Extreme Italian Alps Hut Camping in Luca Vuerich Shelter

The mountain-top hut in the Julian Alps is perched at 8,300 ft. on the edge of the Foronon del Buinz between Italy and Slovenia on the Ceria-Merlone trail. The hut serves as a living memorial to world famous Italian alpine climber and guide 34-year-old Luca Vuerich who died in an avalanche while ice climbing at Prisojinik in 2010. Vuerich was known for his lightning fast ascents and minimalist climbing style.

The family of Vuerich commissioned renowned architect Giovanni Pesamosca to design a hut that could be both functional for hikers and mountaineers, while representing the spirit of the climbing phenome. The hut has an A-frame design to handle heavy snow in the winter and sleeps nine. Pesamosca designed the hut to face south, allowing the sun to melt the snow in front of the door and offering panoramic views of the Italian Alps from the front porch.

Volunteers and friends of Vuerich came together to build the single-room shelter in just one day. The supplies were ferried up the steep mountain by helicopter. Sections of the structure where pre-cut at the bottom of the mountain and made ready for assembly once the pieces reached the summit. The extreme conditions on top of the mountain provided challenges to design, material and construction.