The Swiss have rediscovered nature and overnight stays in a Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) hut is becoming increasingly popular. In their etiquette guide, the SAC lists the most important rules for a successful overnight stay in one of their 153 huts.

A scension Saturday marked the opening day of the summer season 2022 for the Grubenberghütte above the Mittelberg. The Geltenhütte above Lake Lauenen starts Saturday 25th of June. Both belong to the Oldenhorn section of SAC, and these are just two of 153 huts open for visitors. Since hiking and nature exploration has become more popular, the huts are getting more visitors. So how do you behave in an SAC hut as a newbie? Blanca Burri, a seasoned hiker herself, often stays in huts and adds some personal tips to the etiquette guide.

Arrival and lunch
After a strenuous walk to the hut, many hikers first enjoy a refreshment on the terrace upon arrival. The drinks and food on offer are often excellent. Freshly baked cakes, pasta, rösti, sausage and cheese specialities are usually part of the daily menu.

To help keep the hut clean, hikers are asked to take their boots off and exchange them for hut shoes, which are available in all sizes and free of charge.

Early birds and late risers
Remember that you usually spend the night in a dormitory or in a shared room – often with people you don’t know. Privacy is therefore limited, here an insider tip from Burri: bring earplugs. There is always someone who snores.

The bedlinen is not exchanged every day, so a silk or cotton sleeping bag is a must in your backpack. Do bring a headlamp as in the Grubenberghütte, for example, the toilet is outside the main building. It will come in handy during a nightly visit to the loo.

The dinner is served at long tables, where it’s easy to get into lively conversations with fellow hikers, as people like to talk about mountain tours and hiking trips.

An early night’s rest is usually the rule as many seasoned hikers set off for their summit walks before sunrise and therefore go to bed early. When going to bed and getting up, one must consider those who are already asleep or still asleep.

Showers are rare
Water is often scarce because in the huts at higher altitudes there are often no more natural water springs and must be pumped to the huts. The Geltenhütte is lucky because the water is (still) bubbling away due to the Gelten glacier. In addition, it was recently renovated and now offers, for an extra charge, a warm shower. Though this is the exception to the rule. In the Grubenberghütte, for example, there is only cold water – but the view from the window is sensational.

Reserve a place to sleep
Sleeping in privacy has become increasingly popular in recent years and reservations are strongly recommended, and remember to cancel your reservation if the hiking tour gets cancelled

Do bear in mind, that the huts are not open all year, and although they are unmanned, there is always shelter available to hikers all year round.

BASED ON AVS/BLANCA BURRI