Solsteinhaus
The Solsteinhaus is an Alpine Club hut belonging to the Austrian Alpine Club located at a height of 1,806 m (AA) 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. 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.
| Solsteinhaus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 47.3081°N 11.2881°E |
| Administrative district | Tyrol, Austria |
| Mountain range | Karwendel |
| Location | Erlsattel |
| Elevation | 1,806 m (5,925 ft) |
| Construction | |
| Built in | 1912/14, renovated 2007/08 |
| Administration | |
| Hut type | OeAV hut Category I |
| Owner | Zweig Innsbruck des OeAV |
| Website | [[http://www.solsteinhaus.at/%20www.solsteinhaus.at] www<wbr/>.solsteinhaus<wbr/>.at<wbr/>/%20www<wbr/>.solsteinhaus<wbr/>.at]] |
| Facilities | |
| Beds/Bunks | 40 |
| Mattresses | 60 |
| Winter room | 3 |
| Opening times | end May to mid-October |
| Accessibility | |
| Accessed by | material ropeway since 1972 |
| Footnotes | |
| Hut reference | OeAV DAV |
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.[1]
Approaches
- From Hochzirl (Mittenwald Railway) along the Hüttenweg, easy, time: 2.5 hours
- From Scharnitz 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 (2,541 m (AA)) and Kleiner (2,637 m (AA)) Solstein along the west flank, medium, time: 2–3 hours
- Kuhljochspitze (2,297 m (AA)) along the Freiungen Ridgeway and the north arête, medium, time: 2 hours
- Erlspitze (2,405 m (AA)) along the south flank and the southeast arête, medium, time: 1.5 hours
Gallery
The Solsteinhaus in front of the Erlspitze
The Solsteinhaus, following its 2007 renovation, in front of the Kuhljochspitze (left) and Erlspitze (right)
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, ISBN 3-7633-1121-1
