Climate change is beginning to undermine one of Switzerland’s most cherished institutions: the mountain hut. The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), which operates 153 huts across the country, warns that rising temperatures and thawing permafrost are threatening the foundations of dozens of alpine refuges, reports SRF.
Roughly one-third of SAC huts are located in areas potentially affected by melting permafrost. As permanently frozen ground thaws, mountain terrain becomes unstable. Rock faces loosen, slopes shift and the soil beneath buildings begins to move. Some huts are already showing signs of structural strain as walls tilt and foundations weaken.
The problem extends beyond the buildings themselves. Access paths, many carved into fragile mountain terrain decades ago, are increasingly vulnerable to landslides and rockfalls. Existing hiking routes often need to be rerouted, while entirely new paths must sometimes be constructed.
In some cases, adaptation means abandoning old locations altogether. Near Zermatt, the new Rothorn Hut was built away from the original site in search of more stable ground. According to Ulrich Delang, head of huts at the SAC, future projects may increasingly require relocation onto solid rock or away from zones exposed to falling debris.
The SAC recently commissioned two expert studies to assess the risks facing its network. One examined geological threats such as rockfalls and unstable terrain. The other focused on water supplies, which are becoming less predictable as glaciers retreat and precipitation patterns shift. Many high-altitude huts depend on meltwater streams that are no longer reliable throughout the summer season.
The financial implications are daunting. Renovations and reconstructions in remote alpine terrain routinely cost millions of francs, requiring helicopters, specialised engineering and short construction windows. To help weaker regional sections cope, the SAC maintains a national solidarity fund that subsidises major building projects. But the fund is under growing pressure.
The number of construction sites is increasing while reserves are shrinking, warned Marco Dirren, president of the SAC, in an interview with Swiss public broadcaster SRF. Without changes to spending or revenues, he said, the fund could be depleted within two or three years.
To replenish its finances, the SAC leadership has proposed raising overnight accommodation prices substantially. For non-members, a night in a mountain hut could rise from CHF 40 to more than CHF 50. Not everyone is convinced. Several regional sections, including Geneva’s, fear higher prices could deter hikers and climbers.
Others argue that visitors are unlikely to abandon the mountains over modest price increases. Some huts that have already raised prices by 15-20% without seeing a fall in visitor numbers. Some sections favour another solution: asking SAC members themselves to contribute more through annual fees. Geneva’s section has proposed dedicating a small portion of membership dues directly to hut financing.
The debate reflects a broader truth about climate adaptation. Even in wealthy Switzerland, environmental change is beginning to impose tangible costs on institutions once considered timeless. Alpine huts were built to withstand avalanches and storms. Few anticipated that the mountains themselves might start to melt beneath them.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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