When it’s quiet on the mountains, we get busy! – Maintenance work with dedication

Cooler air, soft colours, a feeling of slowing down – summer is quietly coming to an end. While the Papageno cable car still takes hikers up the Rossbrand, preparations for winter are already underway in the background: with expertise, spanners and genuine Filzmoos charm. What guests don't see: behind every gondola ride is work done with passion – from snowmaking and ski lifts to snowcats and skidoos. Because after the winter season is before the winter season, and work on the mountain never ends.

Interviews with our employees – who is behind the answers? We don't use anonymous voices, but rather the people who ensure that everything runs smoothly day after day at the Filzmoos Lift Company:

Engelbert & Franz – our operations managers with a broad overview and a sense of humour.
Rupert – workshop manager with a passion for everything that ‘goes fast’.
Barbara & Birgit – cash desk & office, where organisation and guest service go hand in hand.

Engelbert: "We overhaul everything – from carrying jaws and V-belts to support rollers, which easily weigh 25 kilos. And then there are the fences: in spring for the cows, in autumn the snow fences. Plus, major projects like this year – replacing the cable on the Papageno lift, which is 3,460 metres long and weighs around 23 tonnes. It's a lot of work – without it, nothing works in winter."

Rupert sums it up: “Everything that runs – snowmobiles, snow groomers, tractors, loaders – has to be maintained. If it doesn't run anymore, it's had it. So, we weld, screw, and oil.”

Barbara laughs: “Everyone thinks that nothing happens in summer. But this year we had to completely reset the Filzmoos ticket pool – every ticket has to work, otherwise guests get stuck at the turnstile. It sounds insignificant, but it's the basis for everything.”

Employees often hear this question – and they respond with a wink.

Franz says dryly: ”‘Honestly, you have no idea.”

Barbara: “Well, when someone tells me we have nothing to do in the summer, I say: Let's swap days. Then in the evening you'll realise how varied and exhausting working at the ticket office can be – but that's exactly what makes it exciting and anything but boring.”

Rupert: “There's plenty of work to do – it doesn't just happen by itself. Couch potatoes are out of place here.”

Barbara: “Nothing annoys me that quickly, but without my electronic table calculator, I'd be lost. There's no trick to it, as soon as you find one, there's another software update.”

Rupert: “Lubricating the snow groomers is annoying, but it has to be done. My hero is the cordless impact wrench.And my trick after years of experience: sometimes ‘tinkering’ is more effective than brooding.”

Engelbert: “Daily checks, the same thing every day. Annoying, but necessary. Nothing works without a grease gun. My trick: stay cool – always.”

Franz: “My number one tool? Coffee. I can't even get started without it.”

Birgit smiles: “Same here – coffee is half my life.”

When nature changes on the Rossbrand in late autumn and everything glows in the golden sunlight, preparations for the winter season also begin at the Papageno cable car.

Away from the hustle and bustle, our employees experience the Rossbrand in their own unique way. They know the quiet places, the special moments – and the feeling when, after long preparations, the winter season gets going. Here they share their memories and heartfelt moments – honestly, down-to-earth and with a great love for the mountains.

Barbara: “Once I was allowed to ride along on the snow groomer on the high-altitude cross-country ski trail – it was a dreamlike sunset, and I just thought: How beautiful our homeland is!”

Rupert: “Preparing the cross-country ski trail after fresh snowfall at sunrise – everything is quiet, everything glitters. That's exactly why I do this job.”

Engelbert: “The mountain when it's still untouched – no tracks, just peace and quiet. That's when I immediately remember why I work here.”

Birgit: “My most beautiful moment was an October sunrise – everything golden, not a sound to be heard. I always say you have to go away and see something else to realise how beautiful it is at home.”

Franz: “I still remember the winter of 18/19 – endless masses of snow, we had to close because we couldn't keep up with the shovelling. And then suddenly the sun came out – the relief was really emotional. But even otherwise: when I'm out on the mountain in good weather, I think to myself every time – this is why you do it.”

Barbara: “I don't take breaks on the mountain – during working hours, I'm at the cash register or in the office. But when I have time off, I'm drawn to the summit cross. For me, it's the most beautiful place. And I experience the mountain most intensely at sunset – the atmosphere blows me away every time.”

Rupert: “I have to admit – I don't take any secret breaks. But when I'm preparing the high-altitude cross-country ski trail, I do enjoy the view. For me, the Rossbrand is most beautiful at night when it's completely empty. There's something magical about it.”

Engelbert: ‘For me, it's the ‘panorama corner’. I don't take a break there, but I do pause for a moment – simply because the view is so impressive. For me, the mountain is at its most beautiful when the slopes are white and the sky is bright blue – then you have a real winter wonderland.”

Franz: “I also like the ‘panorama corner’, it's just something special. But the moment that captivates me every time is taking the lift up early in the morning, everything covered in deep snow, the world still quiet. That's the Rossbrand at its most beautiful for me.”

Birgit: ‘For me, it's also the ‘panorama corner’ – and the summit cross. The view there is unique, and you can really feel the power of the mountains. For me, the mountain is at its most beautiful in the morning or in the evening, when the atmosphere is simply special and there’s no hustle and bustle.”

Barbara: "There are quite a few, but one experience stands out: a female doctor once got terribly upset because she didn't get a free ticket. She insulted me personally. A few months later, I told the story on a bus trip, and who did I meet at the destination? That very same doctor! She greeted me as if we were good friends. The whole bus laughed on the way back – what a crazy coincidence."

Rupert: “Once, my colleague opened the wrong hose on the snow groomer. Bang – all the oil splashed in his face. He looked like a freshly baptised rat. At first, we were shocked, but then we laughed our heads off.”

Engelbert: ‘We often help people get out of the gondola. Once, a woman held on to my colleague – and just let herself fall completely. They both flew over together. My other colleague couldn't help because he was doubled over with laughter. You don't forget something like that.”

Franz: "In the winter of 18/19, when there was a lot of snow, two colleagues set off to put the nets back up. One of them said, ‘Don't take your skis off:’ The other replied, ‘I have to, otherwise I can't work.’ No sooner had he taken off his skis than he stepped to the side – and disappeared up to his nose in the fresh snow. We still talk about it today."

Birgit: There's a story a colleague told me: a guest got so upset that he pulled down his trousers as he was leaving.

But we all agree on one thing: whether curious, heart-warming or laugh-out-loud funny – in all the moments we experience in summer and winter, we will always be aware of one thing: every encounter with our guests is a gift.

Filzmoos is simply Filzmoos

Ultimately, it is the combination of factors that defines the Filzmoos Lift Company: precision work, genuine people, a touch of humour – and a great deal of passion. When guests board the cable car in December and everything runs smoothly, it is unlikely that anyone considers that this moment will begin again in April, before the summer season. However, that is precisely the key.

So, if on your next trip on the Papageno cable car you see a gondola with a polished shine, freshly cleaned windows and an employee who smiles warmly and smells a little like hydraulics, then you know: winter is coming. And Filzmoos has been ready for a long time.

In autumn, we will provide you with even more humorous information about the preparations for the winter season on Facebook and Instagram (@filzmoos.ski), so please follow us!
For more information and the current opening hours of the Filzmoos ski lifts, please visit:
www.filzmoos.ski.

Image credits: Bergbahnen Filzmoos, Goi.Li Media GesbR, Adam Stocker