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They won't get much passing trade... High-tech hostel which teeters 1,000ft above jagged Alpine rocks opens for business
By Daily mail Reporter
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Teetering a thousand feet above jagged rock faces in the Alps, this is the world's scariest hotel.
The white and red metal tube is designed to hold up to 12 weary climbers crossing the deadly Mont Blanc mountain range in Italy.
It includes wooden bunk beds, a kitchen, dining room, storage racks and a living room with stunning views over the Fribouze Glacier.
Breathtaking: What could be the world's scariest hotel, a refuge for climbers which teeters on a cliff edge 1,000ft above jagged rock faces in the Alps
Breathtaking: The view from the hotel
Verti-going for a weekend away: The white and red metal tube is designed to hold up to 12 weary climbers crossing the deadly Mont Blanc mountain range in Italy
Precarious: The hostel, which replaced a shabby wooden hut built in the Forties, sits close to the border for climbers who are crossing a popular route between the French and Italian sides of the Alps
Climbing experts believe the hut could save the lives of stranded climbers if they are caught in blizzards and lost in the dark.
The solar-powered refuge replaced a shabby wooden hut that was built in 1948.
Some climbers say the new 'garish' structure is not in keeping with the surroundings but local authorities wanted something that was easy to spot.
Engineers from Italian designers Leap Factory made the 250,000 euro structure, which was commissioned by the Italian Alpine Club. It was finished earlier this year and opened for the first time at the end of Spring.
Helicopters had to make several flights from the nearest village in Courmayeur, Val Ferret, to airlift different parts of the hostel into place.
Builders then fastened it securely to the rock face using heavy-duty bolts. The 100sq/ft 'bivouac' shelter is 3,000m above sea level and half of it hangs over a terrifying drop.
Feat of engineering: Helicopters had to make several flights from the nearest village in Courmayeur, Val Ferret, to airlift different parts of the hostel into place. Climbers then fastened it to the cliff using heavy-duty bolts
Better than a snow hole: Accommodation includes wooden bunk beds, a kitchen, dining room, storage racks and a living room with stunning views over the Fribouze Glacier
The hostel sits close to the border for climbers who are crossing a popular route between the French side of the Alps and the Italian.