone to bed on mattress-free boards, an avalanche targeted the hut and in the morning we had to dig our way out through the window.
Where possible, huts are now providing smaller family-sized rooms
Matratzenlager (mattress rooms) like this one are common throughout the Alps
Old-style bunk beds in the Totalp Hut in Austria’s Rätikon Alps
Fortunately, we’d planned to be self-sufficient for a couple of weeks of climbing and were able to make the most of the experience. But it is important, when planning a mountain trip – especially out of season – to do your homework first. Will the huts be open and manned? Will there be room? What facilities can be expected? Are meals provided?
Decorative desserts are served by the warden at Berghaus Bäregg above Grindelwald, despite its remoteness
In most huts there will be no choice of menu, but what you get will be both filling and tasty
Guidebooks are usually the best initial source of information on the existence and location of huts, but an increasing number of refuges now have their own websites giving up-to-date details so you can gain an idea of what to expect before finalising your plans. (See Appendix B for a list of alpine huts and their websites.) If, for example, you don’t like the idea of sharing a dormitory with strangers, check out those huts that have smaller bedrooms with two, four or six bunks. Some have fresh bed linen supplied, although the cost of an overnight stay in a small room is likely to be a little higher than for dormitory accommodation, but you may feel that a degree of privacy is worth the extra money.
Even dormitories vary, not only in size, but in the type of sleeping arrangement on offer. The traditional Matratzenlager – or ‘mattress room’ – is a large communal space with a row of anything from 8 to 30 mattresses laid side by side, while other more conventional dorms have two-tiered bunk beds. Pillows and duvets or blankets are provided, but for purposes of hy-giene you must either use your own sheet sleeping bag or rent one on arrival. As there’s no segregation of the sexes, a
‘a certain amount of discretion is needed when sharing a dormitory full of strangers’
certain amount of discretion is needed when sharing a dormitory full of strangers, but anything more decorous than a long T-shirt as nightwear will be out of place.
If you’ll be sleeping in a dormitory, the hut keeper may specify which bed space you should occupy, but if you’re free to choose, try to get a place near the window and away from the door. If you have a bunk by the window you can control the air flow at night, but should you find yourself near the door, be prepared for disturbance by early risers. And keep a head torch under your pillow, for it’ll be handy if you need to get up in the middle of the night for a call of nature. Most hut generators are turned off after lights-out, the bathroom may be located outside, and getting lost on the way is not to be recommended.
Bathroom facilities vary greatly. The best – and for practical reasons these will usually be found in huts located either in or within easy access of a valley – will have hot showers (mostly coin- or token-operated) and plentiful running water. Although seldom sufficient to serve the number of visitors, toilets in these ‘valley huts’ will be as good as those found in modest hotels, but the higher the hut, the more basic or primitive the toilets are likely to be, and more limited the opportunities for washing. There are exceptions, of course, and standards are improving year by year.
Some of the more modern huts have Wi-Fi access, but don’t automatically assume that this is the case. It is also worth noting that not all huts have power sockets in which to charge mobile phones or other portable electronic devices, so you should plan your needs accordingly.
Alpenglow on Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau seen from the Suls-Lobhorn Hut
Advance booking is essential if you wish to stay in a popular region during the high season, and it is becoming increasingly common for some huts to be fully booked several weeks or even months ahead – those in national parks and the Mont Blanc range, for example. Reservations can be made either through a central booking system such as that used by trekkers on the Tour of Mont Blanc (www.autourdumontblanc.com), or directly with individual huts by telephone. If, like me, you’re no linguist, valley-based tourist offices will usually make a booking for you, but if you’ve left it until the last minute, some hut wardens will often phone ahead to the next refuge on your behalf. However, should you decide to make a call from your mobile phone while in the mountains, be aware that it’s not always possible to get a signal.
This happened to my publisher, Jonathan Williams, and me when trekking the Tour of the Oisans one summer. Our initial plan had been to find somewhere to stay overnight in a village on the far side of a high pass, but we were checking an alternative to the standard route and misjudged the time it would take to get there. We decided to call a hut we’d be passing en route to book a couple of beds for the night. Unable to get a signal for either of our mobile phones, we arrived unannounced in the late afternoon and were met with a very frosty reception from the refuge gardienne (warden), who made us wait outside for half an hour like badly behaved schoolboys until she ‘discovered’ she had enough room and let us in. It was an unnecessary display of ‘gardienne power’ as the refuge was only half full, but she made her point and we learned our lesson.
In the end it turned out to be a memorable experience, for the woman in charge soon dropped her fearsome facade, produced an excellent meal and entertained us with tales of her adventures in the Himalaya. Outside, the alpenglow was truly magical, as neighbouring
‘the alpenglow was truly magical, as neighbouring mountains turned to bronze’
mountains turned to bronze and were reflected in a nearby lake. We wouldn’t have had any of that if we’d made it to the village as planned.
While few huts outside the honeypot districts will be fully booked in advance, it is a matter of courtesy to call a day or two before your planned arrival as it gives the staff an idea of how many to cater for. Make sure you arrive in good time wherever possible, and it goes without saying that, if your plans change, you should phone the hut at the earliest opportunity to cancel a prior booking, otherwise walkers or climbers may be turned away unnecessarily – and the hut keeper loses income. In extreme cases, it may lead to the mountain rescue being called out to search for you.
The busiest times, of course, are in the high season and at weekends during fine weather, when pressure on bed space is to be expected. Some wardens deal with the prospect of overcrowding by providing overflow accommodation in an annexe which may, or may not, consist of a conventional building with four walls and a roof. So I was not surprised when the guardian at the Refuge de la Leisse (www.refugedelaleissevanoise.com) in the Vanoise Alps told me on the phone that he was fully booked, but would find space for me and my two friends in his tented annexe. At least, that’s what I thought he said – but my French is notoriously poor, so when we arrived and saw only the same three buildings that I remembered from my previous visit, and no marquee-like tent nearby, I began to wonder.
‘Don’t worry,’ said the guardian, ‘I will show you to your sleeping places in a little while.’
Half an