Refuge du Goûter

The Goûter Hut (French: Refuge du Goûter), is a mountain refuge in the French department of Haute-Savoie. It is located at a height of 3,835 metres (12,582 ft) on the Arete du Goûter in the municipality of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. It overlooks the Glacier de Bionnassay, and is the highest wardened mountain hut in France. It is an important staging post for many mountaineers on the most popular means of climbing to the summit of Mont Blanc, known as the Goûter Route. It is the least difficult technically and therefore the one that concentrates at least an estimated 75% of the climbs. Each year, thousands of climbers attempt to summit on this route, sleeping overnight at the refuge and departing in the early morning for the final push. The building in its present state can accommodate up to 120 visitors. The hut has been rebuilt and expanded a number of times over the last 150 years as its popularity as a mountaineering base has increased. There have been numerous deaths and injuries sustained by climbers on its access route.