Our Philosophy & Vision
There was a problem. Despite the thousands of mountain huts scattered across Europe's magnificent peaks, there was no simple, open, reliable, and easy-to-use source to visualize all these options.
Planning a weekend in the mountains meant searching through scattered websites, outdated databases, and incomplete information. Every hut website had different formats, different languages, and different levels of detail.
So we built Lost in the Alps.
A single, unified platform that brings together mountain huts from across Europe—from the official Alpine club refuges to the humble bivouac shelters hidden in remote valleys.
We believe everyone should be able to plan their mountain adventures easily.
Whether you're planning a weekend escape, a multi-day trek, or a challenging alpine route, you should be able to quickly find suitable huts, check their facilities, see their locations, and plan your journey—all in one place.
Not every mountain experience needs to be luxurious. Some of the most profound connections with nature happen in the simplest of shelters.
Bivouacs and unmanned shelters offer something special: the raw, authentic mountain experience. Spending a night in a frugal shelter—perhaps just four walls and a roof, maybe a simple wood stove—connects you with how our ancestors experienced the mountains for centuries.
"In the simplicity of a mountain bivouac, you rediscover what truly matters. The warmth of your sleeping bag, the sound of wind on stone, the stars through a small window. This is how humans have sheltered in the mountains for generations."
We encourage everyone to try this experience at least once. Not every trip, but every now and then, choose the simple shelter over the staffed refuge. Wake up to the silence, melt snow for your morning tea, feel the connection to those who came before.
That's why we don't just show the comfortable, well-equipped huts. We show all of them—from the modern alpine lodges to the ancient stone bivouacs. Every shelter has its place. Every shelter has its story.
Nature is not ours to own—it's ours to respect. Every mountain, every valley, every alpine meadow is a precious gift that must be protected for future generations.
Mountains belong to everyone. Whether you're an experienced alpinist or a weekend hiker, information about mountain huts should be free, open, and accessible to all.
We must be stewards of nature. Leave no trace, support local mountain communities, and help maintain the trails and shelters that make our adventures possible.
This project is free and open source. The data is free, the code is free, and the platform is free. Knowledge about our mountains should belong to everyone.
Sometimes the best mountain experiences come from the simplest shelters. A night in a bivouac can teach you more than a week in luxury.
Built by mountain lovers, for mountain lovers. Every contribution, every shared hut, every piece of information makes this resource better for everyone.
Nature is a shared benefit that all living beings need. It's not a commodity to be exploited, but a precious resource to be nurtured and protected.
The mountains teach us this truth clearly. In the high alps, life is fragile and precious. Every plant clinging to a rocky slope, every marmot whistling from its burrow, every stream flowing from an ancient glacier—these are all parts of a delicate ecosystem that we're privileged to experience.
Access to nature is a fundamental right. Everyone should have the opportunity to experience the peace of a mountain sunrise, the challenge of a steep trail, the satisfaction of reaching a remote hut. But with this right comes responsibility.
Our commitment: We make mountain hut information accessible so more people can experience nature responsibly. We include humble bivouacs because we believe in authentic experiences. We keep this platform free and open because nature's information should belong to everyone.
• Respect the mountains: Leave no trace, pack out everything you bring in
• Support mountain huts: Use them, pay fair prices, respect the guardians
• Share knowledge: Add huts you discover, update information, help others
• Preserve nature: Stay on trails, don't disturb wildlife, protect water sources
• Teach others: Show newcomers how to enjoy mountains responsibly
We especially encourage you to try staying in a bivouac or unmanned shelter at least once in your mountain adventures.
These simple structures—often just stone walls and a roof, sometimes with a wood stove, rarely with more—offer something that modern comfortable huts cannot: a direct connection to raw mountain life.
For decades and centuries, our ancestors sheltered in places just like these. Shepherds, hunters, early mountaineers, and travelers used these same shelters, felt the same cold stone walls, watched the same star-filled skies through small windows.
When you spend a night in a mountain bivouac, you're not just sleeping in a shelter—you're connecting with generations of mountain people who came before. You're experiencing the mountains as they were meant to be experienced: raw, real, and humbling.
Try it: Next time you plan a mountain trip, choose a bivouac. Bring your sleeping bag, some simple food, maybe some firewood. Feel the cold, embrace the simplicity, listen to the silence. It will change how you see the mountains.
This is why we list every bivouac, every shelter, every unmanned cabin—no matter how simple. Because sometimes, the simplest shelter provides the richest experience.
This project is just beginning. Our vision is to create the most comprehensive, accessible, and useful mountain hut database in Europe—and maybe beyond.
We want to add more sources, more countries, more details. We want to help you plan not just where to sleep, but entire routes. We want to connect huts with trails, show you the best times to visit, help you find the perfect shelter for your adventure.
But most importantly, we want to help more people experience the mountains.
Because when more people connect with nature—really connect, sleeping under mountain stars in a simple shelter—they become advocates for protecting it. They understand why these wild places matter. They feel the responsibility to preserve them.
Find your next mountain hut. Plan your weekend in the Alps. Experience nature the way it was meant to be experienced.
🗺️ Explore the Map