Marco Gurtner trades the stage for summer work at a Graubünden mountain hut
Saturday 10th October 2026 on 14:01 in
Switzerland
Podcaster, musician and spoken-word artist Marco Gurtner spends several weeks each summer working at the Terrihütte, an SAC mountain hut in Graubünden, as a break from his audience-facing career, SRF reports.
The 33-year-old, known as “Güschä”, first worked at the Medelserhütte in 2024, helping out for about two and a half months. He has returned to mountain-hut work every summer since, and worked at the Terrihütte in the summers of 2025 and 2026.
At the hut, on the edge of the Greina plain, Gurtner makes beds, cleans, prepares ingredients and handles bookings. He says the practical work gives him a change from his usually creative, desk-based job. He also appreciates not having overall responsibility: “I do what you tell me and work as part of the team.”
The remote setting appeals to him, too. In Bern, he says, he could attend three events in one evening; at the hut, that choice is removed. Seeing on social media what is happening down in the valley does not make him feel he is missing out. “It’s a nice feeling: things carry on, and they happened without me, too,” he says.
Gurtner cautions that the job is demanding and not for everyone. Work starts early and often continues past 10pm, with little chance to take several days off in a row. And despite expectations that hut staff spend their days outdoors, he says most of the team’s time is spent indoors and on their feet.
Working at a hut has also changed how he behaves as a guest. He helps clear dishes, saves water and brings a hut sleeping bag. On his first hut visit, he was surprised to learn that a shower with warm water cost seven francs. He now understands what it takes to work at altitude and get supplies there.
He advises first-time visitors to tell the hut team that it is their first visit, saying staff are generally happy to explain the rules. He says no-shows are a particular problem because they leave unused food and empty beds. Gurtner thinks he will return next summer, though he is not sure for how long.