Description
The mountain refuge has:
- a kitchen, reserved for the manager and the refuge staff, where food and drink are prepared in accordance with hygiene regulations;
- a dining room for eating and drinking, equipped with tables, benches and/or chairs;
- a sleeping area, equipped with beds or bunks;
- shared toilet facilities.
The mountain refuge also offers the following services:
- a communication system linked to the Single Emergency Call Centre (112) for managing any emergencies;
- first-aid equipment for emergencies;
- a source of electricity to run the mountain hut: it is therefore at the manager’s discretion whether to allow guests to connect their electrical appliances;
- drinking water is guaranteed at least in the kitchen; it is therefore possible that the water in the rest of the refuge is not drinkable, as indicated by any relevant signs that may be displayed. In the mountains, water is a limited and precious resource; it is therefore possible that shower facilities may not be available to guests, either because they are not provided or have been suspended due to water scarcity, or because they are subject to a charge and/or time restrictions.
There is always a helicopter landing pad near the mountain refuge, used for emergency helicopter rescue operations and for resupplying the refuge.
Accommodation services at a mountain refuge include:
- accommodation,
- catering, i.e. the provision of food and drink of all kinds,
- the sale of items for tourists.
The refuge manager must ensure:
- a minimum seasonalopening period from 20 June to 20 September, ensuring that the mountain hut is staffed and accessible 24 hours a day throughout this period, with no closing days;
- to welcome any hiker, mountaineer or tourist in need of accommodation or shelter, regardless of the refuge’s capacity, especially in the event of bad weather or an emergency;
- that guests are allowed to consume their own food and drink in the communal areas, both indoors and outdoors. For this service, the manager may charge a small fee, which must be clearly stated in the price list, displayed prominently both inside and outside the refuge.
As regards overnight accommodation, the rooms in an alpine refuge do not have en-suite bathrooms; instead, there are only communal toilet facilities, with a minimum of one toilet with washbasin for every 25 beds. The rooms are compact, as the standards for bed density are quite high (ranging from 3.5 to 10 cubic metres per bed, whereas in hotels the minimum standard is just over 14 cubic metres per bed). Furthermore, half of the accommodation capacity in an alpine refuge is provided in dormitories with more than four beds: it is therefore possible that you may have to share your sleeping quarters with other guests. Accommodation may consist of beds, camp beds or bunks (small beds, sometimes made from a shared wooden platform), which may be arranged in tiers.
In the event of an emergency, should the refuge need to accommodate hikers or mountaineers in excess of its official capacity, emergency sleeping places may also be provided on the floor, on a bench or on a wooden platform.
When the refuge is closed, the so-called ‘winter bivouac’ remains available to hikers and mountaineers; this is a designated area within or near the refuge, equipped with the essentials to ensure survival in the event of an emergency or necessity. Normally, the refuge’s winter bivouac contains camp beds or bunks for resting, as well as a table and chairs or benches.