Huts are almost essential for hiking in the Alps. However, one trend is causing great concern for those responsible.
Rothornhütte from 1948 near Zermatt: Due to the melting permafrost, it has sunk. It was therefore abandoned Photo: dpa
INNSBRUCK dpa | According to experts, many huts and trails in the Alps are at risk, not least as a result of the climate crisis. “272 shelters and 50,000 km of hiking trails are in an acute emergency situation. They are literally in danger of crumbling,” the Austrian Alpine Association (ÖAV) wrote in its justification for an emergency appeal to the government in Vienna.
To renovate huts and trails, 95 million euros are needed in the coming years. The increased frequency of heavy rainfall, falling rocks, falling rocks and landslides due to climate change have made the maintenance of the trail network more complex than before. “The costs for this have doubled in the past ten years and the payments from the club’s internal disaster fund have multiplied,” said a spokeswoman for the ÖAV.
The problems are not limited to Austria, but are similar throughout the Alpine region, says PES expert Georg Unterberger. In Austria, just under a handful of huts have to close each year because they are too expensive to renovate. “If three or four huts close down each year, that doesn’t seem like much, but it is a warning sign,” says Unterberger.
The Alpine infrastructure will therefore be full of holes and some long-distance hiking trails lose important starting points. In general, the question arises why Alpine clubs and their voluntary work, which makes Austria one of the most popular holiday destinations for hikers, do not receive sufficient public support.
Permafrost is thawing
One of the problems is that the permafrost is thawing. The ice underground acts as cement. When it thaws, the rock becomes crumbly and slides more easily, causing the ground to settle. This could cause damage to about a third of the 153 huts and bivouacs of the Swiss Alpine Club SAC, says Ulrich Delang, head of the hut department of the Swiss Alpine Club SAC.
At the Rothornhütte near Zermatt (built in 1948), the retreat of the permafrost caused cracks in the walls. “When the amount of ice in the ground decreases, the water drains away and the ground settles,” says Delang. “Then the building can sink 20 centimeters at one corner and 5 centimeters at the other.”
In the Bernese Oberland, the Mutthornhütte above Kandersteg at around 2,900 metres had to close in 2022 after 126 years due to the risk of falling rocks. A replacement building is planned for 2025, one kilometre further east.
In Austria, the Seethalerhütte in the Dachstein Mountains received a modern replacement building a few years ago. In general, the paths to the hut often become more challenging or sometimes impassable because glaciers are no longer passable in the usual place. Sometimes new paths are created.
Lack of water in the high mountains
According to Unterberger, very few hikers are aware of one of the other major problems with the huts: the lack of water. “There is a misconception that water supply in the mountains is not a problem, but the opposite is true.” Due to a lack of sources, the huts rely on water from snowfields or glaciers. But both are declining.
And the rain now falls mainly in storms, followed by long dry periods. Because the drops of the storm are beaten against the facades instead of falling relaxed on the roofs, we have to think again. “There are the first huts where we collect rainwater via the facades,” says Unterberger, who is also an architect.
This has consequences for the guests. The trend is towards huge water savings, i.e. washcloths instead of showers for overnight guests and pit toilets instead of flush water. The expert says that flushing a toilet already costs more than ten euros if you take into account the treatment and post-processing of the water. “We have to go back to simple hygiene.”
“But you often ask yourself the question: is a smelter location still justified or should we close it down completely? “Ten to fifteen years ago, we didn’t ask ourselves this question,” says Delang. “When planning construction projects, we try to predict what consequences climate change will have for the mountaineering significance of the area in twenty to thirty years. The size and equipment of the hut will be adapted to this, and abandonment is also an option as a last resort.” According to Delang, a new hut to replace an existing one costs four to five million francs.
The danger is underestimated
The importance of huts is particularly evident in summer, with its rapidly changing extreme weather conditions. On the one hand, heavy rain threatens with falling rocks and mudslides, and on the other hand, dehydration on hot days of 30 degrees or more often causes emergency situations for hikers, says Stefan Winter of the German Alpine Club (DAV).
After a few cool days with rain, many did not expect sudden heat. “Especially the rapid change from cool, rainy weather to heat can overwhelm people in their assessment. All you see is: nice weather, let’s go outside.”
According to the DAV mountain accident statistics, which are published every two years, cardiovascular problems, often related to heat, rank second in the summer season. The majority of accidents occur regularly due to falls while hiking – often during the descent when hikers are tired. In addition, the risk of tripping is greater.
Although the summer has not been as extreme as last year with several heat records, the DAV fears that huts will have to close again due to a lack of water – like the Neue Prager Hütte in the Hohen Tauern National Park in Austria last year.