6 minute read
The heartbeat of the Montafon
MONTAFON
There, where the Verwall, Silvretta and Rätikon mountain ranges meet, is a very special place: the Montafon. A valley as diverse as the mountain ranges that picturesquely frame it. Here, longings are satisfi ed, stories are written and personal encounters become memories that endure. Everything you experience in the Montafon fi ts in with the breathtaking mountains. Because it’s authentic. And because it’s personal.
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TOP
EVENTS
Montafon World Cup, M3 Montafon Mountainbike Marathon, Montafon Arlberg Marathon, Montafon Resonanzen, Montafon Legends Festival, Silvretta Classic Rallye Montafon, Montafon Totale Trail MONTAFON MOUNTAIN CULTURE
Sura Kees, bonfi re, organ landscape, Montafon table, solstice, Montafon Steinschaf (stone sheep), Montafon brown cows, alpine meadow landscape, pasture drive, Montafon dialect, traditional Montafon costume
73
CABLEWAYS AND LIFTS
in winter
3,312 m
1,220 km OF MARKED HIKING TRAILS GESCHICHTSTRÄCHTIG | P I O N I ERHAFT|BÄUERLICH|TÜCHTIG|
> 16,000 P INHABITANTS GESCHICHTSTRÄCHTIG | I O N I ERHAFT|BÄUERLICH|TÜCHTIG| 2 million
OVERNIGHT STAYS
Montafon Dialect
Juppa– Part of the costume Kilka – Church mara – Tomorrow gära – Gladly
MONTAFON
DIALECT
“etschas bsondrix” – something special The Montafon dialect is an intangible cultural asset of the UNESCO World Heritage and represents a speciality among Austrian dialects. Embedded in the Vorarlberg Alemannic-Swabian dialect landscape, “Muntafunerisch” is characterised by the retention of older relic words from Rhaeto-Romanic. The Rhaeto-Romanic language was replaced in the late Middle Ages by Alemannic German (due to the immigration of the Walser people, amongst other reasons), but today there still remain at least 200 relic words, figures of speech and grammatical peculiarities as well as a broad inventory of phonemes that are almost entirely devoid of diphthongs (double vowels such as ai, oy, etc.). For example, numerous place, field and mountain names such as Schruns, Gortipohl, Vallüla or Piz Buin originate from Rhaeto-Romanic. Terms such as Quatterpätsch (salamander) and Mormenta (marmot) also belong to this language family.
11
TOURISM TOWNS
St. Anton im Montafon, Vandans, Bartholomäberg, Silbertal, Schruns, Tschagguns, Gargellen, St. Gallenkirch, Gortipohl, Gaschurn, Partenen
P I O N I ERHAFT|BÄUERLICH|TÜCHTIG| | GESCHICHTSTRÄCHTIG
> 140
WINTER TOURING TIPS
3
MOUNTAIN CHAINS
Verwall, Silvretta, Rätikon
551.87 km²
TOTAL AREA
(140 km² of forest)
G E S C H I CHTSTRÄCHTIG | TÜCHTIG | EIGENWILLIG | BÄUERLI CH | P I O N I ERHAFT
297 km 24 39 km
LENGTH OF VALLEY
from Bludenz to SilvrettaBielerhöhe
260 km
CYCLING AND (E-)MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS P I O N I ERHAFT|BÄUERLICH|TÜCHTIG|
MONTAFON
WE GIVE THE MONTAFON WINTER A FACE
Without them, nothing would work: our heroes of the winter ensure every day that your ski day in the Montafon is unforgettable. And they’re passionate about their work. But who is really behind the perfectly groomed slopes, the smooth operation at the mountain cableway ticket offi ce or the delicious meals in the mountain restaurants? We introduce you to some of the faces of the Montafon winter.
Kristberg Montafon
Roland – the piste and cross-country trail boss
(Montafoner Kristbergbahn)
He rolls out the white carpet at night and ensures perfect pistes, cross-country trails and winter hiking paths all around. For 34 years now, Roland has been the piste and cross-country trail boss on the Kristberg pleasure mountain. “The contact with people, the work in the great outdoors and the satisfi ed smiles on the faces of our guests – that's what makes my job so varied. And of course the magnifi cent view and the peace and quiet here on the Kristberg enrich my work every day,” Roland enthuses.
By the way, you can also look over Roland's shoulder as he works. He gives an interesting insight into his work during the “Experience grooming live” mountain experience, including a ride on the snow groomer.
Kurt – the chef
(Silvretta Montafon)
Kurt has been wielding the wooden spoon in the Silvretta Montafon for more than 30 years and spoils guests with culinary delights. During this time, he has cooked in 10 of the 11 mountain restaurants in the Silvretta Montafon. Kurt has been head chef at the Nova Stoba at 2,010 metres above sea level for many years now. It is not only the creative work, but also the wonderful view from his workplace that the enthusiastic chef appreciates. Kurt is known for his culinary theme weeks, but typical Montafon specialities are, of course, also on the menu at the Nova Stoba, including Bŏlma-Nodla, Kurt's favourite dish. The best thing to do is try the sweet treat at a welcoming stop or simply recreate it at home using Kurt's recipe. You can fi nd the recipe for this among the other recipes on the fold-out page towards the back of the magazine.
(Gargellner Bergbahnen)
Young and dynamic: that's Emilia. Her career at Gargellen cableways began as an intern. Today, six years later, the Montafon native is 23 years old and works as a ticket sales and administration manager. With a lot of commitment, she makes sure that everything to do with ticket sales, guest enquiries and business transactions runs smoothly. The “good soul of the administration”, as her colleagues like to call her, is passionate about her work. “Selling what you love to do yourself – being in the mountains – is incredible fun,” Emilia emphasises. What the young woman also appreciates about her job is the balance between guest contact at ticket sales and the administrative work in the offi ce.
Christoph – the tunnel bus driver
(Silvretta-Bielerhöhe)
His workplace is the Silvretta. Christoph began his career as a tunnel bus driver there in 2019, bringing guests safely through the narrow tunnel system in winter. Today, the Montafon native holds the position of Deputy Operations Manager in Team Silvretta and is responsible for accessibility to the power plants, among other things. He is also responsible for cable car operations as well as for maintaining the pistes, cross-country ski runs and winter hiking trails on the Silvretta-Bielerhöhe. Christoph thinks back fondly to his early days as a tunnel bus driver: “For me, driving the tunnel bus was a good opportunity to get to know the diverse activities in Team Silvretta. In the process, I was also involved in work related to cable car control right from the start and, as they say, I tasted blood.”
Lara – the slope attendant
(Erlebnisberg Golm)
Lara has been working at Golm Adventure Mountain for six years – in summer as deputy manager of the Golm forest rope course, while in winter the young woman is active in the piste service and thus jointly responsible for ensuring perfect fun in the snow. “My working day is very varied and my tasks range from securing the pistes to checking the piste markings and working on the snow-making systems. Then there are services in piste rescue and support in avalanche blasting operations. You’re out in the fresh air and on the move all day – that's fun," says Lara enthusiastically.
