If you fancy staying in one of the world’s tallest hotels, you’d better be both afraid of heights and in good physical shape, as this impressive video tour proves.
Thomas Brag and Ammar Kandil of the YouTube channel Yes Theory set out to spend a night at the Margherita refuge, located 14,941 feet high on a mountaintop in Italy.
In a short film documenting their adventure, the duo explain that reaching the shelter is “no easy task” and involves a “dangerous and treacherous journey of several days that requires patience, experience and athleticism to achieve.”
They enlist the help of experienced mountaineer Jules Pession to reach the hotel at high altitude and begin by taking a cable car to a place called Punta Indren, where the ascent begins.
Detailing some of the history of how the hotel came to be, Thomas tells viewers: ‘The construction of this hut was directed by the Italian Alpine Club in 1889, long before anyone had any sophisticated climbing equipment.
Thomas Brag and Ammar Kandil of the YouTube channel Yes Theory set out to spend a night in the Margherita cabin.
Getting there is “not an easy task” and involves a “dangerous journey lasting several days.”
It once served as a major research center for high-altitude medicine.
Before setting off, the Yes Theory team warns that two of the main dangers of reaching the Margherita refuge are altitude sickness and hidden crevasses.
‘It was inaugurated in 1893 in the presence of Queen Margaret of Italy, to whom the cabin was dedicated.
‘(This was) the same Queen Margherita for whom the Margherita pizza was created and after whom it was named.
‘Interestingly, the Margarita Hut also serves margarita pizza at the top.
‘The cabin served as an important research center for high altitude medicine and was restored to its current structure in 1977.
‘Today it serves as a refuge and essential destination for many mountaineers from around the world.’
Before setting off, the Yes Theory team reveals that two of the main dangers in reaching the Margherita refuge are altitude sickness and hidden crevasses.
Thomas explains that crevasses are “giant holes in the ice that you can fall deep into.”
He continued: “In fact, on this same climb just a few years ago, a son walked a few metres away from his father to urinate on the mountain and fell and did not come out alive.”
Thomas gives viewers a tour of the hotel with areas including a large kitchen where the famous pizza is prepared.
The hotel bathroom has a simple squat toilet.
They quickly head inside the cabin to get out of the bad weather and enjoy some of the cabin’s famous pizza.
In an attempt to make the climb more accessible, Thomas, Ammar and Jules split the trip into two days.
On the first day they are seen walking to the Gnifetti shelter, where they spent the night, before getting up and going up to their final destination.
Despite it being June, locals say there has been a lot of snow this year, so conditions are still very wintry.
At one point, they have to walk through thick fog, with the path ahead barely visible.
Thomas says that walking at such altitude is very difficult and “the lack of oxygen makes it feel like no matter how much we breathe, we never get enough air into our lungs.”
After a grueling five-hour hike on the second day, the team arrives at their final destination and is left speechless by the unique surroundings.
They quickly head inside the cabin to get out of the bad weather and enjoy some of the cabin’s famous pizza.
The high-rise hotel is located right on the border between Switzerland and Italy.
Thomas explains that the staff at Cabaña Margherita work there 10 to 14 days at a time, with a few days off in between.
Thomas says that walking at such altitude is very difficult ‘and the lack of oxygen makes it feel like no matter how much we breathe, we never get enough air into our lungs’.
In the morning, the team is greeted by one of the craziest sunrises they say they have ever seen.
Thomas gives viewers a tour of the hotel with areas including a communal dining room, a bathroom with a simple toilet, a large kitchen and rooms with bunk beds to accommodate about 20 people.
She explains that the staff at the Margherita Refuge work there between 10 and 14 days in a row, with a few days off in between.
They have to make the arduous trek up the mountain each time and sometimes helicopters help them get to work.
In the morning, the team is greeted by one of the “craziest” sunrises they say they have ever seen.
And with that they begin their journey back down, their skis making a rapid descent.
Summing up the trip, Thomas concludes: ‘I have never personally struggled with altitude as much as I did on this trip.
‘But the headache and suffering were easily overshadowed by the sheer excitement of the majestic and fascinating experience of spending a night at the top of Europe.’