I'm planning a climbing trip to Switzerland for next summer and my biggest motivation to plan early was my worry that the Hornli hut would book up very early. From the website, however, it looks like they won't start taking reservations for next season until June 1, 2017! http://www.hoernlihuette.ch/reservation_46.html I tried calling and no answer. Is this typical for the Hornli hut?

Flatlandish wrote:I'm planning a climbing trip to Switzerland for next summer and my biggest motivation to plan early was my worry that the Hornli hut would book up very early. From the website, however, it looks like they won't start taking reservations for next season until June 1, 2017! http://www.hoernlihuette.ch/reservation_46.html I tried calling and no answer. Is this typical for the Hornli hut?

I've never tried contacting the Hornli hut, but I'm not the least bit surprised. It's the same for many huts in the Alps. Two reasons spring to mind why there is no not answer:

1) The hut is unattended right now, so calling the hut is useless.
2) If you're calling a different number, perhaps nobody hears the phone.

On a different note: the busiest huts in the Alps - and the Hornli hut is definitely one of those - won't take early reservations. Period. No use calling or emailing them. Just try to book as soon as they do take reservations. Alternatively, you can plan your trip in the period that the hut is still closed, and use the winter room instead. The big problem with that idea is that either the Hornli ridge is not in condition yet, or it is, and then the winter room will be totally crowded. And since you won't know if the route is in condition until shortly before you arrive, you can't plan far ahead for it.

My best advice is to have a backup plan. If you fail to secure a reservation for the Hornli hut for the days that you want, your trip can still be a success. There are many great mountains and fantastic routes in the area, and none are as crowded as the Hornli ridge. For some other huts a reservation is useful or even required, but many often have room enough to accommodate unannounced guests. In case of doubt, you can make a reservation one or two days before going somewhere. Or you can use the many cable cars and climb 4000-ers from the valley.

That's helpful, thanks. I've been prepping for this trip for a long time and I've started to look past the Matterhorn to objectives like the Frendo Spur, the Gervasutti pillar, the Eiger 1938 route. Probably best if I stick to the comparatively easy Hornli ridge for my first trip to the big mountains.