Climate change has a considerable impact on alpine huts and the recreational and professional activities they support, making these structures particularly vulnerable. However, a hut is more than a building; it functions as an ecosystem, shaped by a network of actors and interactions that ensure its existence and operation. This hut ecosystem includes owners, managers, wardens, practitioners, guides, trail maintainers, rescue teams, park authorities, environmental organizations, tourism offices etc.. Their collective actions—such as maintaining trails, regulating visitor flows, promoting the valley, or ensuring safety—structure and sustain the hut. The hut, therefore, is not an independent actor but the result of dynamic interdependencies.

To study adaptation, it is essential to consider it as a process rather than a fixed response. This involves identifying different forms of change within the ecosystem, the stresses acting upon it, and the mechanisms shaping adaptation over time. By analyzing these dynamics, we can better understand what facilitates or constrains adaptation and move toward more comprehensive and effective strategies.

This communication examines the various adaptation approaches adopted by key stakeholders, including reactive and anticipatory adaptation, maladaptation, as well as incremental and transformative adaptation. We then analyze the barriers and constraints that shape these efforts, with the goal of identifying best practices and providing actionable recommendations. This study draws on findings from the HutObsTour research program (led by the University of Grenoble Alpes and the University of Lausanne), which conducts action research with mountain hut stakeholders. By integrating field-based insights, we contribute to a deeper understanding of the tourism transition that is currently reshaping the Alps.