Preparing the winter hiking trails on Tirols Hochplateau is more than just a job

Franz is one of the four Leutasch farmers who groom the Leutasch trails for the tourism board. His route leads from Ostbach over the Buchner Höhe to Wildmoos and into the Fludertal. At four in the morning, he’s already in his tractor and on the move. Today is a perfect day: the night was cold, and the fresh powder snow can be cleared easily with the snow blower. Still, the experienced farmer — whose family has been looking after the Leutasch trails for 40 years — always brings his chainsaw and other tools along. “We’re prepared for everything. A fallen tree, branches hanging dangerously over the path — that’s part of our job too.”

Manfred Leitl from the tourism board knows this feeling well. He’s already out too, but in Seefeld. His machines — a so-called Holder and a small Steyr tractor — are more compact than Franz’s vehicle, just the right size for grooming the narrower trails. “First, we take care of the ones near the village, the trails that are used early and a lot, like the one around the Wildsee,” Manfred explains. Later on, he tackles those further away, the ones guests only reach later in the day.

Like Franz, Manfred loves it when there’s “a whole lot of snow.” “Then it’s your track, your experience, because you’re the first to reach those untouched spots.” Still, you can’t let the magic of the snow distract you. The boardwalk sections by the Wildsee in particular demand full attention. “If you look away there, you can end up down below pretty quickly.” And with heavy machinery, that’s not a pleasant thought — it’s a dangerous one.

The perfect winter hiking trail is created in early winter, right after the first snowfalls. This is when the future width of the trail is defined, obstacles are cleared, overhead clearance is ensured and passing areas are prepared.

The most important element, however, is the so-called Schneestock — a stable, level base layer made from the first snowfalls. It’s compacted onto the summer-shaped trail using rollers, heavy attached tires or other clever equipment. This layer is what guarantees a well-walkable and well-groomed trail throughout the entire winter.

“You have to take your time here,” Franz says from experience. “You can’t set the snow blower or the plough too deep the first few times. Because the way you start it off here is the way it will be for the whole winter.”

Besides loving snow, you also need to love tinkering if you’re responsible for the winter hiking trails on Tirols Hochplateau for around 100 days each year. Because the machines you need don’t just sit on a shop shelf.

“A simple snowplough or a blower, yes, you can buy those. But if you want to work cleanly and keep improving, you have to build things yourself,” Franz explains. He and his colleagues have always developed new attachments and tools — often together with the manufacturers. As winter temperatures change, the snow becomes wetter and the trails icier. While blowing power used to be crucial, today the focus is on equipment that roughens the surface cleanly and provides better grip.

Franz thinks about winter hiking trails all year long. The idea for his newest device — a compact attachment mounted close behind the tractor that provides a good counterweight to the blower and can plane, roughen or even break up icy sections — came to him in the middle of summer.

“I had long waiting times on a construction site and my sketchbook with me,” he recalls. “That’s when the idea was born.” His cousin, a blacksmith, built a prototype, and the development continued from there. “This time it worked brilliantly — but often you try something and end up throwing it out again.”

The biggest challenge today is the weather. “When wet snow and powder mix, the blower just doesn’t work properly anymore,” Manfred explains. “And when snow and rain alternate, going out with the machine often makes things worse instead of better.”

It’s often a tightrope walk to make the right call. Conditions can change drastically between the villages and the higher areas like Wildmoos. And it’s not uncommon for a machine to break down when dirt, branches or stones cause damage. Still, the drivers’ motivation never fades: “We want people to really enjoy their walks,” Manfred says with a smile.

Speaking of smiling — by now the snowfall has stopped and the sun has risen above the Reither Spitze. It turns the snow-covered Wildmoos into an endless carpet of glitter, and the fountains of snow Franz sends flying with his blower into a shimmering wall of millions of tiny snow diamonds.

Franz has a smile on his face as he slowly clears the trail. “This is the perfect moment, when I have my peaceful solitude. It’s just me and the path.”

Many winter hikers will probably have similar thoughts today — most of them without realising that someone spent the early morning hours preparing this trail with a whole lot of passion just for them.