The Albert Premier Hut (French: refuge Albert-Ier ), sometimes known as Albert 1er, is located on the

Haute Route The Haute Route (or the High Route or Mountaineers' Route) is the name given to a route (with several variations) undertaken on foot or by ski touring between the Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France, and the Matterhorn, in Zermatt, Switzerland. Fir ...

between

Chamonix, France Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...

and Zermatt, Switzerland. It is at above sea level. It is a popular hut with day hikers because of the short hike (2 to 3 hours) and views of Chamonix Valley. The hut is usually used less by hikers attempting the entire Haute Route, but is popular as a base for climbers attempting the

Aiguille du Chardonnet The Aiguille du Chardonnet (3,824 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in Haute-Savoie, France. It lies between the and the Argentière Glacier The Argentière Glacier is a glacier in the French Alps. It is one of the larger glaciers found ...

and the

Aiguille du Tour The Aiguille du Tour () is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif, located on the border between Switzerland and France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises o ...

. The hut is named after

King Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...

, who was a passionate alpinist. The main, newer hut (built in 1959) can hold 137 people and the older hut, for winter use, can hold 30 people. The main hut is staffed from June to September and is operated by Chamonix section of the

Club alpin français Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

Access

The hut can be accessed from the small village of Le Tour in the Chamonix valley. From Le Tour one can either take a steep 3 to 4 hour hike to the hut or take the Charamillon-Balme to the top then walk a short way or follow the lifts on the ground to the top. From the top of the lift, visitors can follow the path under the Tête de Charamillon to the hut.

Sources

SummitPost.org

Official page FFCAM
{{Mont Blanc massif Mountain huts in France Buildings and structures completed in 1959 20th-century architecture in France