Oberwalderhütte

The Oberwalderhütte is a Category I mountain shelter (Schutzhütte) belonging to the Austria Section of the Österreichischer Alpenverein (ÖAV), the Austrian Alpine Club. It stands at 2,973 metres above sea level on the summit of the Großer Burgstall, a rocky knoll set within the glacier landscape of the Pasterze on the eastern side of the Großglockner in the Glockner group of the High Tauern. Because of its high altitude and its position amid glaciers, it serves as a base for numerous alpine high tours and as a training base for the mountain schools of both the German Alpine Club (DAV) and the ÖAV. The hut was opened on 15 August 1910 and is named after Thomas Oberwalder, who financed its construction and who had been buried by an avalanche on the Pasterze in 1906. It was most recently modernised between 1982 and 1985, when, in cooperation with TU Wien, a shell-shaped thermal protection concept was realised to guarantee frost safety in the innermost shell even in winter without heating. Outside the hut's managed season a winter room is available, accessible via an AV lock, for which members of the alpine clubs can obtain a key from their section against a protection fee. Access is normally gained from the Franz-Josefs-Höhe (2,370 m), reachable by car via the toll Grossglockner High Alpine Road, over the Gamsgrubenweg and the Südliches Bockkarkees in about 2½ to 3 hours, or from Heiligenblut (1,291 m) in about 6 hours. From the hut, a wide range of high tours is possible, including the Johannisberg (3,453 m), the Hohe Riffl (3,338 m), the Klockerin (3,425 m), the Großes Wiesbachhorn (3,564 m), the Fuscherkarkopf (3,331 m) and the Mittlerer Bärenkopf (3,358 m). Hut-to-hut transitions lead to the Berghotel Rudolfshütte, the Schwarzenberghütte, the Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus, the Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte on the Großglockner and the Gruberscharten-Biwak. The relevant map is the Alpenvereinskarte sheet no. 40, Glocknergruppe (1:25,000).

The Oberwalderhütte was opened on 15 August 1910. It is named after Thomas Oberwalder, who financed the construction of the hut and who had been buried by an avalanche on the Pasterze in 1906. The hut belongs to the Austria Section of the Österreichischer Alpenverein (ÖAV) and is classified as a Category I Schutzhütte. The most recent modernisation took place between 1982 and 1985. In cooperation with TU Wien, a shell-shaped thermal protection concept was realised, intended to guarantee frost safety in the innermost shell even in winter without heating. The mountain schools of the German Alpine Club (DAV) and the ÖAV use the hut as a base for alpine training courses. Outside the hut's managed season, a winter room is available, accessible via an AV lock, for which members of the alpine clubs can obtain a key from their section against a protection fee. The hut remains an active high-alpine shelter and mountaineering base in the Glockner group.

• 1985

  Modernisation completed, including a shell-shaped thermal protection concept developed with TU Wien.

• 1982

  Modernisation of the hut begins, continuing until 1985.

• 1910

  The Oberwalderhütte is opened on 15 August.

• 1906

  Thomas Oberwalder, later the hut's namesake and financier, is buried by an avalanche on the Pasterze.

A high-alpine Category I shelter of the Austrian Alpine Club, positioned as a mountaineering base amid the glaciers of the Glockner group.

• Category I Schutzhütte accommodation

• Winter room (accessible via AV lock)

• Base for alpine training courses (DAV and ÖAV mountain schools)

• Base for high tours (Johannisberg, Hohe Riffl, Klockerin, Großes Wiesbachhorn, Fuscherkarkopf, Mittlerer Bärenkopf)

• Hut-to-hut transitions (Rudolfshütte, Schwarzenberghütte, Heinrich-Schwaiger-Haus, Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte, Gruberscharten-Biwak)

1. 1Alpenverein Austriaoberwalderhuette.at
2. 2Oberwalderhütte – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Oberwalderhütte – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org