Gamshütte

Gamshütte is a mountain hut (Schutzhütte) of Category I belonging to the Sektion Otterfing of the Deutscher Alpenverein (DAV), the German Alpine Club. It stands at 1,921 m above sea level in the Zillertal Alps, above Dornauberg, a part of the municipality of Finkenberg in the Austrian federal state of Tyrol. The hut is a well-known stop for day hikers, a resting point on the Berliner Höhenweg, and a base for climbs to the Grinbergspitze peaks. The hut was built by private hands in 1928 and acquired in 1932 by the Sektion Kurmark of the Deutscher und Österreichischer Alpenverein (DuOeAV), founded in Berlin in 1913. After that section was dissolved in 1945, the Sektion Berlin of the DAV took over the hut in 1949. In 1993 it passed to the Sektion Otterfing of the DAV, which began a comprehensive modernization. In 1997 a photovoltaic system for generating electricity and a thermal solar system for hot water were installed. In 2020/21 the hut was extended and fully renovated: in addition to a separate sleeping area for the tenant and staff, the hut now has new washrooms and a new high-capacity photovoltaic system with a lithium-ion battery bank, so that even the motor of the material cable car is powered by solar energy. According to the official website, the hut opens at the beginning of June and the season runs until mid to late September; it never opens before the beginning of June and is never occupied in October. The hut is deliberately rustic and simply equipped: no warm water, only a cold shower against a mountain backdrop; no Wi-Fi, but good games, magazines and real people; no single rooms, but good schnapps and cozy dormitory bunks. It is a popular destination for day tours, a small stop on the sun terrace, and a place to enjoy the view. Even in bad weather it is easily reachable, with a warm dining room. Overnight guests come mainly because the Gamshütte is the first (or last) station on the Berliner Höhenweg or to hike comfortably to the Grinbergspitze the next day. Food and drink are served on the terrace with a view of the Zillertal and Tuxer Alps, or in the cozy Gaststube by the fireplace when the weather does not cooperate. The nearest railway station is Mayrhofen (Zillertalbahn); bus stops are Finkenberg, Teufelsbrücke and Ginzling, Gamsgrube. Access routes include from Finkenberg via the Gamshüttenweg (No. 533), 3 hours; from the Rosengartenbrücke on trail No. 534 via the Grinberg Alm (1,380 m), 2 hours; and from the Gasthaus Gamsgrube (965 m) via the Grasbergalm (No. 533a), 3 hours. Tour options include the Vordere Grinbergspitze (2,765 m, 2 hours), Mittlere Grinbergspitze (2,867 m, 2½ hours), Hintere Grinbergspitze (2,886 m, 3 hours), the Berliner Höhenweg section Gamshütte–Friesenberghaus (about 9 hours), the Berliner Höhenweg to the Graue Platte and descent to Ginzling (4 hours), the Rudolf-Stöckl-Weg to the Elsalpe (2½ hours), and the Lachtalspitze (2,259 m, 2 hours). The relevant map is the Alpenvereinskarte 1:50,000, sheet 33, Tuxer Alpen.

The Gamshütte was built by private hands in 1928. In 1932 it was purchased by the Sektion Kurmark of the Deutscher und Österreichischer Alpenverein (DuOeAV), a section founded in Berlin in 1913. After the dissolution of that section in 1945, the Sektion Berlin of the Deutscher Alpenverein (DAV) took over the hut in 1949. In 1993 the hut passed to the Sektion Otterfing of the DAV, which began a comprehensive modernization. In 1997 a photovoltaic system for generating electricity and a thermal solar system for producing hot water were installed. In 2020/21 the hut was extended and fully renovated: in addition to a separate sleeping area for the tenant and staff, the hut now has new washrooms and a new high-capacity photovoltaic system with a lithium-ion battery bank, so that even the motor of the material cable car is operated with solar energy. The official website notes that the hut opens at the beginning of June and the season runs until mid to late September, and that it is never open before the beginning of June or in October. The hut is a Category I Schutzhütte of the DAV Sektion Otterfing, located at 1,921 m above sea level in the Zillertal Alps above Dornauberg, part of Finkenberg in Tyrol, Austria.

• 2021

  Completion of the renovation, including a new photovoltaic system with lithium-ion battery bank.

• 2020

  The hut was extended and fully renovated (2020/21).

• 1997

  A photovoltaic system and a thermal solar system were installed.

• 1993

  The hut passed to the Sektion Otterfing of the DAV, which began a comprehensive modernization.

• 1949

  The Sektion Berlin of the DAV took over the hut.

• 1945

  The Sektion Kurmark was dissolved.

• 1932

  The hut was purchased by the Sektion Kurmark of the DuOeAV.

• 1928

  The hut was built by private hands.

Rustic, simply equipped Category I alpine hut with a deliberate off-grid charm, serving hikers and mountaineers in the Zillertal Alps.

• Mountain hut accommodation

• Dormitory bunks

• Alpine food and drink

• Terrace dining

• Hiking and mountaineering base

1. 1VR 360° - Gamshüttegamshuette.at
2. 2Gamshüttewikidata.org
3. 3Gamshütte (Zillertaler Alpen)de.wikipedia.org