Tackling Mont Blanc is a two day affair and an overnight stay on the mountain, before the push to the summit is unavoidable. In the early days, a hut of sorts was cobbled together by keen climbers but it was very small, with no facilities, an icy floor, and open to the elements, with freezing blasts of wind whistling through the cracks in the structure, most climbers staying here overnight will have miserable memories of the old Refuge De Gouter, it was no five star hotel. As the years went by, the structure was added to and became bigger and bigger, as the endeavor attracted greater numbers. Just recently it was no exaggeration to say it was crammed to the gills, with often 200 climbers in a space barely sufficient for 100. The sanitary condition were pretty dire too, with 50 years worth of human waste tipped down the side of the mountain and an ever growing pile of rubbish and broken equipment left by the ever increasing numbers of adventurers.

It was obvious this state of affairs wasn’t sustainable. The new Refuge du Gouter is the answer, for now. The four storey egg-shaped structure built on the Arete du Gouter is a marvel of engineering. Part of the Refuge overhangs a 1,500m drop. The new lodge is self-sufficient in water and energy. Built entirely from wood and clad in stainless steel, the Refuge looks more like a futuristic hotel. The Alpine Club dismisses the criticism that it has built a high-altitude hotel but the care taken designing the interior would have done a high-end establishment proud. 

Commissioned by the French Alpine Club and designed by the Swiss architect Herve Dessimoz, the Refuge is the last word in environmental terms. The Refuge took five years to design and three more to build. The construction of the Refuge above 3,800m was a technical and human challenge. It was only possible to build from spring to autumn, and over the three summers, work was often interrupted by adverse weather conditions. “Working conditions were very tough, with constant danger,” says Thomas Buchi, who was site supervisor. Workers were selected for their endurance and experience of working roped to structures. Put together in kit form and hoisted on site by helicopters from the valley below, the structural elements were made from spruce, white fir and larch from the forests nearby. Special adhesive was used to limit the need for nuts and bolts. To anchor the building to the mountain side and to absorb the vertical load and the twisting effect of the wind, piles were sunk 14m into the rock. One of the design biggest challenges was to provide the hut with a self-sufficient water supply. Its egg shape is part of the answer. The building faces into the prevailing wind, causing turbulence, which makes the snow slide across the outer skin and accumulate on a 60 sq metre grid. Heat from solar panels melts the snow, which collects in huge tanks. There are solar panels, generating heat and electricity on the front of the building and on the cliff face. If there is no sunlight, a backup generator, running on rapeseed oil, produces electricity.

The Refuge boasts six environmentally friendly toilets. A tiny sewage farm will process organic waste, outputting highly compacted sludge which can, if necessary, be heliported down to the valley for final disposal. Any water released into the mountain environment will be clean. With triple glazing and dual-flow ventilation, insulated by wood-fibre panels, the temperature indoors ranges from 18C to 22C, a far cry from the old refuge. The old hut will be dismantled next year, leaving only a more recent extension to accommodate groups in winter. With 17,000 people attempting the climb every year and numbers increasing it won’t be long before the new Refuge Du Gouter starts to feel the pinch.