Well attended when the sun is shining: The St. Martinshütte could be back in full swing at Pentecost if the weather is nice. © MZV Archive
Some huts have already started the summer season, some will follow suit at Pentecost. But the DAV warns: hikers should not climb the highest peaks yet. There is still a lot of snow there.
It took a long time, but now the meadows in the valley are blooming, the trees are bathed in a lush green. Finally, spring seems to have arrived in the district. Just in time for the long Pentecost weekend – according to the weather forecast – the rain should also stop. Many may be drawn to the mountains. But hikers should exercise caution despite the finally spring-like conditions.
From the end of April to mid-May, it snowed heavily at higher altitudes. "A huge load of snow has come very late," emphasizes Martin Willibald, head of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen section at the German Alpine Club (DAV). Low-lying tours are possible, paths further up, for example in the direction of the Zugspitze or Alpspitze, are by no means safe to walk on.
Hikers should not climb the highest peaks at the start of the season. Nevertheless, one or the other mountain hut around Garmisch-Partenkirchen has already started the summer season, some open at Pentecost. Everything is set up for a mountain summer, which, according to the innkeepers, will probably do without unscheduled closures. The head of the DAV section Garmisch-Partenkirchen also confirms: In the huts for which he is responsible, only minor repair measures are planned in the summer. "But they don't interfere with the process," explains Willibald. At these huts you are already, or soon, looking forward to guests:
■ The opening was actually planned on Ascension Day. But the Auer family, the tenants of the Höllentalangerhütte, had to postpone the date. Due to a rockfall, the Höllentalklamm is not expected to be accessible until Saturday. But the Auers are already unlocking the hut today. "You can also reach us via the Stangensteig," explains landlord Gernot Auer.
■ Every weekend from 2 June, the Zollner family takes care of the guests at the Bockhütte in the Reintal. From the end of June, when the grazing season begins, the hut, which belongs to the Partenkirchen pasture cooperative, is open daily.
■ On 20 May, the Höllental entrance hut opened its doors. Changes could be imminent at the hut. An extension of the terrace is planned. "At the moment, we are getting offers from the trades," says Willibald. "The wish would be that we start as soon as possible, perhaps in the fall," says the head of the DAV section. "In the course of the terrace conversion, more will certainly have to be done to the hut." However, he cannot say more concrete at the moment. "Now we're going into the summer season."
■ The Schachenhaus is expected to open on 7 June. Actually, the Leitenbauer family from Farchant had hoped to be able to open at Pentecost. "But there's still so much snow up there," emphasizes Andreas Leitenbauer. He could clear it with an excavator up to the Schachenhaus at 1866 meters. But to open when everything above is still under a deep blanket of snow, "I don't want to be responsible for that". He is too worried that mountaineers will continue to hike up and climb after a stop at his place. "It's not a problem up to 1600 meters, but higher up it's not snow-free yet." Leitenbauer appeals to mountaineers not to dare to hike far up, for example in the direction of the Zugspitze or Alpspitze: "It's still the depths of winter."
■ Since Easter, Julia and Sebastian Ortner have been back for their guests at the Berggasthof am Eckbauer. "Some people are already coming up to us via the Partnach Gorge," says Sebastian Ortner. On January 1, 2022, the young couple took over the mountain inn, which has been family-owned since 1927. Ever since they started as tenants, it was clear to Ortners that they would have to make a lot of changes to the old house. Demolition and new construction cannot be avoided. Work is expected to start in March 2024. This means that the Berggasthof am Eckbauer is still open as normal in summer.
■ At the St. Martinshütte am Grasberg, owner Sabine Scherer holds the fort almost all year round. The mountain inn is only closed in November. The unusually cold and wet spring so far has been "a bit demoralizing" for Scherer. When the sun is shining, the guests come. "If it rains, we have nothing to do." The hut landlady hopes for the announced improvement in the weather on the Whitsun weekend.
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■ The Wankhaus is soon to open its doors with new tenants. The date was last communicated as 1 June. "But we'll have to see if that works," says Willibald. It is questionable whether all preparations will be completed by then, says Verena Tanzer, spokeswoman for the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn, to which the Wankbahn also belongs, after consultation with the operations manager of the Wankbahn.
■ As always, the Meilerhütte, which is still covered in deep snow, starts the summer season in mid-June. The hut at 2366 meters is expected to open on June 15th.
■ The Reintalangerhütte has been back in operation since Father's Day on 18 May. The path through the Reintal to the hut at 1369 meters is already easy to walk, informs the DAV section Munich and Oberland, which owns the hut, on its homepage. However, hikers must be prepared for the fact that there are still snowfields to cross.
■ The Esterbergalm has also been welcoming guests since last week. The market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen has revived alpine farming with the two interim tenants Jutta Mayer and Astrid Schmid. "They do a really great job, we only hear positive things," emphasizes city hall spokeswoman Silvia Käufer-Schropp. When the weather is nice, the two women can look forward to a "full hut". The lease agreement between Mayer and Schmid and the municipality is to run for a maximum of three months, and the Esterbergalm will then go into new hands. "The tender is over," says Käufer-Schropp. "Now we are sounding out the offers. It remains to be seen what will happen next."
■ The starting signal in the Kreuzeckhaus was also given on Father's Day. "Business has gotten off to a good start," says tenant Katrin Rödel. However, the hut landlady is still looking for staff: a cook, a service employee and an "all-rounder". "Unfortunately, employees jumped ship at short notice." Rödel hopes to have found staff by the time of the hot phase in midsummer. "Experience has shown that June is still a quieter month."
■ On the Stepbergalm, operations have been running since Ascension Day. The Ostler family, who manage the alpine pasture, had to close for another three days this week due to the weather. "But we're looking forward to the season and we're confident," emphasizes Elisabeth Ostler. She doesn't just see all the rain negatively. "That was good for the water supply to the huts." Only the topic of "large carnivores" causes tension for her. Last summer, several sheep were killed on the Stepberg. "Now we very much hope that this doesn't happen again."
