Mountain Huts
Information about the Huts
Information on the huts is available from websites listed on our Alpine Links page:
The 9 th edition of the Hut Book of the Eastern Alps, which is available to members from the AAC (UK) Office, lists over 1000 huts belonging to the alpine associations and private owners. For huts belonging to the alpine associations it gives the name and address of the Sektions to which they belong; it also includes photos of the huts, peaks to climb, walking time from the valley, walking time between huts, nearest bus stops and railway stations, lists of relevant maps, number of bed spaces, as well as the hut and guardian's address and telephone number. Although the book is in German, it is quite easy to understand even if you do not speak German, and the copies bought from AAC (UK) come with an English Glossary.
The Hut guardians or Hüttenwirte and/or Hüttenwirtinnen are tenants of the Sektion to which the Hut belongs.
Categories of Huts
DAV and OeAV huts have three categories :
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Category |
Simple huts for walkers and climbers; basic facilities and food; not manned all year; could be bivouac; more than an hours walking time from land based mechanical transport.
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Category II |
Alpenverein hut in popular area; may be open all year; can be provisioned from road.
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Category III |
Accessible by road transport; mostly used by day visitors; few overnight guests. |
AVS have the following categories :
- Untere Kategorie [low category]
- Mittlere Kategorie [middle category]
- Obere Kategorie [high category]
Advanced Booking
It is not customary, or advisable, to book places in huts when going on a hut tour because even just one day of bad weather could completely disrupt your booking schedule.
Normal and accepted practice is that on arrival you should sign the hut book ( a large visitors book, in which everyone should record where they have come from, and even more important where they are going to - in more extreme locations and weather the hut wardens check with one another that people have arrived at their intended destination, so if you change your plans you should if at all possible telephone the huts to say your plans have changed to prevent a search party being mounted unnecessarily ) and make your accommodation needs known to the hut guardian. They may not allocate sleeping spaces until say 17.00. Members should receive priority before 19.00; however it is as well to plan your itinerary so as to arrive at the hut by the mid to late afternoon.
Even if you think you have booked a bed, rather than a Matratzenlager space, you may not get one. The hut guardian will make the final decision on the day. But they will put members up somewhere, even if it is only on the floor , if the hut is more than 1.5hrs walking time from a road.
Bilingual Hut Booking Forms: these are primarily intended for a group booking for several days in one hut.
They are available in either Microsoft Word document format [ English/German ] [ English/Italian ]
or in PDF format: [ English/German ] [ English/Italian ] . If you do not have a PDF Reader installed on your computer you may download either Adobe Acrobat or Foxit Reader , both available free of charge.
Sleeping Accommodation
Prices in Euros (2008) for members. Non-members pay around 50% more.
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OeAV Prices for members in Euros (2008) |
minimum prices for non- members |
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Kategorie I |
Kategorie II |
Kategorie III |
All Categories |
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Bed - Adults |
€ 13 |
€ 18 |
€ 22 |
€ tbn |
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Matratzenlager - Adults |
€ 10 |
€ 13 |
€ 16 |
€ tbn |
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Notlager - Adults |
€ 5 |
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|
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Bed - Juniors
19 - 25 years
7 - 18 year
0 - 6 years |
€ 13
€ 8
€ 5
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€ 18
€ 10
€ 5
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€ 22
€ 12
€ 5
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|
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Matratzenlager - Juniors
19 - 25 years
7 - 18 years
0 - 6 years |
€ 6
€ 5
€ free |
€ 6
€ 5
€ free
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€ 6
€ 5
€ free
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Notlager - Juniors
19 - 25 years
7-18 years |
€ 3
€ 2
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Bed accommodation is in rooms with usually between two to six or eight beds
Matratzenlager are sleeping platforms with designated bed spaces in mixed dormitories. When the hut is very full the guardian will often put a few more people in – so you need to be tolerant of your neighbour of either sex and any age!
Notlager are emergency spaces used when the hut is very full. They can be on the floors of dormitories, in a passage way or even on the floors and tables of the Stube.
Don't let all this put you off, gross overcrowding does not happen often. Generally it only happens in popular huts at peak season weekends or when the army is on exercise.
Mattresses, blankets and pillows are provided in all grades of accommodation but each member MUST take a sheet sleeping bag with pillow cover.
Reciprocal Rights in other European Huts
Reciprocal rights (Gegenrecht) exist between the OeAV and the alpine associations of France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Liechtenstein and Slovenia, whereby OeAV members can obtain similar discounts on accommodation to members of the host country club. Prices in the 'old' EU countries are broadly similar to those in Austria. On the French side of the Pyrenees most huts are owned by the Club Alpine Française; those owned by other organisations do not give reductions to alpine club members. In the Spanish Pyrenees members receive reductions in Federacion Espanola de Montanismo huts. Conditions are continually improving in the Spanish huts.
Eating in the Huts
Cost of Meals
The cost of meals is difficult to advise because it depends on:
- your personal preferences
- the location of the hut – higher huts which are difficult to supply offer less variety and the price of food and drink is higher than in the valley.
However for planning purposes the following approximate 2004 food prices will suffice for budgeting:
- Breakfast: bread, butter, jam and tea or coffee EUR 6 to 8
- Light Lunch: Ham or Cheese Bread, or sausage and sauerkraut EUR 4.5 to 6
- Dinner: EUR 7 to 16
Approximate costs for (2007) drinks are as follows:
- Tea/Coffee EUR 1.5 to 2.50 per cup
- 0.5l Beer EUR 3.00 to 3.50
- 0.25l Open Wine EUR 3.00 to EUR 4.00
- 0.33l Soft Drink EUR 2.50
In addition Members only are entitled to buy (2006 prices)
- 1 litre Teewasser (with up to 2 cups) EUR 2.00
- ½litre Water with dilute fruit syrup EUR 2.00
- Bergsteigeressen (high calorie meal) EUR 6.90
It is therefore a good idea to take some teabags or instant coffee plus dried milk with you.
Eating your own food
- Cover charge for self caterers (picnic) EUR 0.70
You cannot cook your own food in Austrian Huts, unless they are unmanned.
Day Charges:
The guardian is entitled to make a separate environmental charge (Umweltbeitrag) of EUR 0.50 for all visitors over 15 years of age, including day visitors. But this is nearly always included in the food prices, and includes a charge of 7 cents for Mountain Rescue.
Other Charges for Overnight Visitors:
- Heating for bedrooms EUR 2.50
- Heating for Matratzenlager EUR 1.80
Other Hut Facilities
Electricity
Since the advent of solar cells, electronic converters and low energy lamps, gas and oil lighting is becoming a thing of the past. However although some huts are connected to the mains electricity supply and some generate their own (limited) supply you cannot depend on supplies for things like electric shavers. Huts often switch off their lighting supply at night so you need a head torch to find your way around at night.
Water
Some of the lower huts are connected to the mains water supply and have plentiful supplies of hot and cold water. However this is the exception rather than the rule and often you have to be content with a wash in really cold water.
Some huts, particularly the higher ones or those in limestone areas have very limited supplies of water. Often the washrooms are only open first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening. You should make every effort to conserve water and limit the use of soap for environmental reasons.
Some huts have warm water showers; it is customary to charge EUR 2.00 to EUR 3.00 for these.
Rubbish
Please do not leave rubbish in the huts or on the mountainside. If you carried it up you can take it down again.
Hut Fund
Of the 200 sections that make up the OeAV, there are a few very large sections but most sections only have a few hundred members and are centred on a village or a small town. Nearly all the sections have Arbeitsgebiete , ‘working areas’, where they are responsible for the maintenance and waymarking of the paths. Many of the sections also own and maintain huts, a costly business.
Sektion Britannia/AAC(UK) plays its part through its Hut Fund which is maintained by voluntary contributions from members in order to make donations to other sections to help with the work of maintaining the Hut and Path network.
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Last updated: 14 May 2009