There is even a threat of demolition SAC huts sound the alarm about climate change

Climate change is causing the permafrost to thaw. This poses problems for many SAC huts. In some cases, they may even have to be dismantled.

The Swiss Alpine Club SAC has analyzed the effects of climate change on the 152 SAC huts and bivouacs with the "Huts 2050" study package. Initial results show the need for action: thawing permafrost, increasing natural hazards and changing landscapes require innovative adaptations in hut construction.

Over a third of the huts could become unstable in the future due to thawing permafrost. 42 huts are also potentially threatened by rockfalls from permafrost areas. The water supply for the huts is also becoming more challenging, as the SAC writes in a press release.

The figures and findings are also striking when you focus on the immediate surroundings of the huts. If guests can still see a glacier at almost a third of SAC huts today, this will only be the case at 10 percent by 2050, and at none by the end of the century, according to the study.

Over the next 25 years, the melted ice will create larger lakes at 21 huts within a radius of two kilometers. Changes are also expected in the access routes: Currently, these lead over glaciers at 22 lodgings in summer and winter; in a quarter of a century, this will only be the case at 6 huts.

Adapt, relocate or even dismantle?

In order to be able to react to the climate-related changes, the SAC has enlisted the support of architecture students from the Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH. The proposed solutions include structural adjustments, relocations and, in some cases, even the dismantling of huts.

"Climate change is forcing us to rethink our concepts," Ulrich Delang, Head of Huts at the SAC, is quoted as saying. "Our huts need to be adapted so that they remain safe and attractive in the future."

This is not just about structural safety, but also about continuing to make mountain sports possible under changing conditions. One possibility, for example, is the conversion of alpine huts into mountain hiking huts. The next step is now to validate the results by means of more detailed investigations and to implement the findings in action measures.

Investments worth millions necessary

According to the press release, the necessary adjustments and structural measures will require high investments in the coming years. The money from the SAC hut fund will not be enough to finance the construction projects alone.

In June 2024, the National Council referred a postulate from Valais National Councillor Benjamin Roduit. This calls for the development of a catalog of incentives or financial aid to ensure adaptation to climate change.