Alpine Ski Mountaineering Vol 2 - Central and Eastern Alps. Bill O'Connor

throughout the day, although both the breakfast and evening meal are normally set menus. Food at huts is not discounted to members of any Alpine club. Vegetarians should make a point of informing the guardian before (or when) they arrive at the hut as meat is the norm. Vegetarian options are limited – eggs, cheese and pasta head the list. Breakfast remains light in most huts, some say slight. It is certainly traditional: tea, coffee or hot chocolate with bread, butter, jam and sometimes a little cheese. A few huts have improved their breakfast offering by providing cereal and yoghurt.

      Most huts sell sweets, chocolates and a small selection of food items. Some will provide a simple packed lunch. However, if you need a packed lunch be sure to order it the night before and not during the morning rush.

      Some huts allow self-catering, but you normally have to provide (which means carry) your own stove, fuel and utensils. Guardians will also cook simple food such as pasta and soup for you, charging a fee to do so. Understandably, they don't always like doing it, especially if the hut is crowded.

      Water

      Water is an obvious problem during the ski season. There is plenty of snow and ice, but hopefully it will remain frozen, which means that running water will be in short supply. Hut water supplies have to be melted from snow and ice, or in some cases helicoptered to the huts. It comes as a surprise to many hut users that water has to be paid for, and that during the ski season very few have running water for washing or lavatories. Be prepared to buy bottled water or to have hot water or tea in your drinking bottle in the morning. Some guardians fill water bottles the evening before so that they can cool before morning. It's not uncommon to see them being taken to bed to serve as a hot-water bottle!

      Basic Advice for Hut Virgins

      For the first-time visitor a busy Alpine hut can seem a bit daunting. However, once you have stayed in one and survived the system you will quickly get the hang of it. The organisation of the huts is basically the same through-out the Alps, although there are a few guardians who introduce idiosyncratic and novel variations.

      Arriving at the Martin Busch Hut having traversed from the Hochwildehaus, Ötztal

      Boot room

      When you arrive, there is usually an ante-room to leave boots and rucksacks, skis and hardware such as axe and crampons. Try, if you are part of a large group, to keep your equipment organised and in one place. The same goes for ski boots – in the early hours of the morning it's easy to have a mix-up and find someone else wearing your plastic shells. It's a good idea to write your name on the plastic shell to help prevent mistakes. Most huts supply some kind of rubber hut shoe for you to use, but that's not always the case.

      Book in on arrival

      Once you have got your boots off, go to reception and book in officially. You will be asked to show (and perhaps deposit) your Alpine Club or reciprocal-rights card, if you have one. This is the time to let the guardian know if you are a vegetarian, and for you to ask about meal times and filling water bottles. Tell him your plans for the morning. At this time you will probably be given a room and bed number/slot.

      Sleeping quarters

      Some huts have bunks, and others have a matrazenlager – usually mattresses laid side by side on large bunk beds. Close-quarter sleeping is usually the order of the day. At busy times, expect to double up! You will normally get a pillow and a couple of rough wool blankets – of an uncertain age but invariably with a certain aroma. My wife describes it as blend of wet Labrador and men's locker-room. It's a good idea to carry a lightweight (silk) sleeping-bag liner; it is certainly more comfortable and hygienic, and many Austrian huts insist on you using one. A few huts have gone over to duvets, and they are certainly an improvement.

      It's a good idea to make up your bed as soon as possible. You may be allowed to take your rucksack into the dormitory. Failing that there are often baskets available so that you can unpack your rucksack and keep essential items handy inside the hut. During the touring season breakfast is usually at a set hour, and it is normal to be woken by the guardian; in any case, set your alarm. You are expected to fold your blankets and leave your space as you found it.

      Meals

      Evening meals are normally served between 6 and 8pm. Food is usually brought to the table, and you serve it out with the others on the table. Evening meals are usually three courses: soup, a meat and veg/pasta dish, followed by a simple desert. You can buy wine, beer and other drinks at most huts, but it's better to get them before dinner is served, as the kitchen often gets frantic at meal times. At the end of the meal, you are expected to take your dishes back to the serving hatch to be cleaned. There is usually a bowl of water and cloth provided to wipe down the table after you have finished. In Austrian huts you have a choice of a simple, filling set meal, bergsteigeressen, which is quite inexpensive, or you can chose something more elaborate and expensive.

      Breakfast is usually a bit of a rush, so you would be advised to organise yourself the night before. You will normally get a hot drink, bread, butter and jam, and in some huts cereal and juice.

      Departure

      Some huts like you to pay up the night before. Certainly if you want a quick start, it is a good idea. Remember to collect your club/reciprocal rights card if you were asked to deposit it and to ensure you have a full water bottle before you leave the hut.

Avalanche Awareness

      When people and snowy mountains meet the potential for avalanches exists. Every skier should make it their business to understand avalanche phenomena. They are not an act of God; in fact about 80% of avalanche victims trigger the avalanche they get caught in.

      Avalanche awareness – you have been warned

      During a ski tour the risk of avalanche is a constant danger that must be faced whenever your skis are on the mountain. Assessing risk ultimately depends on your knowledge and the care you take in assessing the danger. The process doesn't need to be a lengthy one that will spoil a good day on the hill, but it does need to be a systematic one, both before and during a tour. A systematic approach will enable you to gather key information that will allow you to make an informed judgement about snow stability and avalanche hazard.

      On tour, assessment of avalanche danger should be gained from gathering observed facts about the terrain, the snowpack, past and present weather, and from slope stability tests.

      Ask yourself these questions:

       What information do I have that makes me think this slope is stable?

       What is the likely outcome for our group should the slope avalanche?

       Do we have an agreed emergency proceedure in place if it does?

      First, the good news is that, if the victim is alive after the initial impact, they have an 80% chance of survival if dug out in the first 12 minutes. But after that the news is not so good. It is thought that unless recovery is made within 30 minutes, an avalanche victim's chances of survival are less than 50/50.

      The fact is that less than one-third of those buried survive, and this doesn't refer to deep burial. For those buried under less than 50cm of snow the survival rate is around 45%. At more than 2 metres only 1% survive, and below 3 metres…?

      Best Practice

      It is ‘best practice’ to:

       avoid obvious avalanche danger

       adopt safe procedures when travelling and, in the event of an avalanche, not to rely on others outside your group for rescue.

      Rescue, if it is to be successful, must come from your own party, and speed is the all-important factor. Speed comes from planning, preparation and practice.

      THE HARD FACTS

      Here are some hard avalanche facts based on Swiss statistics.