How Does the Hut Get On the Mountain?

We promised you (un)useful information, so you shall have it. Nights in the shelter can be long, after all, and you won’t fail to impress with these facts and figures.

For the replacement of the Seethalerhütte on the Dachstein at an altitude of 2,740 metres, a helicopter loaded with building materials, rolled up mattresses, and wood flew from the valley to the mountain around 1,000 times. 

Richard Goldeband, hut representative of the Austrian Alpine Association, was there three years ago during construction: "The first hut was built on unstable ground in 1929, which is why we decided to replace the Seethalerhütte. It took us two summer seasons to complete."

The first hut was actually built with the help of pack animals and strong men, who carried all of the required material up the mountain. But this was more of a "cheap shack", as Goldeband describes it. "And because it would have been swallowed by the mountain sooner or later, the hut was replaced."

The Alpine Association has decided not to build any additional huts at other locations in the Alps. "The Alps are well covered and that is why we only renew existing shelters when necessary", says Goldeband. 

The first Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte was also built on unstable ground in 1879: "Permafrost moves like a glacier, only slower. This can cause the hut to sink and leaves cracks in the brickwork", explains Christian Zinkl, president of the Austrian Alpine Club.

In contrast to the Seethalerhütte, the Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte was not replaced, but secured, so that it can no longer move. The extensions (the last one in 2016) are built on solid rock.

The Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte is located in the middle of the protected Hohe Tauern National Park, which is why the materials could not be flown there. "The building materials and furnishing elements were transported to the hut via material ropeway", Zinkl tells us.

According to Zinkl, the hut is very well visited: "The hut is particularly popular as a base, because the ascent to the summit of the Großglockner only takes 1.5 to 2 hours from here." 

"Climbing the career ladder" has a totally different meaning for the tenants of the huts, as they must meet a wide range of requirements.

Tenants in the high-alpine area run, cook, and serve; they take on manual and technical tasks when something needs repairing. Some such as Toni Riepler, tenant of the Seethalerhütte, are also mountain guides and rescuers.