Spitzmeilenhütte

The Spitzmeilenhütte is a mountain hut of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), owned and operated by its Sektion Piz Sol. It sits at 2,087 metres above sea level in the upper Schilstal on the edge of the Mad plateau, in the municipality of Flums in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen, close to the mountain that gives it its name, the Spitzmeilen (2,501 m). The hut lies just outside the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site Tektonikarena Sardona. The hut was first built in 1903 as a wooden winter shelter, driven by the emerging ski sport and financed by Heinrich Spoerry of Flums. It is described as the first facility in Switzerland created specifically to give ski tourers accommodation. The original wooden hut with a shingle roof accommodated 24 people and was inaugurated in late December 1903. Over the following century it was repeatedly rebuilt and expanded: a kitchen was added in 1951, the capacity was extended to 56 places in 1971, and in 1999 a 1,100-metre material cableway with one mast was built to overcome the final steep 430 metres of ascent. In 2007 the old hut was demolished and replaced within six months by a new wooden cube-shaped building. Today the Spitzmeilenhütte offers 44 beds in several rooms plus eight places in the winter room. The upper floor contains seven bedrooms and washrooms; the ground floor has a common room, kitchen and the hut warden's accommodation; the winter room is in the basement. The hut has its own spring, whose water is also used to generate energy. It is a base for hiking, alpine, climbing and biking tours in summer and ski tours in winter, with nearby destinations including the Spitzmeilen (2,501 m), Wissmilen (2,483 m), Magerrain (2,523 m) and the Murgseen lakes (1,820 m). Access routes include from the Maschgenkamm cable-car station in the Flumserberg ski area (2–2.5 hours), from Tannenboden (4–5 hours), from the Schilstal at Steinbrugg (3–3.5 hours), from Weisstannen (about 6–7 hours), from Matt GL (about 5.5–6 hours) and from Engi GL (about 6 hours). The hut is run by Esther and Roland with their team, offers online reservation, and accepts cash on site. It is a seasonal mountain hospitality business rather than a conventional retail brand, but it operates under its own name and web presence as a distinct commercial offering within the SAC network.

The Spitzmeilenhütte owes its existence to the early spread of skiing in Switzerland. As early as before 1903, members of the Sektion Piz Sol of the Swiss Alpine Club discussed building a ski hut in the Spitzmeilen area. A protocol excerpt from the spring general assembly of 1903 records that Heinrich Spoerry had already shown long, narrow, upward-curved boards at a general assembly three years earlier, explaining that such boards, called skis, were used in Sweden and Norway to travel quickly and safely through deep, trackless snow. He wanted to try them here and was convinced that with these boards it would even be possible to climb mountains in deep winter. Many members were sceptical; the president reportedly remarked that there were three skiers in the Piz Sol section and probably never would be more. Skiing was initially practised on moonlit nights in remote places to avoid ridicule, but the young skiers enjoyed it because it allowed them to reach their sunny, bright mountains even in winter. Encouraged by a request from the Glarus side and financially supported by Heinrich Spoerry of Flums, the section decided in early August 1903 to build a winter shelter hut. The local municipality Flums-Grossberg contributed the land for the building site. Construction began in early October 1903, and on 20 December the wooden hut with a shingle roof, designed for 24 people, was completed; it was inaugurated a week later. It is regarded as the first facility in Switzerland created specifically to provide accommodation for ski tourers. Over the following decades the hut was repeatedly adapted. A kitchen was added in 1951. A new water pipe was installed in 1960, and an Eternit roof followed in 1965. A comprehensive conversion took place in 1971, when the hut was expanded to 56 places. In 1990 the spring was renovated and a shower installed. Various repairs were carried out in 1996. In 1999 a 1,100-metre material cableway with one mast was built, overcoming the last steep 430 metres of altitude to the hut. In 2007 the old hut was demolished and a new building was realised within six months. The new cube-shaped structure is made of wood: the upper floor has seven bedrooms and washrooms, the ground floor contains the common room, kitchen and the hut warden's accommodation, and the winter room is in the basement. The hut has its own spring, whose water is also used to generate energy. Today the Spitzmeilenhütte is a seasonal mountain hut of the SAC, operated by Esther and Roland with their team. It offers 44 beds in several rooms and eight places in the winter room, accepts online reservations, and asks guests to bring cash because connections in the mountains can be unreliable. It lies just outside the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site Tektonikarena Sardona and serves as a base for hiking, alpine, climbing and biking tours in summer and ski tours in winter, with nearby peaks including the Spitzmeilen (2,501 m), Wissmilen (2,483 m) and Magerrain (2,523 m), as well as the Murgseen lakes (1,820 m).

• 2007

  Old hut demolished; new wooden cube-shaped building realised within six months.

• 1999

  Construction of a 1,100-metre material cableway with one mast.

• 1996

  Various repairs carried out.

• 1990

  Spring renovated and a shower installed.

• 1971

  Comprehensive conversion; hut expanded to 56 places.

• 1965

  Eternit roof installed.

• 1960

  New water pipe installed.

• 1951

  A kitchen was added.

• 1903

  First wooden hut built and inaugurated in December, designed for 24 people.

A traditional, remote Swiss Alpine Club mountain hut offering simple, seasonal hospitality to hikers and ski tourers in the Spitzmeilen area.

• Overnight accommodation

  44 beds in several rooms plus 8 places in the winter room.

• Meals and refreshments

  Hut kitchen and common room for guests.

• Online reservation

  Booking via the official website.

1. 1Aktuell | Spitzmeilenhütte SACspitzmeilenhuette.ch
2. 2Geschichte | Spitzmeilenhütte SACspitzmeilenhuette.ch
3. 3Spitzmeilenhütte – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
4. 4Spitzmeilenhütte – Wikidatawikidata.org