Are helicopters essential for supplying Swiss mountain huts?

What is really necessary to be transported by helicopter? (symbol image) Keystone-SDA / Urs Flueeler

Many helicopters fly in the mountains, especially during summer. Environmentally friendly alternatives are scarce.

Clooney the cat is unhappy, sitting in his transport box and meowing pitifully. His owner’s comforting words don’t help. Usually, it’s food, drinks and other necessities that get flown in. But at the start of the season, Clooney also flies up to the mountain hut by helicopter.

Clooney the cat is (unhappily) waiting for liftoff with a few geraniums. Thomas Pressmann/SRF

For huts that are well-frequented by visitors and tourists, supply flights are necessary weekly. At the Geltenhütte near Gstaad in canton Bern, hut warden Susanne Brand organises supplies to be flown in fortnightly. The logistical effort is immense. “Sometimes I wake up at night wondering if I’ve thought of everything,” says Brand.

Extensive planning needed

About 800 kilograms can be carried by helicopter in a transport bag, with suppliers noting the exact weight on parcels. While packing, Brand reflects, “Sometimes less would be more,” but she needs to offer her guests a variety of options to make a living.

800 kilograms can be carried by helicopter in a transport bag, thats why it is important that every gram is noted correctly. Thomas Pressmann/SRF

Reducing flights for costs and ecology

By using flavoured syrups instead of individual soft drinks, Brand has reduced the number of plastic bottles. Now, helicopters fly every fortnight instead of more frequently, not just for ecological reasons but also because flights are expensive, costing several hundred francs each.

Despite efforts, helicopters remain indispensable for many huts. According to the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), 90% to 95% of the 120 serviced huts rely on helicopters, sometimes weekly. This reliance has been controversial since helicopters first appeared in the mountains 70 years ago.

Only around a dozen huts do not need to be supplied by helicopter (shown in blue on the map). All others (shown in red on the map) need to be supplied with the help of helicopters. SRF

Seeking alternatives

Environmental awareness has grown, notes Philippe Wäger, responsible for huts and environmental issues at the SAC. An SAC study found a third of CO2 emissions from huts come from helicopter flights. Alternatives like drones are inefficient, and building cable cars is costly and often ecologically unfriendly.

The Geltenhütte is located at around 2,000 metres above sea level and requires a supply flight almost every fortnight. Thomas Pressmann/SRF

Some huts are increasingly using muscle power, with groups carrying goods up the mountain. At the Gspaltenhornhütte in the Bernese Oberland, this method can save a helicopter flight. Hut manager Thomas Jentsch asserts, “It’s worth it: every kilo counts!”

Well-stocked storage in the Geltenhütte: But after a week, most of the food and drinks will have been consumed. Thomas Pressmann/SRF

At the Geltenhütte, the helicopter has unloaded potatoes, sugar, and vegetables. Clooney the cat, now clean and content, is on the hut terrace.

Adapted from German with DeepL/amva