When tackling hut-to-hut walks the list of what to take with you increases. It is prudent to carry a map and compass – and to know how to use them. You should also take a first-aid kit, whistle and torch (flashlight) in case of emergencies. Leave a note of your planned itinerary and expected time of return with a responsible person who’s staying behind in a fixed location, and when staying in mountain huts enter your route details in the book provided. If for some reason you can’t reach the destination where you’re expected, try to send a message ahead to prevent the mountain rescue team being called out. In an emergency the International Distress Signal is six short blasts on a whistle (or flashes with a torch), followed by a minute’s pause. Repeat until you receive an answer – the response is three signals followed by a minute’s silence.

Switzerland has no free mountain rescue service, and the cost of an accident can be extremely high. Standard travel insurance policies do not cover such emergencies, so if you are devoting all or most of your holiday to serious walking in the mountains, it’s sensible to choose a policy which specifically covers mountain activity and includes emergency rescue.

Mountain huts provide simple accommodation for climbers and walkers, are invariably situated in remote and scenically spectacular locations and are owned either by local groups of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), other clubs, or by private companies or individuals. Many are staffed by a guardian during the summer months – usually from mid-June to mid-September – who will prepare simple meals and drinks. Mixed-sex dormitories with large, side-by-side sleeping platforms are the norm. Blankets and pillows, but not sheets, are supplied, so it’s a good idea to take a sleeping bag liner (sheet sleeping bag) with you if you plan to use huts. Prices vary, but hover around Fr.25–30 for a bed, plus about the same again if you include dinner and breakfast.

Most huts have a phone and as a matter of courtesy you should phone ahead to book a place; we’ve listed numbers of the more popular and accessible huts throughout the book, but local tourist offices will have details of all of them, and they’re also listed in a very useful book, Schweizer Hüttenverzeichnis, available throughout bookshops in Switzerland. The Swiss Alpine Club is at Monbijoustrasse 61, CH-3007 Bern (031/370 18 18, fax 370 18 00, www.sac-cas.ch), and every year their journal runs a complete listing of the 600 or so huts throughout Switzerland, both their own and those belonging to other Swiss climbing associations. Membership of an Alpine club in your home country may entitle you to reduced overnight charges in SAC huts, or you can join the SAC itself (Fr.70–120 for a year). Members of the British Mountaineering Council (BMC, 177–179 Burton Rd, Manchester M20 2BB; 0161/445 4747), the New Zealand Alpine Club (03/377 7595, fax 03/377 7594, www.nzalpine.org.nz), the Australian Sport Climbing Federation (03/9894 7897, fax 03/9894 3023, http://spelean.com.au/ASCF/index.html) and the Alpine Club of Canada (%403/678-3200 ext 108, www.alpineclubofcanada.ca) can purchase a Reciprocal Rights Pass (Fr.40) from the Swiss Alpine Club on arrival in the country. The US has no national Alpine club.