Alpine Huts, Reciprocal Hut Rights and The George Starkey Hut

If you are new to “mountain huts” (particularly in Austria), then think “mountain inn situated above the valley” and not “garden shed”! Most are substantial buildings, not least to withstand the rigours of winter, and might sleep from 20 to 200 people.

The huts are open for a summer season, and often for a winter one as well. At these times most of the huts are staffed: it could be a team of up to 15 people.

In Austria, each Alpenverein hut is owned by a section of the ÖAV or DAV, to whom your overnight fee is forwarded. The owning section is responsible for structural maintenance. Hut guardians or Hüttenwirte and/or Hüttenwirtinnen are tenants of the owning section, and staff the hut. They get the income from the food and drink as supplied to day and overnight visitors, but some of this income then goes to the hut owning section as rent.

Recent assessment of Austrian Alpine Huts by the ÖAV.

See Hut and Tariff Regulations 2024 (EN) to find out about the maximum cost of a bed place in Category I and II huts for members in your age group and whether booking deposits and cancellation fees can be charged. Terms such as Bergsteigeressen (mountaineers’ meal), Teewasser, Hüttenruhe (lights out) are explained, as are the other simple rules that make it possible for the huts to run smoothly.

Hut Footwear

Mountain boots are generally not worn inside huts beyond the ‘day visitors’ areas and should be removed before going to the sleeping areas. If you are lucky you might find that some light hut shoes of doubtful cleanliness are available for your use, but many hut users prefer to carry their own light weight hut slippers. The alternative is stockinged feet. It is probably not a good idea to leave your own hut shoes on the ‘public’ boot rack when you go outside!

Sleeping Accommodations

Most of the sleeping accommodation is in multi bedded ‘dormitories’, either Mehrbettzimmer (multi-bedded rooms) with bunk beds or the more traditional ‘Matratzenlager’ with sleeping places side by side across a wide bunk. Each sleeping place should have a pillow and a couple of blankets (sometimes a duvet) and everyone is asked to carry and use their own sheet sleeping bag to protect the bedding. It is advisable (also for the sake of the next guest) to bring your own sleeping bag to the hut. The alternative would be to hire a sheet sleeping bag from the Hut warden at each hut, but the idea is to protect the mountain environment by reducing the amount of washing of bedding in the mountains. The thin silk or cotton sleeping bags can also be purchased in the Alpine Club shop.

Lighting

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 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. Sometimes 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. Sinks sometimes lack plugs: carrying your own (universal or 1.75 inch) may be worthwhile.

However, some huts have hot showers and it is customary to charge €2-3 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.