Gepatschhaus

The Gepatschhaus is a Category II alpine shelter run by the Frankfurt am Main section of the German Alpine Club. It stands in the upper Kaunertal valley beneath the Ötztal Alps. A toll road, the Kaunertaler Gletscherstraße, passes close by, and both the house and its small chapel have been listed as historic monuments since 2013. Built in 1873, it was the first German Alpine Club hut in Austria. The building was enlarged in 1892, 1911 and 1958, and partly renovated in 2005. Next to it stands the Maria Schnee chapel, consecrated in 1895. In July 2019 a mudslide up to four metres deep blocked the valley road, cutting off vehicle access for about eighty people on the hut and nearby alp. Visitors can drive almost to the door along the glacier road. A bus stop called Gepatschhaus lies two minutes away. From the hut a network of paths leads to summits such as the Ochsenkopf, the Hintere Ölgrubenspitze and the Weißseespitze. The same bus shortens the climbs to the Weißseespitze and the Glockturm. Nearby is a small crag called Fernergries where climbers can practise.