Mischabelhütte
| Mischabelhütte AACZ refuge |
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 Hut from the top of the hut, in the background the Lenzspitze |
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| location | Extension of the Lenzspitze northeast ridge; Canton of Valais , Switzerland ; Valley location: Saas Fee | |
| Mountain range | Valais Alps , Mischabel | |
| Geographical location: | 634 823 / 106528 | |
| Altitude | 3329 m above sea level M. | |
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| owner | Academic Alpine Club Zurich (AACZ) | |
| Built | 1903 | |
| Construction type | Refuge | |
| Usual opening times | June to October | |
| accommodation | 130 (70 in the new and 60 in the old hut) | |
| Winter room | 60 bearings | |
| Web link | mischabelhütte.ch | |
| Hut directory | SAC | |
The Mischabelhütte (also plural Mischabelhütten ) is a refuge of the Academic Alpine Club Zurich (AACZ) and is located in the Valais in the Mischabel group above Saas Fee . There is a new and an old hut with 70 and 60 beds respectively.
The hut is located in the extension of the northeast ridge of the Lenzspitze , which is also called the Schwarzhorngrat, after a little prominent ridge elevation about 300 meters above the hut. The most popular tour from the hut is the ascent of the Nadelhorn .
The first hut was built in 1903. In 1974, construction began on a second hut, slightly above the previous one, which was inaugurated in 1976.
history
First hut
On February 23, 1899, the AACZ decided to build its own high alpine hut. By 1901, the construction sites under consideration had been explored, including the southern ridge of the Dent Blanche . On October 23, 1901, the decision was made in favor of the current hut location on the east ridge of the Lenzspitze, then called Südlenz. This location was inspired and supported by Aloys Supersaxo , a mountain guide from Saas Fee . The plans were drawn up by Alphonse de Kalbermatten from Sion . AACZ member Victor de Beauclair was particularly committed to hut construction and stayed six times in Saas Fee for this reason.
From May 1902, the building material was transported from Saas Fee to the hut construction site by mules. The plan was to finish the hut by August of the same year. Due to the weather, construction was delayed and the inauguration ceremony was postponed until the following year. As a replacement for the postponed inauguration, there was still a celebration in Saas Fee in 1902 with the local mountain guides who had made a name for themselves in setting up the hut access. The construction costs of the hut amounted to 10,468.66 Swiss francs .
The Mischabelhütte was officially inaugurated on August 8 and 9, 1903. In addition to the members of the AACZ, mountain guides and other important citizens from Saas Fee were also represented, as well as numerous guests from home and abroad. In 1903 357 hut guests were counted, in the following year there were 448, including 54 tourists from Germany and Austria. In the following years, the number of hut visitors initially declined, partly because of the First World War and partly because of the construction of the more easily accessible Britannia hut .
The quieter times during World War II were used to renovate and expand the hut. The extension of the hut construction allowed 18 additional beds, which increased the number to 60. In addition, there was now an enlarged lounge, a separate kitchen and a separate room for the hut warden. Work began in the early summer of 1943, and the extended hut was inaugurated in July 1944.
After the Second World War
After 45 years, Philipp Kalbermatten resigned as a hut warden in 1962. In 1917 he stood in for his sick father, the first manager of the Mischabelhütte. He was succeeded by Pius Lomatter, who was the herding warden for the next 35 years and whose sons Peter and Renatus carried out this work at the hut until 2010.
At the beginning of the 1970s, the space available in the Mischabelhütte was no longer sufficient for the increased number of visitors; in 1973 110 people had stayed overnight, which was almost double the actual capacity. The plan initially presented, the “long sausage” project, provided for another extension of the hut in the north-south axis. However, this variant would hardly have been sufficient for the increased number of visitors, as only 13 additional beds were created. After several respectable, earmarked monetary donations, a rethink took place and instead of the previously planned extension of the old hut, a new construction of an additional hut above the previous one was tackled. In autumn 1974 the building site was blown up and leveled, the new hut was already in place in September 1975 and the interior work was completed, in July 1976 the new hut was inaugurated. This now offers 70 additional beds and an apartment for the hut warden.
There had already been several disagreements about the financing of the maintenance of the hut path between the municipality of Saas Fee and the AACZ. In 1998, the planning of a new hut route over the Schwarzhorngrat began, which is today's approach. So far, the approach was at the foot of this ridge up to the beginning of the Fall Glacier, but this path was no longer acceptable because of the increasing risk of falling rocks. In June 1999 the construction of the new, via ferrata-like path began. After cleaning the rock and blasting the ridge, 610 meters of wire ropes, 270 pieces of iron brackets and a seven-meter ladder were installed within eleven days. In September 1999 the new hut path was inaugurated by the pastor of Saas Fee.
In 2010 the hut was renovated, this concerned the toilet facilities, the water supply and the energy generation by means of solar collectors. Maria Anthamatten and Thomas Schnabl from Saas-Almagell have taken on the maintenance of the hut since the 2011 season .
Literature and maps
- Michael Waeber: Area Guide Valais Alps . 13th edition, Bergverlag Rother , Munich 2003, ISBN 3-7633-2416-X
- National map of Switzerland 1: 50,000, sheet 5006, Matterhorn - Mischabel
- National map of Switzerland 1: 25,000, sheet 1328, margin
- Hiking map, ski tours 1: 25,000, Saas Fee . 2007, Rotten Verlag, ISBN 978-3-905756-25-8 (map base: national maps of Switzerland 1: 25,000)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Academic Alpine Club Zurich: Jubilee. 100 years of the Mischabelhütte. (PDF; 2.6 MB) August 2003
- ↑ www.mischabelhütte.ch
Web links
- Academic Alpine Club Zurich: Mischabelhütte