Oberaletsch Hut

Rooms

The Oberaletschhütte has 58 simple sleeping places in dormitories; two blankets and a pillow are provided per person, a sleeping bag is obligatory and can be rented in exceptional cases. In addition to the main hut, there is a winter room in the smaller old hut around 50 m below, which sleeps around ten people and has cooking and eating utensils and a wood-burning stove. Dinner is served at 6.30 pm, the breakfast buffet is available from 7.00 am to 8.00 am; reservations are strongly recommended and accepted online. The sanitary infrastructure is deliberately simple, with outdoor toilets, no showers and a well for washing. The water in and around the hut is not drinkable; drinking water, tea, boiled water and mineral water can be purchased at the hut. Electricity comes mainly from solar and wind energy, supplemented by a generator; there is a limited charging station for small devices, so it is recommended to bring your own headlamp and power bank. There is no mobile phone reception in the hut; depending on the weather, text messages or short phone calls are sometimes possible in the surrounding area; a house tablet with internet access is available for checking the weather and information. Payment is preferably made in cash, EC/debit cards and credit cards (Visa and Mastercard) are accepted, although an additional fee is charged for card payments. Dogs are allowed on request, and the usual hut rules regarding consideration, order and quiet at night apply.

Food and drink

In the evening, the Oberaletschhütte serves a fixed vegetarian menu consisting of simple, balanced courses with sufficient protein for mountain sports enthusiasts; a plate of dried meat can be ordered for an extra charge. At lunchtime, the hut offers a small selection of classic hut dishes such as Rösti or Chässchnitte, some with meat, and fills thermos flasks with marching tea for the ascent or return.

Sleeping beds

Address

Oberaletsch Hut
3914 Naters
Wallis

Directions

The most common approach starts at the Belalp mountain station. First a wide path leads to the Hotel Belalp, then the steeper descent through the Steigglen and along the old path to the southern moraine of the Oberaletsch Glacier. After crossing the gorge over a bridge, the path climbs over the Lochegga moraine ridge, reaches the panoramic trail laid out in 2005 at around 2600 m and follows this with impressive views in a good 4 to 5 hours (around 960 m ascent, 400 m descent) to the hut. Alternatively, a longer route leads from Riederalp via Riederfurka, Grünsee and the suspension bridge at Aletschji in 6 to 7 hours to the panoramic trail and on to the hut.

Parking

Hut guests arriving by car should park their vehicle in the designated parking spaces in Blatten near Naters and in the parking garage at the Belalp cable car valley station. From there, you can take the cable car or gondola lift to the car-free Belalp and then walk along the panoramic trail to the Oberaletschhütte.

Coordinates

Recommendations nearby

Show all on map