Hut Fund Report

The Voisthalerhütte

by Janet Britnell

The Voisthalerhütte, 1654m, is a category 1 hut lying SE of the Hochswab summit, 2277m, on the Steirischer Landesrundwanderweg as it runs through the Hochschwabgruppe, a limestone massif in Northern Styria. The hut belongs to Sektion Voisthaler, a small Viennese Section with only 250 members. Nevertheless it is still an active, viable section with active younger members. The Hüttenwart (committee member responsible for huts), who is only 22 years old, was in Nepal when four members of S. Britannia's Executive Committee met the Chairman, Peter Soustal, at the Hauptversammlung in October 2014. The same weekend, more than 100 people attended the 'opening' of their other category 1 hut, the Sonnschienhütte, 1526m, 5 or 6 hours walking time away from the Voisthalerhütte. The hut had undergone fire prevention measures costing €20K during 2014. In addition the section owns the Fleischer-Biwak, 2153m (a bivouac SW of the Hochschwab summit), and is also responsible for the paths in the Hochschwabgruppe. Their 2014 expenses included €10K for the restoration of these paths.

The Voisthalerhütte, built in 1898, is quite remote from other huts and alms, 2 hours walking time from the valley, and situated above the water catchment area for Vienna. It is an area good for walking, but it also has good Alpine climbing (i.e. routes without any bolting) that is currently enjoying a renaissance. The hut has 25 beds in 4 rooms and 80 very small Matratzenlager spaces. There are approximately 2500 overnight guests over the summer season, between May and the end of October. The valley is too dark in winter for the hut to open. Skiers just pass the hut on the way downhill. A new tenant took over the hut 2 years ago. He is from a farming background in the area, is a good cook, and seems very motivated. He socialises with all the guests, is a keen climber, posts details of the climbing routes in the hut and has set up an internet connection at the hut.

The section own the hut and the surrounding land. The fabric of the building is good. The kitchen is small; they cook on wood and gas. Drinking water comes from two springs. The water quality is good but they still have to treat it with UV to be sure it is clean. A modern sewage system that separates the 'yellow' and 'brown' waste was installed between 1996 and 1998, and it is checked every year. After separation the 'brown' is composted, and they have a licence to spread the composted material on the ground, despite the area being protected.

Up to 2014 electrical power came from a small solar unit and a diesel generator. In 2014 they had major work done on the hut including fire safety measures, the installation of new solar panels and an examination of the Materialseilbahn (MSB). The work was costed at €34K. The examination of the MSB, built in 1963, revealed that both cables urgently need changing. The weight limit has been reduced from 280 kg to 200 kg as a temporary measure. The MSB travels over the catchment area of the water supply for Vienna so, if the cable broke and potential pollutants fell into the valley, there could be significant consequences. It would also not be a good idea to have the hut regularly supplied by helicopter for similar reasons. The MSB is vital as a means of supply for the hut to remain open. There is not enough storage space in the cellar to store supplies for the whole season.

Quotes for the repair of the MSB range from €90K to €130K before tax. All the quotes will have to be carefully checked to see that everything is covered in their estimates. There is some concern that the quotes are too low! Whatever the final estimate it will amount to a large burden on a small section with only 250 members. Furthermore, even if they were able to raise most of the money from other sources, under Austrian law, 10% of the total cost has to be provided by the section from its own funds. This is where Sektion Britannia's Hut Fund can help. A donation to the section from our Hut Fund would contribute to their own funds.

After discussing the situation at their October meeting, the Executive Committee agreed that €20K should be donated from the Hut Fund to Sektion Voisthaler to assist with the work on the Voisthalerhütte MSB, subject to the work going ahead. On receiving this news, Chairman, Peter Soustal replied to our Chairman, Mike Garrett:

"I received your e-mail and read it with the greatest pleasure and joy. Before the meeting in Linz we had been almost desperate and now we are hopeful again. Thank you so much. Of course we will inform you accurately about the work flow as far the Materialseilbahn is concerned. With pleasure we will show at Voisthalerhütte that Sektion Britannia gave great help with cable railway, which is so vital for the management of the hut. Thousand thanks to you and your committee, I am deeply touched by your generosity."

Since then, on the strength of the promise of the Hut Fund money, in addition to applying for funding from the ÖAV 2015 Huts and Paths allocation, they have written many letters to many officials. In December they heard unofficially that the Styrian Provincial Government will probably provide between €20K and €€0K towards the project. They are hoping to get it in writing in January!

Thank you for your generous donations to the Hut Fund, thus enabling Sektion Britannia to play its part in supporting the Austrian Huts and Paths network in such a positive and much appreciated way. As you may have gathered from the Hauptversammlung report we already have a number of other projects under consideration for 2015. Please keep the donations coming in!

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