Lauteraar hut

The Lauteraarhütte is located at 2393 m on a rocky spur high above the Unteraar Glacier in the Grimsel region of the Bernese Alps and belongs to the municipality of Guttannen in the canton of Bern. The small, unspoilt hut is run by the SAC Zofingen section and is located in the Grimsel nature reserve, which is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the summer season from the end of June to around mid-September, it is manned and a classic destination for mountain hikes lasting several hours as well as a base for high-altitude tours to the peaks around the Unteraar glacier area. In the hut you spend the night in the dormitory; in summer there are 28 beds in three dormitories, in the winter room a further 12 beds. The beds are equipped with comforters and pillows, and you must bring your own hut sleeping bag. There are simple sanitary facilities with a washroom and toilets in the Dépendance, electricity is generated by solar panels and supplies lighting, refrigerators and hot water boilers. Payment is made in cash in CHF or EUR; bank transfer is also possible during the unmanned winter season. The hut offers half-board with a freshly cooked three-course menu, breakfast and tea; during the day there are simple hot meals and homemade cakes. Access is on foot from Grimsel Summerloch or Grimsel Hospiz on a white-red-white marked mountain hiking trail that leads along the Grimselsee lake over narrow paths carved into the rock, through protected raised bogs and flower mats to the siltation zone of the Unteraar glacier, before the trail climbs up to the rock spur to the hut. The ascent takes around 4 to 4.5 hours and involves an ascent of around 950 meters. The best time for hikers to visit is in the summer months when the path is clear of snow and controlled; in winter, the hut can only be reached on long, high-alpine ski tours. Before each tour, you should carefully check current conditions, possible closures, construction work on the dam walls and weather developments. Historically, the accommodation dates back to the Pavillon Dollfus, which Alsatian glacier explorers built at the current location in the 19th century. In 1882, the Zofingen section took over the pavilion, and in 1931, today's Lauteraarhütte was built on the same site, which has largely remained in the same condition as it was in the 1930s.