SAC struggles with rude tourists "More and more huts are becoming hotels. We don't want that"
Rude tourists are a problem for some mountain huts: One hut warden disagrees with this narrative and also sees his colleagues as responsible. He hopes for a round table.
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- Two hut wardens have recently complained publicly about increasing disrespect from guests.
- According to Corsin Flepp, hut warden at the Oberaarjochhütte, there is no general tourist problem at mountain huts.
- He believes that the responsibility also lies with the operators, who are raising visitors' expectations with extensions and expensive prices.
"The disrespect is sometimes unbelievable", Edith Lehner, warden of the Hörnli hut at the foot of the Matterhorn, was recently quoted as saying in a media report. Claudia Freitag, caretaker of the Muttseehütte hut above Linthal GL, even resigned after four years of service due to excessive demands from tourists.
Lack of respect and incorrect behavior on the part of some guests as a general problem for mountain huts? "No, you can't generalize like that," says Corsin Flepp. Together with his wife and a colleague, Flepp has been managing the SAC Oberaarjoch hut at 3258 meters above sea level for around a year - still on Valais soil, but very close to the border with Bern. His wife previously worked at the Bordierhütte in Valais for many years.
"The many alpine mountain huts in Switzerland cannot be compared with each other due to the huge differences in location, access and size," says Flepp. The fact that other huts suffer from mass tourism is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed. "But there are many huts that have absolutely no problems with their guests."
Gratitude instead of WLAN
People appreciate the original and simple flair of the Oberaarjochhütte, explains Corsin Flepp. "This year, for example, not a single guest has asked for Wi-Fi." Almost all visitors have been grateful and friendly.
According to Flepp, the fact that the situation at other mountain huts is far more tense is not only due to the tourists. "In recent years, the expansion of many huts has created hotel-like conditions." This also applies to the price segment: "When different standards are set for a lot of money and more is demanded in return, guests' expectations naturally increase."
This also attracts people who have little or no mountain experience and don't know how to behave in a hut. "Mass tourism, with all its negative excesses, is being brought into the mountains," says Flepp. The meaning and purpose of alpine huts is being lost.
"Many huts are becoming hotels"
A mountain hut originally served as protection from storms and heavy snowfall in undeveloped areas and offered the opportunity to rest. "The longer they stay, the more many huts become hotels," says Flepp. And ones that look the same as those in the valley. "We don't need that in the mountains."
Corsin Flepp hopes that the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) will soon hold a round table to discuss the challenges together. For him, one possible approach would be to differentiate between mountain huts and high alpine huts. This would make it easier to point out what guests can expect from their visit and the infrastructure on site.
