The Solsteinhaus is an
Alpine Club hut belonging to the
Austrian Alpine Club
The Austrian Alpine Club (german: Österreichischer Alpenverein) has about 573,000 members in 196 sections and is the largest mountaineering organisation in Austria. It is responsible for the upkeep of over 234 alpine huts in Austria and neighbour ...
located at a height of on the Erl Saddle (''Erlsattel'') between the mountains of the
Nordkette and
Erlspitze Group. It was opened in 1914 and totally renovated in 2007. It lies in the western
Karwendel Alps in the state of
Tyrol not far from the state capital of
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
. Due to its central location and the numerous tour options it offers, the hut is a base for climbers taking part in tours of several days long, as well as a starting point for summit attempts. In addition the hut is a popular destination for hikers who can easily do a day tour to the hut. In winter the hut is closed, but there is a
winter room for ski tourers. During safe
avalanche conditions, high Alpine
ski tours can be undertaken to the surrounding summits; but these all require good experience.
Visit of Bruno the Bear / JJ1
In the evening hours of 7 June 2006 a
brown bear,
JJ1, otherwise known as Bruno, was seen from the Solsteinhaus. On the following day several 15 to 20 centimetre large imprints of bear paws were found near the building.
''Auf wilder Schafsjagd: Hüttenwirt erspäht fliehenden Bären "JJ 1" bei Solsteinhaus/Zirl''
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Approaches
* From Hochzirl
Zirl is a market town in the district of Innsbruck-Land in the Austrian state of Tyrol located 10 km west of Innsbruck at the bottom of a pass up the side of the Zirler Berg, leading to Seefeld and ultimately to Germany. The location was ment ...
( Mittenwald Railway) along the Hüttenweg, easy, time: 2.5 hours
* From Scharnitz
Scharnitz is a municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land in the Austrian state of Tyrol located north of Innsbruck and from Seefeld in Tirol on the German border. It is one of the largest municipalities and has 10 parts: Au, Eisack, Gieße ...
through the valleys of Hinterautal, Gleirschtal and Großkristental, easy, time: 5 hours
* From Gießenbach ( Mittenwald Railway) through the Eppzirler Tal and along the Eppzirler Scharte, medium, time: 5 hours
Crossings
* Nördlinger Hut along the Freiungen Ridgeway (Freiungen-Höhenweg, easy route, partly a protected Klettersteig), time: 4.5 hours
* Eppzirler Alm along the Eppzirler Scharte, medium, time: 3 hours
* New Magdeburg Hut along the Zirler Schützensteig, time: 1.5 hours
* Pfeishut along the Gipfelstürmer Way (Gipfelstürmerweg), Frau Hitt Saddle, Seegrube, Hafelekarspitze and Goethe Way, challenging, time: 6 hours
Summit routes
* Großer () and Kleiner () Solstein along the west flank, medium, time: 2–3 hours
* Kuhljochspitze () along the Freiungen Ridgeway and the north arête, medium, time: 2 hours
* Erlspitze () along the south flank and the southeast arête, medium, time: 1.5 hours
Gallery
File:Solsteinhaus mit Erlspitze.jpg, The Solsteinhaus in front of the Erlspitze
File:Solsteinhaus_vor_Kuhljochspitze_und_Erlspitze_HQ.jpg, The Solsteinhaus, following its 2007 renovation, in front of the Kuhljochspitze (left) and Erlspitze (right)
File:Kleiner_+_Grosser_Solstein_von_NW_HQ.jpg, Kleiner (left) + Großer (right) Solstein with the Solsteinhaus from the NW
Literature
* Walter Klier: '' Alpine Club Guide Karwendel alpin'', 15. Auflage, 2005, Bergverlag Rudolf Rother, Munich,
References
External links
{{Commons category
Home page of the Solsteinhaus
Mountain huts in Tyrol (state)
Karwendel