Press
A landslide and everything went down the drain. The Franz Senn Hut in the Stubai Alps is unlikely to open this season. A dispute breaks out in the town.
Neustift in the Stubaital – The Franz Senn Hut in the Stubai Alps (Austria) is about to close. The landlord makes the problem clear on the website underlined and in capital letters: “The road between Seduck and the Oberissalm is currently closed to all traffic.” Rockfalls are becoming increasingly common throughout the Alps.
Landslides tore away road after hut in the Stubai Alps – one piece of bad news after another since then
However, “currently” is a gross understatement. In 2021, a landslide occurred on the five-kilometer-long road. Since then nothing has been the same. However, the situation for the Franz-Senn-Hütte only became worse around a year later: the small emergency route that was set up after the landslide was closed to private trips in the summer of 2022 after severe storms. Only staff and suppliers are allowed to drive on the street – taxis and shuttles are not allowed.
The result: 90 percent of the day guests were gone, like hut landlord Thomas Frankhauser Tyrolean daily newspaper (TT) explained. Almost no one dares climb up from the parking lot at the end of the valley. “For many people the distance is too far.”
Drama about the hut in the Stubai Alps: Emergency routes are no longer allowed to be used – landlord draws conclusions
Now things are getting even worse for Frankhauser – the third setback since the bad news of 2021 and 2022. The emergency route agreement with the property owners has expired, and now no one is allowed to use the emergency route. In the town, the mayor defends himself against accusations that he missed the time for a follow-up agreement.
And the host is faced with the next problem. Frankhauser would have to have all the goods flown in, far too expensive. “It’s no longer interesting to work up there. Now we have to draw the consequences,” he clarifies. And that means: “There is talk of a complete closure of the hut this summer or that we will only serve the guests who have already registered for the training courses – but no one else.”
Tourism in the Alps is suffering: a solution for Oberbergtal will probably take years
The danger is increasing, which sometimes leads to unusual measures in hotspots. At the Franz Senn Hut you are by no means alone with problems; tourism in the Alps has been suffering for years – even in winter.
The Climate change is affecting the Alps, experts agree that holiday regions have to adapt. In the Oberbergtal in the Stubai Alps, it hasn’t yet been possible to adapt. Tour operators avoid the region because of the transport connections, which means tourists stay away. The road is supposed to become public, but that could take years. Vice Mayor Franz Gleirscher encourages TT therefore a short-term solution. Hut manager Thomas Frankhauser should be excited. (moe)
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