Naturfreundehaus Kolm-Saigurn

The Naturfreundehaus Kolm-Saigurn, also marketed as the Sonnblickbasis Kolm Saigurn, is a mountain hut and outdoor activity base operated by Naturfreunde Österreich (Nature Friends Austria). It sits at 1,598 metres above sea level at the southern end of the Rauris Valley in the Austrian state of Salzburg, within the Hohe Tauern National Park. The house is a traditional Schutzhaus (shelter hut) that serves hikers, climbers, ski tourers and ice climbers, and it is closely associated with the Sonnblick massif and its long-standing weather observatory. The property combines simple accommodation with a range of mountain sports infrastructure. According to its official website, the house offers comfortable three-star rooms, two-star rooms in the traditional mountaineer style with shared showers and toilets, and a five-star mattress dormitory that requires a hut sleeping bag. Meals range from breakfast buffet to half-board or full-board, with a menu focused on local Pinzgau specialities, house beers and Zwickl beer brewed by Pinzgau Bräu, Austrian wines and schnapps. The site also includes a mining museum, a small chapel and a Kneipp facility, reflecting the area's mining history and its role as a nature and health destination. As an activity base, the Sonnblickbasis promotes itself as having Austria's largest ice climbing training centre, with guaranteed ice, as well as toboggan runs, hiking paths and climbing routes for various abilities. It is a starting point for tours to high peaks such as the Hoher Sonnblick (3,105 m), the Schareck (3,122 m) and the Hocharn (3,254 m). The house is also a stop on longer hut-to-hut routes, with connections to the Naturfreundehaus Schutzhaus Neubau, the Niedersachsenhaus, the Duisburger Hütte and the Zittelhaus. The building is owned and run by Naturfreunde Österreich, a non-profit outdoor organisation, and is one of its network of mountain huts. A small chapel is attached to the east side of the house, and a memorial plaque at the entrance commemorates Maria and Georg Rupitsch, a couple who worked as weather observers at the Sonnblick Observatory and died in a snowstorm in 1944. The hut remains an active hospitality and outdoor sports business within the national park.

The Naturfreundehaus Kolm-Saigurn is a shelter hut of Naturfreunde Österreich located at 1,598 metres above sea level at the southern end of the Rauris Valley in the Salzburg region of Austria, inside the Hohe Tauern National Park. The area of Kolm-Saigurn has a long history tied to mining and to the Sonnblick Observatory, which was built in the late 19th century on the Hoher Sonnblick peak above the valley. The hut itself serves as a base for visitors to the Sonnblick massif and the surrounding high mountains. A small chapel is attached to the east side of the house. In front of the entrance hangs a memorial plaque commemorating Maria and Georg Rupitsch, a married couple who worked as weather observers at the Sonnblick Observatory and froze to death in a snowstorm in 1944. This plaque links the hut to the human history of high-mountain weather observation in the region. The house is operated by Naturfreunde Österreich, a non-profit organisation with a network of mountain huts and outdoor facilities. Over time it has been developed into a multi-activity base marketed as the Sonnblickbasis Kolm Saigurn. According to its official website, the site now includes a mining museum, a chapel and a Kneipp facility, and it offers a range of accommodation categories from three-star rooms to a five-star mattress dormitory. The website also states that the location has Austria's largest ice climbing training centre, with guaranteed ice, and promotes tobogganing, hiking and climbing for all abilities. As a mountain hut, it is integrated into the network of trails and hut-to-hut routes in the Hohe Tauern. Access routes include from Wörth (4 hours), from Bodenhaus (1.5 hours) and from the Lenzanger car park (0.5 hours). Transitions to other huts include the Naturfreundehaus Schutzhaus Neubau (1.5 hours), the Niedersachsenhaus (2.25 hours), the Duisburger Hütte (4.5 hours) and the Zittelhaus (4.5 hours). Popular tours from the hut lead to the Hoher Sonnblick (3,105 m, 4.5 hours), the Schareck (3,122 m, 5 hours) and the Hocharn (3,254 m, 5 hours). The hut is marked on the Alpenvereinskarte sheet 42, Sonnblick, at 1:25,000 scale. The building is listed on Wikidata as a building in Salzburg, Austria. It remains an active hospitality and outdoor sports business within the national park, welcoming ice climbers, ski tourers and hikers.

• 1944

  Memorial plaque for Maria and Georg Rupitsch, weather observers who died in a snowstorm, is placed at the hut entrance.

• The hut is listed on Wikidata as a building in Salzburg, Austria.

A traditional Naturfreunde mountain hut and nature-oriented outdoor base in the Hohe Tauern National Park, combining simple accommodation with ice climbing, hiking and ski touring.

• 3-star comfortable rooms

• 2-star rooms with shared showers and toilets

• 5-star mattress dormitory (hut sleeping bag required)

• Breakfast buffet, half-board and full-board

• Local Pinzgau specialities, Pinzgau Bräu beers, Austrian wines and schnapps

• Ice climbing training centre

• Toboggan runs

• Hiking and mountaineering routes

• Mining museum

• Kneipp facility

1. 1Startseite | Sonnblickbasissonnblickbasis.at
2. 2Unser Haus | Sonnblickbasissonnblickbasis.at
3. 3Naturfreundehaus Kolm-Saigurnwikidata.org
4. 4Naturfreundehaus Kolm-Saigurnde.wikipedia.org