Image caption:

The Pilatte Hut/F was permanently closed in 2021 owing to glacier retreat and associated paraglacial rock movements. Guests could no longer be safely accommodated. (c) Maria Isabel Le Meur / FFCAM

Mountain huts play a central role in Alpine tourism. Nevertheless, their future is uncertain: the need for renovation, the climate crisis and changing user behaviour are just some of the challenges that they face. In Austria alone, 272 mountain huts and around 50,000 kilometres of hiking trails are in need of restoration. Due to the rise in construction costs in recent years, there is no longer enough money available: on average, three to four mountain huts a year can no longer be maintained by the Austrian Alpine Association. This is why the association recently appealed to politicians and launched a petition entitled “Emergency call from the Alps”. By July 2024, it had already been signed by more than 25,000 people.

Glaciers gone, water gone, huts gone?
The situation is similar in other Alpine countries, but the problems vary depending on the region. Most mountain huts were built between 1850 and the First World War. At that time they were mainly used for protection and as overnight accommodation for mountaineers. The Italian Alpine Club (CAI) criticises the fact that expectations have changed significantly, especially since the pandemic, and that huts are no longer seen by visitors as a stopover, but rather as a destination. Together with the climate crisis, this is leading to water shortages: the glacier ice is disappearing, while winters with little snow and periods of drought are becoming more frequent, with the Swiss Alpine Club for example calling on hut visitors to conserve water back in summer 2022. At the Watzmannhaus in Bavaria/D, a water pipeline costing millions is being considered – right through the middle of a national park. The French Alpine Club (FFCAM) closed several huts in the summer of 2023 owing to their exposed location, rockfalls, water shortages or dilapidation. Mountain huts can only be preserved through their ecological management and appreciation by politicians and society.

Sources and further information:

https://notruf-aus-den-alpen.at/ (de), https://gognablog.sherpa-gate.com/la-situazione-dei-rifugi/ (it), https://www.montagnes-magazine.com/actus-avenir-instable-refuges-haute-montagne (fr), www.tourmag.com/Secheresse-les-refuges-de-montagne%C2%A0preparent-l-avenir_a119583.html (fr), www.tf1info.fr/environnement-ecologie/secheresse-changement-climatique-danger-de-mort-deux-refuges-du-mont-blanc-contraints-de-fermer-tete-rousse-gouter-en-raison-des-chutes-de-pierre-2228551.html (fr), www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/berghuetten-der-zukunft-schutzbau-oder-sterne-haus,UBdjhY7 (de), www.klick-kaernten.at/992122024/berg-und-schutzhuetten-gibt-es-eine-zukunft/ (de), www.5min.at/5202405021911/expertendialog-in-villach-berg-und-schutzhuetten-der-zukunft/ (de), www.sac-cas.ch/de/huetten-und-touren/wasserknappheit-in-sac-huetten-37186/ (de), www.merkur.de/bayern/sorge-um-die-zukunft-des-watzmannhauses-92574680.html (de)