Mountain hikers think that refuges are hotels and want luxury as they demand beach-style lunches, officials have said. The huts’ function is to provide accommodation, food and shelter for hikers, mountaineers and skiers. But today, visitors apparently treating them like party venues, walking in flip flops, and wearing no jackets. Around 120million people visit the Alps each year, with the WWF reporting that “new waves of “mass tourism” threaten to destroy pristine wildlife areas”.
What has been described as an invasion of visitors has resulted in large queues for the cable car at Seceda in the Dolomites, and furious farmers near the peak’s summit have installed turnstiles, charging €5 (£4.32) to enter as people walk all over their meadows. Hotter temperatures in cities and on beaches has purportedly meant more holidaymakers are turning to Europe’s mountain range for trips, after people sought open air in the region during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before the disease brought the world to a halt, 8,000 rescue operations were carried out a year.
This has now risen to 12,000.
Hikers with minimal experience are getting “worn out”, and call in helicopters, according to Antonio Montani, the president of the Italian Alpine Club.
He told the Times: “Getting a cable car to 3,500 metres and then ordering champagne and oysters is not getting into the spirit of the mountain.”
“The need to hike to get somewhere is a filter, a form of natural selection we need back,” Mr Montani added.
“The mountain should be synonymous with fatigue.”
One refuge manager recalled a visitor even asking for a plate of prosciutto and melon, beachside meal that would never usually be seen in the Alps.
Another driver of high visitor numbers is thought to be social media, and an obsession with taking photos of the peaks, following in the steps of influencers.
Hikers are urged by experts to bring with them supplies like water, food and extra clothing.
Emergency equipment, such as a torch, whistle and a fully charged mobile phone should also be packed.
Letting family and friends know where you are going is essential, and walkers should respect nature as they go along.
Familiarising yourself with advisory signs in the Alps is also advised, as well as choosing trails of an appropriate difficulty level, according to Travel and Tour World.
