Langtalereckhütte

The Langtalereckhütte (also spelled Langtaleregghütte and widely known as the Karlsruher Hütte) is a catered mountain hut of the German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein, DAV), owned and operated by its Karlsruhe section. It stands at 2,480 metres above sea level at the Langtalereck in the rearmost Gurgler Tal, high above the shrinking tongue of the Gurgler Ferner glacier in the Ötztal Alps of Tyrol, Austria. The hut is a base for summit climbs, mountain hikes and ski tours, and serves as an alpine staging point on the Ötztal ski circuit. The hut was built in 1928/1929 by the Karlsruhe section of the then German and Austrian Alpine Club (DuOeAV), after the nearby Fidelitashütte became overcrowded in the 1920s, and it opened the following year. It has been expanded and modernised several times, notably in 1986 and again in 2011. A small hydroelectric plant with a turbine and generator, built between 1961 and 1967, still supplies the hut with water and electricity. A material cableway, first installed in 1939 and renewed in 1979, supports provisioning. Today the hut offers 9 beds in twin rooms, 37 beds in shared rooms and 19 mattress places, and is normally staffed from about 20 February to 20 May and from 15 June to 10 October, depending on weather and avalanche conditions. It is reached from Obergurgl in roughly 2.5 hours on a marked trail. The Langtalereckhütte is a well-known destination for regional food and is a stop on the Ötztal ski touring circuit; the Fidelitashütte (self-catering) and the closed Hochwildehaus are about 1.5 hours away on foot. Mobile phone reception is limited, and luggage transport to the hut is possible. The hut is scheduled to close from mid-August 2026 for renovation, with bookings for the 2027 winter season opening in November.

In the 1920s the Fidelitashütte, a self-catering hut in the Gurgler Tal, became overcrowded in both summer and winter. In 1927 the Karlsruhe section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club (DuOeAV) decided to build another accommodation roughly halfway between Obergurgl and the Fidelitashütte. The Langtalereckhütte was built in 1928/1929 and opened the following year. A notable early event was the landing of the stratosphere researcher Auguste Piccard with his balloon near the hut on 27 May 1931. In 1939 a material cableway to the Hochwildehaus was built; before that, supplies had to be brought up by mule. Between 1961 and 1967 a small hydroelectric plant with a turbine and generator rated at 18 kVA was constructed, and it still supplies the hut with water and electricity today. The material cableway was renewed in 1979. In the years up to 1986 the roof and windows were renewed, the hut was modernised and its rooms were expanded. The hut was expanded again in 2011. The Langtalereckhütte remains a catered hut of the DAV's Karlsruhe section and a base for summit climbs, mountain hikes and ski tours, as well as an alpine staging point on the Ötztal ski circuit. The official website notes that the hut will close from mid-August 2026 for renovation, with bookings for the 2027 winter season opening in November.

• 2026

  The hut closes from mid-August 2026 for renovation; bookings for winter 2027 open in November.

• 2017

  The Piccard Bridge opens, providing a route to the Ramolhaus.

• 2011

  The hut is expanded again.

• 1986

  Roof and windows renewed, hut modernised and rooms expanded (work up to 1986).

• 1979

  The material cableway is renewed.

• 1961

  Construction of a hydroelectric plant with turbine and generator (18 kVA) begins; completed 1967.

• 1939

  A material cableway to the Hochwildehaus is built.

• 1931

  Auguste Piccard lands his balloon near the hut on 27 May 1931.

• 1930

  The hut opens the year after construction.

• 1928

  Construction of the Langtalereckhütte begins (built 1928/1929).

• 1927

  The Karlsruhe section of the DuOeAV decides to build a new hut between Obergurgl and the Fidelitashütte.

A traditional, club-owned Alpine Club hut in the Ötztal Alps, valued for its location, regional cuisine and role in the Ötztal ski touring circuit.

• Catered mountain hut accommodation

  9 twin-room beds, 37 shared-room beds and 19 mattress places.

• Regional Alpine cuisine

  The official website describes the hut as offering the best regional food far and wide.

• Base for summit climbs and ski tours

  Staging point for the Ötztal ski circuit and tours such as Hangerer, Eiskögele, Langtalerjochspitze and Hinterer Seelenkogel.

1. 1Langtalereckhütte – official websitealpenverein-karlsruhe.de
2. 2Geschichte – Sektion Karlsruhealpenverein-karlsruhe.de
3. 3Langtalereckhütte – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Langtalereckhütte – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org