Volunteer Labour on the Renovation of an Alpine Hut

It’s time for our Judo goes Orient – Team to do something for the community again…
We decided to carry out a three-day voluntary work deployment in the Emmental through the Bergversetzer programme of the Schweizer Berghilfe…

So, in mid-September, our Judo goes Orient – Team travelled to the Emmental for an extended weekend. We checked into the Gasthaus Rosegg in Schangnau on Thursday evening. Even that first evening was a great get-together.

On Friday we got going early in the morning and our assignment was to dismantle the side walls of an old goat shed belonging to the Hadorn family and then rebuild them with new timber, as well as to underpin the alpine hut (alpine dairy) and install a new floor in the bedroom. Under the expert guidance of “Ädu” (Adrian), a qualified carpenter and the farmer’s brother, we got to work. On Friday morning, a heavy snowfall at 1,400 metres above sea level surprised us and we experienced the onset of winter first-hand.

Despite the snowfall, we made good progress with the planned demolition of the wooden walls. Using heavy equipment such as an excavator, chainsaw and manpower, we completed the demolition. Saturday focused on the reconstruction — sawing the wooden beams and boards for the walls and floor and fitting them in place. On Sunday we concentrated on underpinning the bedroom in the alpine hut (alpine dairy). We used a construction laser to set the subfloor structure at right angles and plumb, ready for the new wooden floor to be installed.

The Hadorn family kept us very well fed on the building site and in the cowshed. In the evenings we enjoyed fine dinners at the Gasthaus Rosegg — Thai food on Friday and a barbecue on Saturday.

The site foreman “Ädu” and his brother were very pleased with our work and were proud alongside us that we had achieved the goal of demolition and reconstruction.

Who knows, perhaps we’ll soon realise a similar project again and keep you informed on our homepage www.judogoesorient.ch as well as on Facebook and Instagram.

At this point we would like to thank the Hadorn family and the Bergversetzer of the Schweizer Berghilfe, who made it possible for us to carry out this voluntary work deployment — from the bottom of our hearts.

Your Judo goes Orient – Team