The journey is the destination

Who actually ensures that our hiking and cycling trails are in good condition? Here in Eben im Pongau, Izet Kurtalić is the man responsible. He has been a trail maintenance worker in Eben since May 2025 and takes care of everything related to the trail infrastructure. Today, he reveals what a typical working day looks like for him and takes us to what is probably the largest and most beautiful workplace in our region – nature.

After more than 20 years of service – and at over 80 years of age – Rupert Pfister handed over his duties to Izet from Salzburg at the beginning of 2025. ‘Together with Rupert, I inspected over 90% of the trails. As a native of Salzburg, I naturally had to familiarise myself with the area and the people here first,’ Izet recalls of his first days on the job. He now knows his way around well and has renewed and added to the markings on almost all the trails. But before he starts marking, he shows us the erosion protection he has installed on hiking trail no. 16. Due to the frequent rainfall this summer, there are many places where the water makes sections of the trail swampy or washes them away. Here, Izet diverts the water so that the trail is passable again. As we walk back to the car, he repeatedly cuts back branches and twigs that grow into the path and obstruct hikers or block the view.

Our next stop is the Halmgut Jausenstation. Some wooden steps on the hiking trail around the Österreichberg have rotted away. ‘This can quickly become dangerous if someone trips over the protruding round iron bars,’ explains Izet. He is responsible for reporting damage and repairing it once approval has been granted. He photographs the affected areas, because in Eben im Pongau, trail maintenance has already made the leap into the digital age. He and his colleagues from the tourism association use a digital tool to record hiking and cycling trails, as well as benches, bridges and much more. This allows signage to be recorded uniformly and reordered immediately in the event of damage or loss. Open tasks are also communicated via the tool or WhatsApp. Where digital tools are not (yet) able to help is with the time-consuming mowing and cutting, as well as the manual marking of the trails, which is the last task for today.

Once he reaches the bottom of Gasthofberg, Izet equips himself with paint and brushes. ‘When marking, you always have to put yourself in the shoes of people who don't know the area and need to find their way around. That's why the markings should always be clearly visible from both sides,’ he explains as he paints a white rectangle on a tree. And the red paint? Izet applies that on the way back. ‘When you paint the red paint on the white primer, it shines much more intensely. And it lasts longer, too.’ This is a big advantage, because marking is not his favourite activity, as he reveals. He much prefers tinkering: ‘I like complicated problems and jobs where I can assemble something best.’ But back to marking. At one point, there are no trees or rocks available, so Izet drives a wooden stake into the ground and applies the red-white-red markings to it. Fun fact: there is even a standard for these markings – they should be 20 x 14 cm in size, with the red bars being slightly thinner at 4 cm than the white ones at 6 cm.

Izet loves being in the mountains – in summer and winter alike. Now he can combine his passion with his job. Working as a trail maintenance supervisor is nothing new for the trained metalworker – he has been volunteering with the Alpine Club for several years and is responsible for the trails on the Untersberg in Salzburg. He spent over 60 days on Salzburg's local mountain in 2024. Outside of the Alpine Club, Bosnian-born Izet is involved in associations such as ‘Kontakt BiH-Salzburg’ and regularly organises excursions for its members. In 2024, the ‘Snaga Domovina’ (translated: homeland strength) association won the group competition at the World Hiking Championships in Filzmoos. He is even wearing the team shirt from the 2023 World Hiking Championships in Abtenau today. Together with friends and members of the association, Izet renovated hundreds of steps on the Untersberg. ‘With 18 people, you can really get things done,’ he smiles. He has already shown his family and friends his new workplace in Eben during a trip to the Moosalm. ‘The people here – the innkeepers, landowners and locals – are very helpful and generous. As a trail maintainer, I really appreciate that,’ says the Salzburg native happily.

After finishing his work, Izet puts his tools, paint and brushes back in his car – and suddenly pulls two perfectly chilled beers out of a bag. ‘The day before, I freeze two or three water bottles – that not only provides refreshingly cold water during the day, but also a cool beer after work,’ he reveals, handing me one of the two cans with a wink. Thus, we sit together for a while longer in the middle of the forest, on the loading sill of Izet's car. Until he got this job, he didn't know that you could work as a trail maintenance worker for pay. What he wants: ‘A full-time job as a trail maintenance worker would be best. Then I probably wouldn't retire at all.’ He is not currently working as a locksmith – he has learned to listen to himself more and to do what he enjoys and what is good for him. That is exactly what is happening now. And who knows, maybe his dream of working as a trail maintenance worker until retirement (and beyond 😉) will come true.

Bildnachweis: Angelika Pfuner - TVB Eben