Ever an inveterate mountaineer, Wilfried Studer, hut keeper of Neue Prager Hut on foot of Großvenediger, is a true “mountain family-man.” His wife and daughters share his mountaineering adventures on a global scale – in the great ranges of the world. The family philosophy is: “Everything we earn in the mountains, we spend in the mountains.”

One of the most beautiful moments for hut keeper Anton Herrmann Kraft is very early in the morning, when everything is still peaceful and quiet. Standing on the terrace and watching the sun rise over the mountains gives him strength and encouragement for the long and busy day ahead of him. By the way, ‘breathtaking’ does not begin to describe the view at Bayreuther Hut.

Sabrina, Katrin and Maria Steindl run the Unterwirt in Ebbs. We sat down with the three sisters to talk service, servants and striking the balance between authentic hospitality and award-winning food.

Sustainability is everywhere these days, but there are places in Tirol such as the Hotel Grafenast in Pillberg where the principles of eco-friendliness have been upheld for decades – long before they became an international trend.

A girl from Germany’s Sauerland and a Pinzgau native of the Austrian Province of Salzburg run Berliner Hut in Tirol. Now that sounds pretty complicated. Is it? Kerstin Schöneborn and Rupert Bürgler have been operating Tirol’s largest mountain shelter for more than one and a half decades. Living a mountain life like this can make or break a couple.

Women in the mountain hut field have for a long time been rare. When Katharina Daum, a single mom to a seven-year-old boy, started running her first mountain hut, neighbouring farmers were taking bets on how long she would make it. Little did they know that she would outlast most of them: A quarter of a century later, the dedicated mother-son team is running the storied Olperer Hut together.

Product visionary, agricultural economist, idea woman, enabler, and entrepreneur: Innsbruck-native Therese Fiegl has masterminded a range of products based on local ingredients that combine high-quality workmanship with environmentally friendly options. This is her personal way of addressing the big challenges of the world.

With a sophisticated fine dining restaurant and a super stylish luxury hotel, Kristallhütte is hardly a ‘hut’. More “mountain chateau” than “quaint cabin,” this wonderful hideaway is perfectly positioned at the heart of Hochzillertal Ski Resort in Kaltenbach, Zillertal Valley.

Tyrol Grey beef carpaccio instead of chips and naturalness instead of a buzzing après-ski scene: Gampe Thaya in Sölden is one of Tirol’s most unique on-mountain eateries.

Ursula and Marek Drasny, the owners of a 500-year-old house in Hall in Tirol, have turned a costly burden into a moneymaking business by opening up to overnight guests. What is involved when you convert a historic building into a boutique hotel? We met them to find out.