Beautiful, wild and free by Seiser Alm

On the Seiser Alm, children grow up free of care in the midst of the breathtakingly beautiful countryside.

Beautiful, wild and free The Seiser Alm is a well-known and a much-loved day-trip and holiday destination. ALPE wanted to find out how it feels to live and work on the beautiful high-mountain plateau all year round.

O On a scale of 1 to 10, how nice is it to live on the Seiser Alm? “Eleven,” Frieda bursts out. Cristian nods in agreement. “Eleven, for sure,” Maria concurs. The “Alplers” whom ALPE is visiting are of one mind: There is no more beautiful place in the world. “Alplers” is the name given to all those who have been brought up and live on the mountain plateau, of whom there are currently around 150 of all ages. The “Dörflers” on the other hand, are the villagers from Castelrotto, the main town of the local area. And then there comes the rest of the world, who the locals are delighted to come into contact with as holidaymakers but otherwise, the further away they are the better. Modern-day life is hectic and not always kind to people. Here on the Seiser Alm – which, at 56 square kilometres, is Europe’s largest high mountain plateau – the world is still a good, straightforward place. Nature might be a bit unpredictable

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now and again, but the Alplers all learn to live in the heart of this fascinating mountain landscape from childhood onwards. “Our kids are wild kids,” says Martina. “They play outside in the mud, chase the hens and run the sheep off their feet. It can get stressful at times, but it’s a nice life and couldn’t be healthier.” When Greta and Daniel look back on their carefree childhood on the Alpine pastures, their eyes light up. Young adults now, they live in a particularly remote part of the Alm, and wouldn’t swap their lives with anybody. “We didn’t miss out on anything,” they agree. And when Christian thinks of his own childhood decades ago, and of his own children, he remembers how difficult it was to bring the carefree summer life on the mountains to an end in autumn, when he had to go back to school in the village. Here in the heights, children’s freedom knew no bounds. And things are no different today. »

Text: Elisabeth Augustin Photo: Helmuth Rier

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“ The sense of freedom defies description.” Young mother Martina Mair Demetz lives with her “cool kids” Lea (5), Anna (2) and Max (1), her husband Walter and his parents Laurin and Christine Demetz at the Schgaguler Schwaige on the Piz side of the Seiser Alm. Walter is the second generation of his family to farm the land here, and it keeps the family busy all year round: They churn their cow’s milk into butter, cheese and yoghurt themselves and, summer and winter alike, also serve sausages, speck and fresh meat and other bounty of their farm to hungry hikers or skiers who stop in at the Schgaguler Schwaige. “We’re self-sufficient,” says trained cook Martina who, with her stepmother Christine, strives to get the most out of every inch of garden and field – no easy feat, here at 1,998 metres high. Martina has been living on the Alm with her husband and his family for five years now, and can no longer begin to imagine another way of life. “Love floats in the air here,” she enthuses. This sense of freedom is beyond description: The breathtaking views day and night, the fertility of the soil, working in and with nature, the many animals and plants… such is her revelry that the young woman has to stop to take a breath. Life on the Alm is often harder than the valley. The Demetz family from the Schgaguler mountain hut, however, wouldn’t give up their freedom for anything in the world.

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“There’s nobody to invade your personal space, no neighbours to irritate you, no noise to disturb you. Up here, the values that count are different to those of the valley or the town,” says Martina. Family comes first and foremost: “There’s nobody else here. We need each other, and treat each other with appreciation,” says the young woman. “There are very few diversions. It’s the essential things in life that count.” She speaks of a “soul-felt peace” rarely to be found elsewhere, of the unique opportunity to find inner peace. Privation is no issue: “We have enough of everything.”

At the Römer mountain hut, there’s enough room for the large Zemmer family. Young and old, they all love life on the Alm.

And so there will be no guitar courses or ballet lessons for their daughter, and in a couple of years’ time, no village football team for the young Max to play in. The road is too long, and there’s no need for it anyway. The young Lea now goes to kindergarten in Ortisei in the nearby Val Gardena. Depending on the season, Martina takes her to the Mont Sëuc mountain station by quad, ski-doo or e-bike. From there, they swing their way down to Ortisei and then walk the rest of the way to the kindergarten. It takes over an hour in the mornings, and likewise when the time comes to pick her up in the afternoons. In future years Lea, together with the other children on the Seiser Alm, will go to primary school in Castelrotto. When that time comes, her parents will have to take her - at the crack of dawn, and the depths of darkness in winter – to the bus stop at the Hotel Ritsch, where the school bus arrives from Saltria to take the Alpler children to and from Castelrotto each morning. The kids spend around an hour and a half on the school bus every day. Martina says that

they only go to the village if they absolutely have to. “As soon as I get to the very first roundabout I start to get stressed with all the struggling for right of way,” she says.

“If you let the peace pervade you, it changes you.” “We don’t have to go to the village. We’re much happier here,” says Frieda Zemmer from the Malga Römer mountain hut, in similar vein. The sprightly wife, mother and grandmother has guests almost year round in her three holiday apartments at the 1,810 m high farm in Saltria. She says that they have their own social circle here, and the animated chats with holiday guests, most of whom stay for one to two weeks, are very important »

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ily, the farm and the cattle.” In the cold months, Christian meets with 42 men and women for what they call the “rehearsals” of the Seiser Alm’s voluntary fire brigade, but that’s about the limit of social village life. Another event on the Alm is Mass, held by Chaplain Franz Pixner every Sunday afternoon in the modern Franciscan church

by, when people couldn’t get around so much and the roads of the digital era had not yet been built, everybody on the Alm got together once a year, on September 8th, to stock up on life’s essentials. The farmers were all keen to scrutinise the latest machinery, while the women were delighted to see some pretty clothes and modern undergar-

in Compaccio village square. However, the church undoubtedly sees more devoted day guests than it does Alplers.

mentry. The market also provided the best of fruit, plentiful drink and more than a few black eyes at the end of the day. “The Alm Market was the gateway to the outside world for us,” says Christian, “and in the past, often our only contact with the villagers.” »

Here at 1,810 metres, the farmers at the Römer farm have a heavy workload in summer and winter alike.

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to Frieda and her family. But that, together with the work on the farm, are more than enough to keep her happy. “People who live here can feel this sense of connection, but can’t describe it,” says Frieda. “If you let the peace pervade you, it changes you.” Frieda has only been on holiday four times in her life, but doesn’t want anything else in her secluded life. If she needs a breath of fresh air, she takes the dog for a walk. “It’s the best way to relax.”

the road to Gstatsch, where the milk wagon picks up the daily supply. “Once,” he recalls with amusement, “it took us two days to shovel our way out of the snow. That was 1986. The guests sat on the snowplough and we worked together to make our own private road up to the hut, step by step and shovel by shovel. When we finally made it up to the road, it was still completely snowed under.” He’s seen a good few metres of snowfall since then, and it would take a lot to discombobulate him.

Frieda’s husband Christian also looks on trips to town as a punishment. “You have your peace here,” says the 50 year-old man. Christian Zemmer has 20 cattle in his barn and his fields and is a keen haymilk supplier; even in winter he never shies from

“On the Alm, you have to help yourself. Nobody’s about to appear,” explains the farmer. “We Alplers have grown up with nature and it’s made us hardy. Luckily, machinery has made work on the fields easier these days so there’s more time for fam-

For many decades, one of the high points of Alm life was the traditional Alm Market. In days gone

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“ By the time we got home from school, the day was nearly over.” Mechthild Mahlknecht Deghi has been running the Molignon hut since 1993. “Meggi” as she is known to one and all, lives exclusively on tourism and puts her every last ounce of energy into her mountain refuge hut at 2,054 metres up on high. Ever since the untimely death of her husband Alfio in 2014, originally from Madesimo in the mountains of Lombardy, Meggi has been shouldering the burden alone. She runs the refuge hut for hikers and accommodation for up to 45 hotel guests together with their two children Greta (19) and Daniel (17), and up to 10 members of staff. Guests can only get to the hut on foot or by bike, and, in the winter months, it is a popular refuge away from the slopes for snowshoers and sledgers. Five months of summer season and four months of winter season take a lot of energy and commitment. “Living here is hard work,” says the landlady, “especially in winter.” Simple things like getting rid of rubbish, stocking your pantry or repair works of any kind take a great deal more effort here, so far from the beaten track. “And in winter you have to think about clearing the roads all the time.” In this season, the car is a permanent fixture in the garage and the snowcat is the only means of getting to the hut. The times when she can relax are often too short, in the landlady’s opinion. When Meggi manages to find some time for herself, she takes joy in the beauty of the mountains. She’s of sporty incline, and enjoys biking, skiing and running. “It gives me strength,” she says. The Molignon hut is particularly beautiful in the evening, when peace reigns after the hustle and bustle of the day. Then Meggi likes to have a seat and a chat with the guests, many of whom come back year after year and feel like part of the family. Meggi’s children Greta and Daniel have grown up on the Seiser Alm, and are happy to have done so. “We had a good childhood,” they say, looking back fondly on the free and easy days they spent in the countryside. Their schooldays in Castelrotto were particularly exciting. “By the time we got back from school, the day was nearly over,” recalls Greta. This year, she’s going to start university in

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The Mahlknecht-Deghi live far from the ski slopes at the Molignon hut. The son and daughter of the family rave about their wonderful childhood.

Innsbruck. ”Living in the city is definitely going to be a massive change,” she says. Nothing, on the other hand, would pull her brother Daniel away from here. The two youths find their own evening entertainment on the Alm. Mother Meggi, who grew up at the campsite in Fiè, however, can easily imagine moving away from the Alm at some point in the future, to a place where everyday survival takes less effort.

“ Nowadays, we’re happy that the road is closed.” “Platz-Luis” (“Car-park Luis”) on the contrary, heads down to the village every day. In the past, when Luis Schieder still worked the fields and animals of the Baita Kofler in Compaccio, virtually the only time he left the Alm was for the cattle auctions. Now, at over 80 years of age, he’s handed everything down to his children and loves playing card and having a chat with like-minded souls in Castelrotto. “A link with the village is important for our father. He always finds company there. The daily trips down to the village keep him young,” says his daughter Kathia. The “cattle mart” still remains Luis’ greatest passion and is now his favourite pastime. In hindsight, says Luis, he wouldn’t change a thing: He first moved to the Seiser Alm at 30 years old, married Agnes from the Rauch Hut and had children, started a farm, bred horses, cattle, sheep and goats and, finally, opened a guest house. Kathia looks back with happiness on her childhood in the hut, fairly small for a family of eight. “We grew up in modest circumstances,” says Kathia in emphasis. One distinctive chapter in the life of Luis’ family is that of the big car park on their doorstep in Compaccio, which they managed for thirty years. Before the main road from Castelrotto/Telfen to the Seiser Alm was closed to private traffic in 2003, after endless polemics and to the immense dis- »

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KOMMAGraphik | Foto: Helmuth Rier

Without auto-mobile

AFFORDABLY AND CONVENIENTLY TO THE WINTER WONDERLAND SEISER ALM

Luis Schieder from the Kofler farm never misses his daily trip down to the village.

pleasure of many Alplers, peak days would see thousands of vehicles, including many tour buses, flocking to the natural paradise of the Seiser Alm. The car park was leased to Luis, and ensuring that the many vehicles that made it up to the Alm could find somewhere to park in Compaccio was a full-time undertaking, also for his wife and family. It was a job that called for immense commitment, patience and perseverance. And when, out of the blue, the new traffic regulations forbade all cars from coming up to the heights - excepting neighbours, farmers and hotel guests - Luis lost an enormous business from one day to the next. “Not having to go to the car park at 8 am every morning was something I missed for a long time,” he says. Today, however, he says he is happy that the road is closed, and that most other people seem to feel the same way.

Pulling together as a family has certainly paid off though. In 2009, the Schieder family opened the “Restaurant Nordic Ski Centre” at the mountain station of the Seiser Alm cable car, in an outstanding location and with sensational views. Luis and Agnes Schieder have set their three daughters Lieselotte, Kathia and Claudia up well, and their oldest son Karl takes care of the culinary cheer of their guests. Son Martin runs the land and livestock of the Baita Kofler, so the old farmer need have no fear as to whether his family will manage without him. “It’s a good life on the Alm,” says Luis, singing from the same song sheet as all the other Alplers: “Nowhere in the world is as beautiful as where we live.” «

Benefit card for toboganists, hikers and snow shoe hikers, cross-country skiers. Combi Card 3 in 7* ... 45,00 Euro

Nordic Pass 3 in 7* ... 56,00 Euro

In the course of 7 successive days (after first use)

> 3 times to the Seiser Alm and back, with the Seiser Alm Aerial Cableway OR the Seiser Alm Express (Bus Routes 10) > unrestricted use of the Shuttle Bus Service (Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 3A, 5 and 15) around the Seiser Alm and the Almbus (Bus Routes 11)

> on 3 days unrestricted use of the Seiser Alm Aerial Cableway OR the Seiser Alm Express (Bus Route 10), on the same 3 days unrestricted use of using the CrossCountry Ski Courses Seiser Alm / Val Gardena and the Almbus (Bus Route 11) > unrestricted use of the Shuttle Bus Service (Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 3A, 5 and 15)

Combi Card 7* ... 58,00 Euro

Nordic Pass 7* ... 77,00 Euro

Valid for 7 successive days (after first use)

> unrestricted use of the Seiser Alm Aerial Cableway or the Seiser Alm Express (Bus Route 10) > unrestricted use of the Shuttle Bus Service (Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 3A, 5 and 15) around the Seiser Alm and the Almbus (Bus Routes 11)

> unrestricted use of the Cross-Country Ski Courses Seiser Alm / Val Gardena, of the Seiser Alm Aerial Cableway, the Seiser Alm Express (Bus Route 10) and the Almbus (Bus Route 11) > unrestricted use of the Shuttle Bus Service (Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 3A, 5 and 15)

Combi Card 14* ... 88,00 Euro

Nordic Pass 14* ... 120,00 Euro

Valid for 14 successive days (after first use)

The Combi Card and the Nordic Pass are not transferable and are available at all cash desks of the Seiser Alm Aerial Cableway, at the tourist offices of Fiè allo Sciliar and Siusi allo Sciliar and at your accommodation. Children (born after 28.11.2012) and persons on wheelchairs ride free of charge. Juniors (born after 28.11.2004) pay only half fare. *The Guest Card “Südtirol Alto Adige Guest Pass” which is not available for purchase and is issued free of charge to the guests by the accommodation, includes a price reduction for the Combi Card and the Nordic Pass.

Seiser Alm Aerial Cableway 39040 Siusi allo Sciliar · via Sciliar, 39 Phone +39 0471 704 270 · Fax +39 0471 704 269 www.seiseralmbahn.it · info@seiseralmbahn.it

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