Owner:
ÖAV Alpenverein Innsbruck
Location:
Situated on a plateau at the head of the Oberberg valley below the Ruderhofspitz and peaks of the Alpeiner.
Open:
Summer: May to early October; winter: March and April, weather permitting.
Facilities:
Valley and Hut Connections (2021 timetable):
Bus 590 from Innsbruck to Neustift via Fulpmes. Then schedule taxi from Neustift to Oberissalm +43 5226 3333 and walk to the Franz-Senn-Hütte. If you are a small group of 4 or 5 it is best to book your own taxi minibus service that will meet you in Neustift and take you direct to the Oberisshütte.
Starkenburger Hütte 6-7hr; Neue Regensburger Hütte 4hr; Amberger Hütte 6-7hr [an exceptional day of mountaineering].
Excursions from the hut:
Rinnenspitze (3000m) 3hr; Rinnnensee 2-3hr; Sommerwand (2676m) 2hr; Sommerwand Kletterstieg 3hr; Lüsener (Lisenser) Fernerkogel (3298m) 5-6hr; Ruderhofspitz (3473m) 6-7hr.
Maps:
Alpenvereinskarte 1:25,000 sheets 31/1 (Hochstubai) and 31/2 (Sellrain)
Address:
Thomas and Beate Fankhauser, Franz-Senn-Hütte, Schulweg 18, A-6167 Neustift im Stubaital. Austria.
Email: office@franzsennhuette.at
Website: www.franzsennhuette.at
Telephone: Hut +43 (0)5226 2218
Mobile +43 (0)664 444 2094
This is perhaps the premiere of all the Stubai huts because of its close links with the history of the Österreichischer Alpenverein and one of its founders, after whom it is named. A portrait of Franz Senn can be found in the dining room.
AAC(UK) is held in high esteem at the hut due to close links with Walter Ingham and Henry Crowther, AAC founders in 1948. The hut has been used many times for Club training meets and benefited from a Hut Fund donation in 1998 for a seminar training room named after Walter Ingham. The Hut Fund had been boosted by a significant bequest from Harry Parkes, who is commemorated at a nearby viewpoint. Also in the hut is a portrait of Tony Freake, “Papa Tony”, AAC(UK) President from 2001 to his death in 2009, rightly honoured for the work he undertook in Nepal.
This very substantial stone-built hut started life in 1885 with accommodation for 37 persons, with four places reserved for ladies. Thereafter it was subsequently enlarged in 1891, 1907, 1932 and again in 1960 to its present four storey status. The hut is strategically placed for climbing the peaks of the Alpeiner area high above the Oberberg valley. The Ruderhofspitz, Schrankogl and Lisenser Fernerkogel are all regularly climbed from the hut.
The hut is popular with day-trippers because of fairly easy access by jeep service from Neustift and Milders to the Oberisshütte. It is also popular for ÖAV/DAV climbing courses and other aspirant alpinists. Because of the hut’s popularity, sometimes it is a little crowded, but it’s a big hut and everyone seems to fit in to enjoy their stay.
There is much history surrounding the hut, but most of its original internal architecture, other than the dining room, seems to have been lost at some time during refurbishment. The hut celebrated its 125th anniversary on 2 October 2010.
This is a fine hut with excellent views toward the Kalkkögel and peaks of the Alpeiner.
Post Covid 19 Pandemic Restrictions:
It is unlikely that for the foreseeable future hut life will return to the lifestyle we once enjoyed prior to the Coronavirus Pandemic. As with all huts visitors should check carefully the restrictions in place when booking.
Editor’s note:The Franz-Senn-Hütte will be the base for the Families Bergfest in July 2022; details are in the Overseas Meets and on the website.
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