Engelberg Magazin No. 24

Von der Spannorthütte hat man besten Ausblick auf den Titlis – dies einmal von einer anderen Perspektive als ge- wohnt (Foto: George Eisler). The Spannort hut offers great views of the Titlis – from a different perspective than usual. (Photo: George Eisler)

Einblick in die neuen Schlaf- räume (Foto: George Eisler). A view of the new bedrooms (Photo: George Eisler)

Im Speiseraum lässt es sich verweilen und nach oder vor einer strengen Tour erho- len (Foto: George Eisler).

The hut’s dining room is a won- derful place to sit and relax after a strenuous hiking or climbing tour. (Photo: George Eisler).

In June 2018, renovation of the Spannort Hut was complete, following an investment of around two million Swiss francs by the Uto branch of the SAC. When the time came for the new hut to be blessed, Abbot Christian gamely made his way up the steep path to the Spannort, 1,956 metres above sea level: “Grant health and strength to all who seek shelter and protection here,” he said as he sprinkled holy water. “May they find fellowship and return home safe and happy.” Since last year, hikers on the Spannor t have been able to sleep more comfor tably in new bedrooms at the Span- nor t Hut. An additiona l man faeces into innocuous humus. There is a lso a new and improved shower. The building derives a ll its energy f rom a mini hydroelec- tric power station and photovoltaic modu le. It takes around three hours to reach the hut f rom the Fürena lpbahn va lley sta- tion, wa lking v ia the Stäfeli. The hut was origina lly built in 1880, at an impressive location beneath the Spannor t mountains, which jut up like a set of organ pipes in the skyline between the Hahnen and the Titlis. The hut is the star ting point for gorgeous high-A lpine tours to Gross Spannor t or Krönt- en. Climbers a lso come here on trips to the Sch lossberg or the nearby climbing gardens. During the summer months, the hut is managed by Andy Ot t and Fredy Städ ler, who met on an SAC hut warden course. They had both wanted to tr y out something new. As a youngster, Andy dreamed of running his own hut in the mountains. Then he had three children, he was busy with his job, and luxur y are two new compost toilets with an innovative system that helps prevent unpleasant smells: worms liv ing in the tank turn hu-

his dream faded – a lthough it never went away. He spent three summers helping out at the Cad limo hut between the Lukmanier Pass and the Obera lp Pass before f ina lly taking the life-changing step at age 56: “Af- ter 32 years as a teacher, I quit my job and gave up the security of a f i xed income.” Fredy, on the other hand, had recently taken early retirement f rom his job as a geo- matics engineer and was looking for some- thing to devote his ex tra time to. While on a hike he had the idea to become a hut warden:

“I did some research into what was required, and to f ind out whether they’ d even take on somebody over 60,” he laughs. Af ter get- ting the okay, he completed two internships. He gained

Following renovation work on the Spannort Hut, two wardens have taken the reins here.

his f irst oppor tunity to manage a hut when the Spannor t ’s prev ious hut warden, Silv ia Hursch ler, asked him to help look af ter the workers renovating the hut. Af ter the renova- tions were complete, Fredy was of fered the oppor tunity to take over as warden. Knowing it wou ld be too much for him a lone, he found the idea l companion for the job in Andy Ot t. The duo were more than satisf ied with their f irst season running the hut together: “We made a great team and our guests were happy,” says Fredy. “We a lso had the suppor t of our families – par ticu larly our par tners Doris and Sabine – and many f riends.” Andy adds: “A lpine farmers f rom the surround- ing area came to v isit, too. They immediately made us feel welcome. There was no riva lr y; up here ever yone helps one another out.” The on ly unwelcome guests up here are the sheep who plunder the herb garden – but they too are protec ted by the Abbot ’s blessing.

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hotellerie | thehotel industry

hotellerie | thehotel industry