In the footsteps of a legend

Peter Habeler, along with Reinhold Messner, is known as the first human to have climbed Mount Everest without oxygen. In 2014, in honour of Peter Habeler's 70th birthday, this hut-to-hut tour was named after him.

It is a hut-to-hut tour in the Zillertal Alps. The hut-to-hut tour leads over the flanks of the Hintertux Glacier and partly crosses the border with South Tyrol (Italy). You walk across green alpine meadows and early in the hiking season you may encounter snowfields. 

Some parts of the route are marked as "hoch alpine route". This means that you have to be firm on your feet on these stretches, as you will pass narrow ledges and paths with a deeper abyss. In a few places you will come across ladders and steel cables, which help you get up and down the slope well. Of course we are there to guide you, possibly with material, in a safe way.

This hut-to-hut tour is intended for experienced mountaineers/hikers from the age of 18 with a good level of fitness. The stages are relatively long and challenging. On average, you walk between 4 to 9 hours a day.

Hut life is an experience in itself!!

Many different mountaineers come together in the huts after a long day of exercise. It is a pleasant get-together, exchanging experiences and above all recovering from the day. Games are played and people enjoy a nutritious meal together. Eating often takes place between 19:00 and 20:00.

In the mountain huts there are a number of rules and customs, in order to structure the 'coexistence' with the other attendees. The caretaker of the hut will assign you a place to sleep. We often sleep in 'a Lager', a dormitory with a row of narrow mattresses or bunk beds next to each other. The limited spaces are designed to accommodate as many people as possible. Blankets and pillows are always provided. To keep the sleeping quarters neat and livable, everyone folds their own blankets neatly in the morning. Because the blankets are not washed after every user, a sleeping bag is often mandatory.

Most cabins are equipped with solar panels or a generator for electricity. People are economical with energy, which is why the lights are turned on late and out again at 22:00 at the latest. From that moment on, it's 'Hüttenruhe'. There is no light at night, so it is useful if you have a headlight or flashlight at hand. The cabins are simple, as are the sanitary facilities. Nowadays it is possible to shower in more and more cabins, for which you can buy a shower token on site.

Day 1

Start: Tourismusverband Tux / Finkenberg
Destination: Tuxerjochhaus 2,316 m
Walking time: 6 hours

At a leisurely pace, you walk along the river to the foot of the Hintertux Glacier. From this point on, we move up. We climb steadily to the first mountain station. From here you have a beautiful view over the Tux valley. Once you arrive at the mountain station, you have a good view of the first overnight stop of this tour. Just a little more climbing and you have reached the Tuxerjochhaus!

Day 2

Start: Tuxerjochhaus 2.316 m
Final destination: Geraer Hütte 2,324 m
Walking time: 6 hours

Today you will walk mostly on hiking trail No. 527. On the route to the Geraer Hütte you pass the Frauenwand, the Kasererscharte and the Kleegrubenscharte. At the beginning of the route the paths are wide, as the route progresses the paths become narrower and you walk over gravel and stone. Arriving at the Geraer Hütte, you can enjoy a beautiful sunset, provided the weather conditions are good.

Day 3 

Start: Geraer Hütte 2.324 m
Destination: Landshuter Europahütte 2,693 m
Walking time: 7 hours

On day 3 you will make the most walking hours in one day, during this hut tour. During the first part of the stage, you descend a lot of altimeters to the Valsertal. In the Valsertal you can take a break from the descent. The roads are wide and relatively flat.

We take the Geistbock Trail to the Landshuter Europahütte. The road to the hut is long and tough. On the way you pass a short via ferrata passage. Arriving at the Landshuter Europahütte, you are in fact staying right on a national border. The border between Italy and Austria runs right through the dining room here!

Day 4

Start: Landshuter Europa Hütte 2,693 m
Final destination: Pfitscherjochhaus 2,273 m
Walking time: 4 hours

A quiet day today! You gradually descend to the Pfitscherjochhaus. Along the way, you will walk along clear and cold mountain lakes. The landscape is barren and covered with a lot of stone. This stage takes you through Italian territory.

Day 5

Start: Pfitscherjochhaus 2.273 m
Final destination: Olperer Hütte 2,388 m
Walking time: 6 hours

Today, the Olperer Hütte, with its famous Olpererbrücke, is the final destination on the program. First, you'll cross the border between Italy and Austria. A great photo opportunity! Then you continue walking in the direction of the Olperer Hütte. The hiking trails consist mainly of stone, gravel and boulders. Along the way, you will cross the Unterschrammachkar, which lies below the striking Olperer.

After a tough last part of the tour, you arrive at the Olperer Hütte. You walk a short distance to the Olpererbrücke, here you can enjoy a beautiful view!

Day 6

Start: Olperer Hütte 2.388 m
Final destination: Friesenberghaus 2.498 m
Walking time: approx. 3.5 hours

A beautiful mountain path leads over the flanks of the Olperer and the back of the Hintertux Glacier. You stay well informed with the Friesenberghaus as a starting point. At the Friesenberghaus, the guide will take you to a unique place with a beautiful view. Be surprised!

Day 7

Start: Friesenberghaus 2.498 m
Final destination: Alpengasthaus Breitlahner car park 1,257 m
Walking time: approx. 4.5 hours

On the last day of the hut-to-hut tour, you can enjoy the view over Schlegeis reservoir one last time. You descend on varied paths to the parking lot of Alpengasthaus Breitlahner. Here you can, just like what Peter Habeler did, reminisce about the great hut-to-hut tour

Our trips are organized on the basis of our own transport. This means that you take care of your own transport to the first starting point of your desired week. 
If desired, we can provide accommodation where you can stay before and after the week. Feel free to contact us so we can arrange this for you. 

Our mountain guide rates

Because our hut-to-hut tours are often tailor-made, it is difficult to give concrete rates in advance. To be able to give an indication, below is an overview of the target prices for the mountain guide. For each hut-to-hut tour, the price is tailor-made, based on the agreements made per tour. 

In addition to the guide prices, there are also the costs for overnight stays, food and drinks and the costs on site.

Daily rate mountain guide summer

01 to 04 persons € 300,- per day
From 05 people rate on request

How do you prepare for a hut-to-hut tour?

A good basic condition is nice, you can simply enjoy the tour more. Therefore, start the physical preparation for the hut-to-hut tour on time. A good preparation consists of strengthening muscles that you rarely use in daily life and improving mobility and stability. Don't forget to get your body used to walking with a backpack (weight included). 

Mountaineering boots have to endure a lot on a hut-to-hut tour. Check your shoes before the start of the hut-to-hut tour. Make sure your hiking boots are well broken in, have a good tread and that they are in one piece. In addition, extra care of your shoe with a maintenance product is not an unnecessary luxury.

Difficulty of this hut-to-hut tour

View details of the difficulty of this hut-to-hut tour here. Do you have any questions about this? Feel free to contact us.

What do you bring?

Enjoying and being safe on the road in the mountains is our top priority. To make this possible, good equipment is important. We have drawn up a packing list, which gives you tools to pack the right equipment. At the start of the hut-to-hut tour, we check your equipment to prevent you from taking too much or too little.

Bring enough cash with you, many cabins do not allow payment by debit card

It is always useful to know what is included in a trip. Below are the most important points

INCLUDING

• Trusted, experienced & licensed English speaking tour guide: 
• 3 nights in multi-bed rooms & bearings
• Half board (breakfast and dinner) from dinner day 1 to breakfast on day 7
• Additional information such as packing lists 

EXCLUSIVE

• Personal expenses on drinks, phone calls, snacks and souvenirs
• Round-trip journey to and from the start and end points of the journey
• Tours snacks such as bars, nuts & chocolate and lunch 
• Travel and cancellation insurance