Hut hikes

FROM HUT TO HUT

Muddy shoes, noise in the middle of the night or knocked over hiking poles: When spending the night in mountain huts, there are one or two pitfalls that many new hikers like to jump into. LOWA has put together a few basic and important tips on how to behave in mountain huts so that your first overnight stay in a hut doesn't turn into a fiasco.

PACK CAREFULLY

Just as you plan every hiking tour, you also need to plan your rucksack load. This is especially true for multi-day tours with overnight stays in one or more huts. There is a certain amount of basic equipment that you should always have with you.

HUT SLEEPING BAG

This is a must when spending the night in huts. In contrast to a normal sleeping bag, it is significantly thinner and lighter. However, its primary purpose is hygiene and not warmth. Cosy warmth is achieved through the different layers: put it in the hut sleeping bag, cover it with the blankets from the hut's bedding store and you're done!
THICK SOCKS/SLIPPERS

Wet, dirty or simply bad-smelling hiking boots do not necessarily have a place in the hut. So take them off, put them in the relevant area of the hut to dry or air them out and slip into the thick socks or slippers you have brought with you.
CASH

Mountain huts are not hotels and generally only accept cash. Depending on the length of the tour, make sure you have enough cash with you.
WASTE BAG

Your rubbish remains your rubbish - no matter where you are. So take your rubbish bag with you and carry your rubbish back down into the valley.
EARPLUGS AND HEADLAMP

A wide variety of people come together in the bed dormitories of mountain huts: Snorers, early risers and those who need to get out at night. To avoid being woken up by the first type, earplugs are recommended. For the other two, a head torch: stumbling over rucksacks or sleeping people in the night doesn't go down too well.

"If you forget your sleeping bag, it's not so bad. Most huts also lend out sleeping bags for a small fee."

- Arthur | LOWA Head of Service Department

RESERVE A PLACE IN THE HUT AND ALSO COME

Mobile phones and e-mail have made many things easier - including the accessibility of mountain huts. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that mountain huts are not hotels and sleeping places in huts are limited. There is also the fact that a quarter of the places are not reserved. This is due to a compromise between the huts and the German Alpine Association. So if you are planning to spend the night in one or more huts on a tour, please be fair and turn up or inform the landlady or landlord of the cancellation in good time. Maybe this way someone else won't have to cancel.

"Here, too, it pays to be a member of the Alpine Club - the overnight stay is then significantly cheaper."

Steffi, A daily travel mate | LOWA Ambassadors

KEEP A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP

Basically, the same rules apply to night-time rest in mountain huts as in the city. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. is the night's rest and you should stick to it. Depending on the category of the hut - this depends on the altitude at which the hut is located - this rule is viewed very strictly or less strictly. If you have to leave before 6 a.m. for an ascent, you should inform the landlord in advance. And what actually goes without saying: on departure, behave in such a way that you don't wake up the whole hut straight away.

"If you have to leave before the end of the night, you should have already packed your rucksack the night before and stowed it outside the bedroom."

Alix von Melle | LOWA PRO TEAM

SIGN THE HUT BOOK

As soon as you want to spend the night in a hut, you must register in the respective hut book. It is also advisable to enter your destination and a mobile phone number. Apart from sentimental reasons, this also has a very practical purpose: if something should happen to you, it makes it much easier for the rescue services to find you.

"You can usually find the hut book in the entrance area, together with a map of the region and the current weather forecast."

- Arthur | LOWA Head of Service Department

OBSERVE THE SMOKING BAN

Smoking is strictly prohibited in all huts. The reason for this very strict rule is actually obvious: if the hut were to catch fire, no fire brigade would be on site so quickly.

OBSERVE THE REGULATIONS ON FOOD AND ALCOHOL

Each hut is obliged to offer at least one hot meal between 12 noon and 8 pm. In most cases, self-brought food may be eaten in the designated areas. Ask the landlady or landlord beforehand. An exception to this is alcohol brought in. This may not be consumed anywhere.

"Members of alpine clubs receive a so-called mountaineers' meal at huts, which is slightly cheaper than the normal card."

Steffi, A daily travel mate | LOWA Ambassadors

OBSERVE THE RULES OF THE HUT WITH REGARD TO DOGS

Hiking with your four-legged friend is becoming increasingly popular. But whether dogs are allowed in the hut is decided by the hut itself. In any case, dogs are not allowed in the sleeping area.