New hut keepers

Out of love for the highest hut in Upper Austria

The Mosers have the best prerequisites for the hut. They have months of preparation behind them and are ready for the first winter season.(Bild: Richard Goldeband)

The Seethalerhütte is the flagship of the Upper Austrian Alpine Club. After a long search, new hosts were found for the modern building in the fall: A German couple who don't fit the Bergfex cliché. They told the "Krone" what brought them to 2,740 meters above sea level and why they were chosen.

Many people imagine a mountain hut landlord with a thick gray beard, lederhosen, a heavy dialect and equally heavy hands. The Seethalerhütte's new landlord and landlady do not fit this cliché at all.

The landlady and the technician
Yvonne and Alexander Moser are German. He comes from the Bavarian Forest, she from near Chemnitz. Yvonne is a passionate restaurateur, Alexander studied mechanical engineering and worked in the high-tech industry with computer chips.

What drives them both to the Dachstein and the highest mountain hut in Upper Austria? Love, you could say. Because of the different working hours, Yvonne switched to being a dental assistant two years ago. "But I wanted to get back into gastronomy, it's just my field. So we looked for something new," says Yvonne. So the couple applied for the newly renovated mountain hut at 2,740 meters above sea level - and promptly convinced its owner, the Alpenverein Austria.

I am an engineer and have always had a close connection to the Limestone Alps. My wife worked in the catering industry for over 20 years.

Alexander Moser, Wirt Seethalerhütte

Logistics is a major challenge
While Yvonne takes care of purchasing and catering, Alexander is responsible for the hut's technology and logistics. This is one of the biggest challenges: A quad bike with caterpillar drive is available for this, which takes around 15 minutes to get to the mountain station.

20 trips just for waste water
"We also have to dispose of the 10,000-liter waste water tank by rail. The quad holds a maximum of 500 liters. That can keep you busy for a whole day," says the hut owner. The two of them can tell stories about how quickly an abandoned sled can hurtle down the mountain - but also how helpful ski tourers have dragged it back up again.

Newly opened in 2019, the Seethalerhütte is the highest hut in Upper Austria(Bild: Herbert Raffalt)

Something for everyone
There is also something for everyone in terms of cuisine at the hut: "I make one or two fresh main courses, including vegetarian or vegan," says Yvonne. Of course, there are also goulash and other soups, snacks, roulades, cabbage rolls, roast pork with dumplings and cabbage and numerous other culinary delights. 

"Stay as long as we can"
The two are less concerned about group tourists than more advanced athletes: "Tourists quickly realize that they are poorly equipped. Advanced climbers are often more willing to take risks." How long do they want to stay up there? "The contract is open-ended. It's best to stay as long as we can," they both say in unison.