Bivouac box

Eye-catching bivouac box in orange: the Rhineland-Palatinate bivouac on the Mainzer Höhenweg , in front of the Watzespitze (Aug. 2000)

A bivouac box is a prefabricated shelter for hikers or mountaineers with mostly 4–12 beds. They are mostly located in remote locations, at a great distance from mountain huts and other accommodations. They are used for overnight stays ( bivouacs ) on some via ferratas , mountain or hiking trails with long stretches . They often serve mountaineers and climbers as a base camp for nearby climbing routes and mountain tours.

description

The typical bivouac box consists of a small sheet metal or corrugated iron , wood or plastic container that contains as many sleeping places as possible and is visible from afar. It has a small entrance on the side that is remote from the weather and is only slightly thermally insulated. Usually there are blankets, candles, snow shovels, some emergency supplies and a hut book , more rarely an emergency telephone, a stove or an oven. The property does not have running water or a toilet.

In the high mountains the bivouacs are mostly in mountain hollows or close to transitions ( saddle , saddle up). Only a few are on mountain peaks , for example on the Hohe Grimming in the Styrian Limestone Alps . Frequently climbed and sought-after mountains with difficult normal climbs sometimes have a bivouac box near the peaks, such as Piz Badile or Langkofel . In the western Alps, bivouac boxes are often at the beginning of the ridge ascents . The entrance door, which is usually unlocked, is so high that it can be opened even when there is snow.

The emergency shelters are mostly maintained by the sections of the Alpine clubs. All users of a bivouac box are encouraged to take their rubbish with them and leave everything tidy. For this and to keep the mountain huts and climbs clean , the Alpine clubs ÖAV and DAV started the “Clean Mountains” campaign in 2005 .

Winter or emergency rooms in shelters that are not managed all year round have an identical function.

Bivouac boxes are increasingly being used as an overnight destination on the mountain or party location, for which they are not intended. Sometimes clutter, dirt, rubbish and feces remain in the area. In the summer of the corona crisis , August 2020, the ÖAV uses the example of the Karl Schuster Bivouac to point out that bivouac boxes are only intended as emergency accommodation or as a base for a longer alpine tour.

Bothies in the UK

→ Main article : Bothy

In Scotland and Wales in particular, there are simple, unmanaged huts known as bothy in remote mountain regions, which can be used by hikers and mountaineers in the same way as bivouac boxes. They are simply furnished and only partially have simple sanitary facilities. They are usually owned by the landowners but are mostly maintained by the Mountain Bothy Association .

gallery

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  Karl-Schuster-Bivouac box at the Laliderer Spitze in Karwendel , Tyrol, aluminum sheet with plexi dome by Poly Biwak , Vienna (Sept. 2006, 2495 m) ( location )

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  Small bivouac box under the Breitgrieskarscharte in the Karwendel (Sept. 2003)

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  Bivouac box in Val Montanaia , Dolomites (Sept. 2005)

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  The Vallot hut on the Bosses ridge of Mont Blanc (July 2004)

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  Bivouac box (so-called Apple Hut , made of GRP ) mounted on sled in Heimefrontfjella (Antarctica) (Feb. 2001)

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  Interior of the Hochjoch bivouac on the Ortler (2008)

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  E. Rigatti bivouac, south of the Latemarspitze , in the Latemar massif , Dolomites (June 2010)

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  Refugio Tejos at Nevado Ojos del Salado , Chile (Feb. 2004)

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  Dilapidated Indepedencia bivouac box on Aconcagua (Dec. 1997, 6400 m)

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  Bivouac box on the Grimming (Sept. 2016)

Web links

Commons : Bivouac Box  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Bivouacs are misused for parties orf.at, August 17, 2020, accessed August 17, 2020.
2. ↑ Mountain Bothy Association page , accessed January 25, 2017