On the Arlberg at Stütze 14, she received a call from a friend that would change her life. Lisa Kraft (23), who grew up on a farm in Rußbach, was offered the opportunity to take over the Happy ski school in Altenmarkt at the Hochbifang valley station.
‘Ok, that's fine!’ was her spontaneous answer. Lisa had no doubts at all, the only thing missing was the ski guide training. ‘It all happened so quickly,’ she says in our interview: Hotel management school in Bad Hofgastein, ski racer, A-levels, ski instructor training - incidentally, Lisa earned the money for this as a waitress at the Oktoberfest in Munich - and many conversations with Rupert Mair, who ran the ski school for 30 years ...
‘Anyone who is given such an honour simply can't turn down an offer like this,’ continues Lisa. Rupert ran the school with love and passion, and that's also ‘her thing’. The two of them have already completed one season together, and from winter 2024/25, Lisa and her 25 ski instructors will run the school as independently as possible ‘at eye level’ and teach guests, children and adults the joy of skiing. ‘Rupert will be at my side for another two years with his experience and down-to-earth attitude, as will her family and friends, without whom she would not have made it, as well as the Tourist Board, the Ski Lift Company and the Arlhofhütte. That gave and still gives me the courage to take on the challenge,’ Lisa continues.
When asked what she is doing in the summer, Lisa answers confidently: ‘I started a three-year training course to become a physiotherapist last autumn. It's my dream job and I know I can do both!’
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Ski School Happy Altenmarkt https://skischule-happy.at/
Valley station Hochbifangbahn, Radstadt-Altenmarkt Ski Circuit
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photo credits: Matthias Fritzenwallner, Lisa Kraft