About

How it started

I first met a mountain guide when I was twelve. We were staying on a hut below the Großvenediger and the weather was poor. The guide arrived from the valley, walked over to his group and simply said, “Let’s go, it will be good.”

I remember being impressed by the confidence and calmness of that decision. Later, people from the hut followed his tracks through the snow towards the Großvenediger. That day stayed with me.

At fourteen, I decided to become a baker. One reason was very simple: I could work at night and spend my days climbing and mountaineering. Looking back, those years were probably some of the best preparation for the mountain guide training.

During my military service at eighteen, I joined a specialist mountaineering unit. There I met Thomas Mariacher, who became an important inspiration and gave me the final push to start the mountain guide qualification as soon as I could.