Buchsteinhaus

The place

Buchsteinhaus: A History of Mountaineering and Innovation The Buchsteinhaus is a mountain hut belonging to the Bad Ischl local group of the Austrian Naturefriends (Naturfreunde). Located in the Ennstal Alps, it sits at an altitude of 1571 m at the tree line, below the southwest face of the Grosser Buchstein, overlooking the Enns valley. History Already in the earliest editions of his guidebook, "the father of the Gesäuse", Heinrich Heß, described the legendary view from the Hohen Krautgartl. However, several decades passed before the Buchsteinhaus could be used as a base in 1924, after many earlier building proposals had failed before a permit was finally granted in 1921. Work began at the former Pichlmayer alpine pasture at the Brucksattel. From there, a switchback access trail was built, along which, over three years, 200 volunteers carried huge quantities of building materials, including 258 larch logs, entire loads of timber, and hundreds of kilograms of bricks and cement to the construction site. On 10 August 1924, the hut was inaugurated as the Naturefriends' house on the Grosser Buchstein. In 1979, the house passed from the St. Pölten Naturefriends to the Bad Ischl group. That year, a harsh winter weakened the foundations so much that the house risked collapsing. During the renovation work, a slightly enlarged kitchen was built, along with spacious washing and work areas under the terrace. The construction of the Pfannl-Maischberger via ferrata on the south face of the Grosser Buchstein brought an unexpected influx of visitors. Supplying goods by cable trolley became increasingly difficult, so in 2006 the long-awaited cable car was built. After a corner of the house later subsided, it was demolished, and from 2008 to 2010 an expensive new building was constructed. The new Buchsteinhaus now has two dining rooms, large dormitories and a panoramic terrace. The kitchen uses regional products. Since 2021, the Buchsteinhaus has been owned by the Bad Ischl local group of the Naturefriends. Routes Access Access is from the Enns valley, from the Gesäuse road (car park at the National Park Pavilion), via the Brucksattel (1117 m) in about three hours. The hut can also be reached from the former Eisenzieher inn, in the municipality of St. Gallen. This climb passes through the Grosses Billbach valley at the foot of the Admonter Frauenmauer wall and below the west cliffs of the Buchsteinstock, arriving at the hut in about 5 hours. Ascents The hut is the only base for climbing the Grosser Buchstein and the Admonter Frauenmauer. The west and south cliffs of the Buchsteinstock offer a multitude of routes of all levels near the hut, such as the normal route, the Wenger via ferrata, the south ridge and the west ridge of the Buchstein. Connections to Other Huts All connections to other huts are made by descending into the valley. References Willi End: Gesäuseberge. Ein Führer für Täler, Hütten und Berge (= Alpine Club Guide. Northern Limestone Alps Series.). Bergverlag Rother, Munich 1988, ISBN 3-7633-1248-X. Ernst Kren: Tourenbuch Gesäuse. Wege, Hütten, Gipfel. Schall-Verlag, Alland 2011, ISBN 978-3-900533-64-9. Josef Hasitschka, Ernst Kren, Adolf Mokrejs: Gesäuse-Pioniere. Alpingeschichte aus der Universität des Bergsteigens. Schall-Verlag, Alland 2008, ISBN 978-3-900533-53-3.