Samantha Larson
  • Clips
  • About
  • More Stories
  • In the Media
  • Contact

Experience Alpine Enchantment at These Eight Austrian Huts

11/5/2015

 
Published in Smithsonian.com

Austria is a country defined by mountains: Well over half of its landscape is shaped by the iconic Alps. A night spent in Innsbruck, the capital city of Tyrol (the state in which Austria’s highest peaks are found), is full of constant reminders of the summits above: crisp mountain air, cool temperatures, the sound of periodic rock fall. Many Austrians spend their weekends and holidays exploring the higher climes. They hike past lush alpine dairy pastures and pristine lakes in the shadow of rocky spires. And at the end of each day, they enjoy a hearty meal, hot shower and night’s rest at a scenic hütte (hut).

There are more than 1,000 hütten scattered through the Eastern Alps, most of which are associated with either the Austrian Alpine Club or German Alpine Club. While a summer hiking in the Austrian Alps might sound like the sort of vacation best suited for serious adventurers, the clubs were founded in 1873 with the mission to make the peaks accessible to all. As Henrich Stenitzer, a prominent club member, wrote in 1912, “The alpine clubs have unlocked the majesty and beauty of the high mountains for the masses, giving countless numbers of people the opportunity, without prohibitively demanding effort…or exorbitant costs, to become acquainted with the Alps.”

Read More

Smithsonian Magazine's Smart News Blog

4/24/2015

 
My author page here.
    Samantha's

    Archives

    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011

    Categories

    All
    Arts & Culture
    ATTN
    Climbing & Adventure
    Crosscut
    Earthfix
    FIX.com
    Generation Anthropocene
    Grist
    Health
    High Country News
    Jungles In Paris
    Mental_floss
    National Geographic Daily News
    News
    People
    RootsRated
    Santa Cruz Weekly
    Science & Environment
    Seattle Weekly
    Smithsonian.com
    Tech
    Travel

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Clips
  • About
  • More Stories
  • In the Media
  • Contact