Why I ♡ mountain huts
Found high in ranges around the world mountain huts come in a wide variety of types. Some offer private bedrooms, saunas and gourmet meals. Some are refuges, only to be used in an emergency. Here's why I like travelling to - and staying in - these high-altitude hostelries.
Words and photography by Olly Beckett
Access to the wild
Wilder parts of our mountains may only be reached after a day (or more) of hiking or biking. The very best parts of an excursion may be far beyond the point of no return, where it'll be too late to get back to civilisation before darkness falls. But these places are made accessible thanks to the presence of mountain huts, which allow you to spend a night out in the wild in relative comfort.
I've had the pleasure of visiting many such places safe in the knowledge that, far out there, I'll have a roof over my head and somewhere to stretch out for the night. In Slovakia, for example, Zamkovského chata allows mountain-goers to stay up on the trails rather than return to one of the villages overnight.
Comfort
OK, more often than not a night in a mountain hut involves spending a night with other people. But there is usually a fireplace and a raised area on which to roll out your sleeping bag. If that's a bit basic for you then many huts allow visitors to book a private room, which involve the same type of beds but (hopefully) with less snoring.
Some mountain huts offer more luxury. The Lötschental's Peter Tscherrig Anenhütte has a sauna and hot tub as well as a restaurant pairing good food with great wine. This brings me on to my next point...
Food
How magical it is to be out in the middle of nowhere and yet be served a delicious 3-course meal with stupendous views. You'll often find that (especially during summer) mountain huts offer three meals a day, with supplies coming via helicopter, horse or human.
Portions are usually generous enough to fully fuel you up for the next day's adventures. The cuisine almost always reflects the local area, too. In Nepal you'll be served delicious momo, in Switzerland there will be rösti and in Argentina I've been well above the snowline enjoying a sublime malbec.
Camarederie
Few topics fuel conversation as effectively as that day's shared experiences. Sitting around a communal table there's a deep joy in listening to others' tales and sharing your own, or asking for and offering advice on tomorrow's hike or cycle.
In a hut somewhere along the Routeburn Track I soaked in the happiness of other hikers, avidly hearing about the sights they'd seen, the emotions they'd felt and their hopes for tomorrow. High in the Andes I eagerly listened to some climbers regaling each other with stories from the cliffs. These moments were soaked in the satisfaction of a challenging day followed by the utter relaxation of reaching shelter.
Solitude
Even though the hut may be full for the night the number of people on that section of trail the next morning will be limited by the number of people the hut can accommodate. Consequently I often find myself all alone on the trail as soon as I step out from the hut first thing in the morning.
It can be many hours until I meet the first people coming up the trail from wherever the next nearest town or village is. That's many hours of enjoying dramatic views all by myself, allowing for quiet reflection of a peaceful night in the hut, good food and entertaining company.