Hochstubai hut, 3.173 m

After a delicious dinner, I explore the untouched mountain landscape around Hochstubaihütte. A thick-leaved glacier buttercup grows out of a crevice. Storm clouds pile up behind me as a scenic backdrop for the fabulous sunset spectacle. The next morning the sun is shining. The thermometer shows 21 degrees Celsius in the morning. “Much too warm for an area of over 3000 meters,” remarks Thomas and looks worriedly at Wütenkarferner glacier, where the crevasses have formed a spider's web. He fears that he will still witness the end of this glacier. The sound of beating rotors disturbs the silence. A helicopter appears over the hilltop, laden with food and building timber. It takes just under twelve flight minutes for the 1200 altitude meters from the valley to Hochstubaihütte. We, on the other hand, set off immediately and return to Sölden – a hike that will last several hours.

The magic of a hut in an extreme location is also based on a foundation of tight logistics and high art of improvisation. Until the mid-1990s, two goods lifts supplied Hochstubaihütte. As they were repeatedly destroyed by avalanches, it was decided to try a kind of air delivery. Initially, a Cessna on runners landed on the glacier in front of the winter room. That’s no longer possible because the glacier ice has melted away massively. The elemental force of the elements often poses tough challenges for the operator. The pipelines to the meltwater lake some 100 meters below, for the hut's water supply, bear the scars of countless lightning strikes. Everything is subject to tight logistics, from provisions to waste disposal. During the 3-month season, it includes not only 650 kg of residual waste, but also the organic waste that guests leave in two dry toilets. The containers have to be shoveled out once or twice a season and their contents have to be well packed and transported away by helicopter.

There are new solar cells on the roof of the winter room that replace the diesel generator which is only used as a substitute for deep snow cover. However, solar power is by far not enough for hot water: There are no showers, and the helicopter brings the firewood for heating. As well as the entire season's food supply. Meat goes straight to the freezer. Delivery and storage of fresh fruit and vegetables require more effort. In fact, the growing number of vegetarians has tripled the number of supply flights. Thomas sums up the paradox of hut catering: "When it comes to environmental protection, the vegetarians would do better to eat meat up here." At the moment, however, the helicopter is never empty when flying back, says Thomas, pointing to the growing mountain of plastic waste in the storage room. Because of the safety regulations regarding COVID-19, there is twice as much plastic waste as before.

Necessary for survival at over 3000 m are: Food, firewood, gas bottles, water, especially drinking water and electricity supply for the hut operation. A warm shower or fresh vegetables are a luxury and are only available with considerable additional effort and higher costs. The easiest way to imagine the situation is to carry some luxury in the form of apples and carrots up yourself and leftovers like empty bottles down again. The way is steep, the way is quite long. An example that applies to the hike towards Hochstubaihütte as well as to mastering our global ecological crisis.

Maren Krings also documents her visit to Hochstubaihütte in words and pictures in the ÖTZTAL MAGAZINE - Summer 2021. The print magazine with the latest and most interesting stories about Ötztal’s spring, summer and autumn seasons is available free of charge in DE/EN from all Ötztal Tourismus Information Offices. You can order it at www.oetztal.com and have it delivered to your home or view it as a flip-through brochure.