Madlenerhaus (1,986 m)

The Madlenerhaus stands at 1,986 m immediately below the dam of the Silvretta reservoir on the Bielerhöhe. Opened in 1884 as the Alpine Club's Vermunthütte, it survived two fires (1980 and 2001; rebuilt 2003) and had prominent guests – Ernest Hemingway spent the winter of 1925/26 here. Since 2013 the house has belonged to the energy company illwerke vkw, no longer to the Alpine Club; since reopening in 2019 Christine and Elvis Spiss have run it as a private mountain inn. There are around 100 seats inside, a sun terrace, 30 beds in single, double and four-bed rooms plus 10 dormitory places, specialities from Tyrol and Vorarlberg and a four-course half board. Right by the dam wall is a climbing park with routes up to 60 m high, in winter an ice-climbing route; the Bielerhöhe cross-country ski trail starts at the door.

The Madlenerhaus is the most convenient base on the Bielerhöhe: the lake loop, Bielerkopf (1½ to 2 hours), Saarbrücker Hütte (2½ to 3 hours) and Wiesbadener Hütte (2½ hours) all start here. Because the Silvretta High Alpine Road stays closed on the Vorarlberg side until around 2030, you come up from Partenen by the Vermunt cable car and tunnel bus (summer 2026: 20 June – 4 October) – from our house by bus 650 about an hour in total; by car only from Galtür, the Tyrolean side is toll-free. Summer 2026: 12 June – 4 October (overnight stays 13 June – 27 September), winter 15 January – 11 April 2027.

Last updated: 13 Sep 2026