The Couvercle Hut was inaugurated on 22 and 23 July 2022

Located at 2,687 meters (8,815 ft) altitude, in the Talèfre basin in the Mont-Blanc massif, the Couvercle Hut has undergone extensive renovation works of 2.3 million euros, decided by the French Federation of clubs alpine and mountain (FFCAM), ​​which operates it.

The inauguration took place this Friday 22 July with all the actors of this project gathered in the evening, to inaugurate from the CAF base camp to the town center. Then on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 July, a mountain-based delegation visited the site to admire the result of this long-term effort.

The iconic Couvercle Hut was inaugurated on 22 and 23 July 2022

64 comfortable beds

“It was decided to divide its accommodation capacity,” said Claude Jacot, the deputy mayor of Chamonix in charge of the mountain. Instead of 128 beds, the refuge now houses only 64 beds.

"This change corresponds more to the current and future attendance of the refuge and allows, without modifying the external appearance of the building, to improve both the living and working conditions of the hut-keepers, but also the comfort of all the customers" , explained the new president of the FFCAM, Bénédicte Cazanave, on Friday evening.

An earlier opening

According to Le Dauphine, Michel Tavernier, the former hut-keeper who spent 29 years working at the Couvercle Hut, was present during the inauguration of the refuge. Discreet during speeches, this passionate mountaineer did not hide his joy to see that the building continue to welcome mountaineers. Luckily, the ski touring season may now start earlier than before.

“The refuge will probably open earlier in the years to come,” predicted Claude Jacot, adding that the addition of new climbing routes would offer new possibilities in the summer.

A complete renovation

• The frame, roof and floor have been completely renovated.
• The common room in the heart of the refuge now has larger window openings offering greater brightness and real immersion in the landscape.
• The workspaces of the hut-keepers have been expanded and improved.
• TheCouvercle Hut  houses six sleeping quarters offering between 4 and 5 m³ of air per person.
• Sanitation and water supply have also been redesigned with, in particular, a 30 m³ water reserve supplied by a catchment of glacial meltwater to avoid the risk of shortages during certain summer periods and to allow guarding during ski touring.

Source:@www.ffcam.fr

Source: @Le Dauphiné Libéré