Alpine Hiking Refuge Food

[bleudauvergne]

We went hiking in the Alpes last weekend and called ahead to reserve a bed at the refuge des Evettes on the edge of the Glacier bearing the same name near Lans le Villard. The hike, about 3 hours and involving some snow patches and rough spots but generally pleasant, was beautiful.

Dinner was served 'family style' and started with a bowl of thinly reconstituted potato soup (from powder) which was passed from person to person to ladle into their plates at our table of 18, and was cold by the time it made it to us. The table (way at the other end) then received one platter containing 20 boiled diots de savoie, small sausages, and a bowl of macaroni to fight over amongst ourselves. The cheese was a wedge of tomme apiece, and then we were each doled a cold soggy rolled crepe which had apparently been flambeed with rum but none of us could taste it.

The wine, served in jugs for an extra 6€, was a lovely red vin de savoie. It was the highlight of the meal, basically the only thing that they didn't mess up.

The New York Times recently had a feature about hiking from station to station (NYT Article), where they lauded the meals with fanfare as "a dinner whose preparation doesn't include the direction 'just add boiling water.'" Solomon listed several pre-planned trips ranging in price from 900 to 1600 Euros per person. Is there something I'm missing here or did he just get that all wrong? The cost of our lodging plus dinner and breakfast was around €20 a head at the refuge, maps are cheap, trails are well documented and marked, no guides needed. Someone's getting taken for a ride here.

Anyway, if anyone wants a station to station guide for €900 a head, please consider calling me - I will not only guide you from station to station, but will use the communal facilities (available outside the kitchens at most mountain refuges for free use) to cook up some real food.

Any other experiences or recommendations are welcome if anyone has had better experiences at any of the Alpine refuges.

[bobsdf]

I've been to various of the Swiss huts and Italian refugio in both the Alps and Dolomites. It's been my experience that the quality of food is quite varied from hut to hut (they are all managed independently). If I had to generalize I'd say the food--not to mention the coffee--tends to be higher quality in the Italian huts, though some of the Swiss huts are quite good. The huts that primarily provide service to climbers tend to be a bit more spartan than the ones that get a lot of hiker traffic.

Not sure why one would need a guide to hike hut to hut, but I'm never suprised by what people will pay money for.

[bleudauvergne]

There were very few hikers at this particular refuge, practically everyone there were glacier climbers. They took off at 04:00 the next morning to hit the glacier, making a lot of noise and being generally disruptive. We were able to enjoy breakfast in solitude at the refuge, and the coffee was instant, as well as the milk from powder. In my typical way I mused about what I'd do to improve the place, including hiring a couple of helicopter drops beginning by equipping the place with a kitchen that can run on electricity. They had plenty of electricity - the place was rigged with immense fields of solar panels which are a recent addition, but the stoves were run on gas which apparently had to be hand carried bottle by bottle up the hill. An update of the kitchen facilities would immensely improve their capacities to turn out more palatable fare. The water also was plentiful and the place was equipped with plumbing, thus I'd equip the place with real dishes and prepare long slow cooked meals over long periods of time. But that's just what I would do. They had us crammed in the place like sardines, so I think that the place is not at a loss for funds to make necessary changes and still keep the costs to the hikers and climbers at an acceptable rate.

[johnnyd]

A most disconcerting report, Lucy. Though it's been a while since I've been up that way, my cronies have steadily informed me of the wild swings in quality above the treeline, mostly in Switzerland. When I went, it was usually winter, and stews were common. Our group was usually 12 or 15 and once we were passed by a guy with a backpack full of baguettes. If huts are accessible by snowcat, one can get anything up there. If not, you generally bring your own and share. We all brought a piece of cheese, hard sausage, chocolate bars, an orange and a few tea bags, just in case. The early morning departure is normal as it takes advantage of quieter weather and safer conditions.

I'd do this again, but more research is needed. Those hikes are among my fondest memories. A quick google of some of my favorite off-the-beaten-path areas yielded this detail on the Val d'Anniviers from a UK site. Grimentz is an enchanting little village and the alps around it are breathtaking. On y vas!

Edited June 23, 2005 by johnnyd (log)

[bleudauvergne]

I agree with the idea of toting some nourriture along with, sausages, etc. I don't think however, that Salomon (in his NYT article) should give anyone the false impression that the food is any better than what one might be able to prepare on their own, unless he's prepared to name names of refuges that do prepare quality fare. I would be seriously interested and would plan a special hike if I knew the food was good at a particular refuge. Of course it was not all dismal.

One good thing is ice cold beer (very expensive) and pretty good wine. Another was the view and the experience as a whole, which outweighed the insipidness of the meals by all counts. There's nothing like that feeling that comes with snapping open a nice cold beer upon arrival at the refuge.

[PassionateChefsDie]

I agree with the idea of toting some nourriture along with, sausages, etc.  I don't think however, that Salomon (in his NYT article) should give anyone the false impression that the food is any better than what one might be able to prepare on their own, unless he's prepared to name names of refuges that do prepare quality fare.  I would be seriously interested and would plan a special hike if I knew the food was good at a particular refuge.  Of course it was not all dismal. 

One good thing is ice cold beer (very expensive) and pretty good wine.  Another was the view and the experience as a whole, which outweighed the insipidness of the meals by all counts.  There's nothing like that feeling that comes with snapping open a nice cold beer upon arrival at the refuge.

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Have to say being a climber though have yet to get to see a real mountain here in the UK there just big hills I find a staple of Soya packets and pasta, mixed up with cous cous and noddles(Still yet to find a good meal with noddles, tried tofu not going back!) keep the weight down. One of our favorites is cous cous with feta(Even if its a bit warm), sundried toms and pesto the views I've seen eating this. I stopped carrying fresh and resort to being vegetarian if nothing because it's easier and quicker to get protien in me with soya and calories from pasta. Bulked out with the dried fruit, nuts and porridge with dried milk have to say sod trying to carry fresh milk my brothers a tea freak as soon as were back to civilisation we find milk. And your always find a block of marzipan somewhere in one of the bags!

[John Talbott]

Boy - I'm in the middle of Bill Bryson's Appalachian Trail saga, A Walk in the Woods - what a difference. Noddle soup vs. sausages - no contest. I recall hiking up in Megeve/Courcheval/etc a couple of years ago and stumbling on a pizza hut (a real one), try to find that in the Rockies.

[therese]

Lucy, the expression on your fellow diners' faces really summed up the entire meal.

Not strictly Montignac, but I'd imagine that the combination of hikes and lean rations would have a similar end result. Just think of it as a particularly uninspired spa.

[Busboy]

Are there huts that allow access to cooking facilities? During my days as a Youth Hostel-er I whipped up some pretty good meals in common kitchen areas, and if you don't need to carry a tent and other camping equipment, the backpack lightens up pretty fast.

Course, if they won't lend you a pan your back to sausage and gorp.