It could be so beautiful on the mountain. But in huts there can also be arguments between guests and staff. Mountaineer David Göttler reports.
Munich – Mountaineering is his passion, but the huts are more of a pain. David Göttler is a native of Munich, is a certified mountain and ski guide and one of the most successful German high-altitude mountaineers. He names his place of residence – of course: the Alps.
“Frustrated” and “arrogant”: Munich professional mountaineers partly amazed by hut staff
“What always amazes me is how frustrated the hut staff can be and how arrogant they are towards the guests,” writes Göttler in his column “Honestly” for Alpin.de. He also reports on an evening that he remembers particularly badly. But he also makes it clear: “Fortunately, the majority of the innkeepers and employees are incredibly nice. Because I really like being in huts!”
Veggie argument in a mountain hut: yelled at because he’s a vegetarian – “that’s not possible”
Göttler is a vegetarian and that obviously offers a lot of potential for conflict in huts. “That’s not possible, was my first thought after the hut landlady lectured me about my impudence. Why? I mentioned that I was a vegetarian.” He had just returned from a long tour with 18 guests, then there was an argument about food.
Things are likely to turn out differently at the Neue Regensburger Hütte. The first veggie hut opened here in Tyrol last year – which was not without fundamental discussion. Maybe the Munich resident will often be drawn to the Stubai Valley for private purposes.
In any case, the landlady at the unnamed hut gave the vegetarian professional mountaineer a real lecture, he says. She complained whether he knew where he was and how the things got to a mountain hut. In principle, it cannot offer a vegetarian alternative. The fact that one of Göttler’s guests had previously committed a hut “mortal sin” and stepped onto the wooden terrace with his crampons probably didn’t help the mood.
Landlady charges 20 euros extra for a vegetarian dish in the hut – “pure rip-off”
But after a discussion it suddenly worked, says Göttler. But: for an extra 20 euros. “I politely declined. On principle, because it was a pure rip-off.” His vegetarian experience 15 years ago at the Marco-e-Rosa hut was friendlier, but not entirely successful. The innkeeper, who according to Göttler was a “legendary Obergrantler,” just said to him: “I’m really sorry… but that’s not life.”
The hut staff is stressed and unfriendly – not a pleasant experience for the guest on the mountain. On the other hand, tourists also tend to misbehave. An innkeeper from Trentino in Italy recently reported about a disrespectful hiking group and was so angry that even the mountaineering club got involved.
Tensions between hut owners and hiker guests – “Education and respect are important”
And in Zermatt too, people are tired of the behavior of some holidaymakers in the huts. “The disrespect is sometimes unbelievable,” complained landlady Edith Lehner about some of her guests.
Trouble and frustration at the mountain hut. Doesn’t necessarily have to be. “Education and respect are important,” says CAI President Carlo Alberto Zanella Il Dolomiti. Then togetherness can work – even if it starts with a vegetarian meal. (moe)
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