If you fancy checking into one of the world’s highest hotels, you better have a head for heights and a good level of fitness, as a breathtaking video tour shows.
Thomas Brag and Ammar Kandil, of the Yes Theory YouTube channel, set out on a mission to spend a night at the Margherita Hut, which is perched at 14,941ft atop a mountain in Italy.
In a short film documenting their adventure, the duo explain that getting to the refuge is ‘no simple feat’ and it involves a ‘treacherous and dangerous multi-day journey that takes patience, expertise and athleticism to accomplish.’
They enlist the help of accomplished mountaineer Jules Pession to reach the sky high hotel and they start by taking a cable car to a spot called Punta Indren where the uphill schlep begins.
Detailing some of the history around how the hotel came to be, Thomas tells viewers: ‘The construction of this hut was directed by the Italian Alpine Club as far back as 1889, long before anyone had any fancy climbing equipment.
Thomas Brag and Ammar Kandil, of the Yes Theory YouTube channel, set out on a mission to spend a night at the Margherita Hut
Getting there is ‘no simple feat’ and it involves a ‘treacherous, multi-day journey’
It once served as an important research center for high elevation medicine
Before they set off, the Yes Theory team that two of the major dangers involved with getting to the Margherita Hut are altitude sickness and hidden crevasses
‘[It] was opened in 1893 in the presence of Queen Margarita of Italy to whom the hut was dedicated.
‘[This was] the same Queen Margarita that the margarita pizza was created for and named after.
‘Funnily enough the Margarita Hut also serves margarita pizza at the very top.
‘The hut served as an important research center for high elevation medicine and was restored to its current structure in 1977.
‘Today [it serves] as a refuge and bucket list destination to many mountaineers around the world.’
Before they set off, the Yes Theory team reveal that two of the major dangers involved with getting to the Margherita Hut are altitude sickness and hidden crevasses.
Thomas explains that the crevasses are ‘giant holes in the ice that one can fall deep into.’
He continues: ‘In fact, on this very climb just a few years ago, a son stepped a few feet away from his father to pee on the mountain and fell down never to make it out alive.’
Thomas gives viewers a tour of the hotel with areas including a large kitchen where the famed pizza is rustled up
The hotel bathroom features a simple squat toilet
They quickly make their way inside the hut to shelter from some bad weather and they tuck into some of the hut’s famed pizza
In a bid to make the climb more approachable, Thomas, Ammar and Jules break the trip down into two days.
On the first day, they are seen trekking up to the Gnifetti Hut, where they spent the night, before getting up and climbing to their final destination.
Despite it being June, the locals explain that there has been lots of snow this year, so the conditions are still very wintery.
At one point, they have to trek through thick fog, with the path ahead barely visible.
Thomas reveals that trekking at such a height is very difficult and ‘the lack of oxygen makes it feel like no matter how much we breathe we never get enough air into our lungs.’
After a grueling five-hour trek on the second day, the team make it to their end destination and they are left speechless by the unique setting.
They quickly make their way inside the hut to shelter from some bad weather and they tuck into some of the hut’s famed pizza.
The lofty hotel is located right on the Swiss-Italian border
Thomas explains that the staff at the Margherita Hut work there for 10 to 14 days at a time and they have a few days break in between
Thomas reveals that trekking at such a height is very difficult ‘and the lack of oxygen makes it feel like no matter how much we breathe we never get enough air into our lungs’
In the morning, the team are greeted by one of the ‘craziest’ sunrises they say they have ever seen
Thomas gives viewers a tour of the hotel with areas including a communal dining room, bathroom with a simple squat toilet, large kitchen and bunk rooms to accommodate around 20 people.
He explains that the staff at the Margherita Hut work there for 10 to 14 days at a time and they have a few days break in between.
They have to make the arduous trek up the mountain each time and sometimes helicopters help take them to work.
In the morning, the team are greeted by one of the ‘craziest’ sunrises they say they have ever seen.
And with that, they make the journey back down, with their skis making for a speedy descent.
Summing up the trip, Thomas concludes: ‘I had never personally struggled with altitude as much as I did on this trip.
‘But the headache and pain was easily overshadowed by the absolute excitement for the majestic and mesmerizing experience of spending a night at the very top of Europe.’
