Summer

Alpine herdsmen and women spend the summer on the mountain farmers' alpine pastures, where they tend to the livestock and maintain the alpine huts. Daily, they check miles of fences and care for the cows. Their duties therefore require not only manual skill but also experience in handling animals. Fortunate are those who, like the Riecke family with the herdsman couple Steffi and Hans, and the Mayr family with herdsman Anderl, can rely on the support of trusted individuals for years. All three were farm owners themselves and know the tasks on the alpine pasture very well. It is usually somewhat more difficult to find suitable personnel for this demanding work. In many cases, the care of the animals during the summer months is therefore divided among several people from the family or circle of friends, who plan their holidays accordingly.

An equally necessary but much more extensive part of alpine pasture maintenance is forestry work – especially on steep slopes. Because this work on mountain slopes is very complex and labor-intensive, Axel Riecke, for example, only carries it out once a year. During thinning, several trees are removed at once. With professional support and heavy equipment, the Riecke family and their helpers make their way into the mountain forest. However, the heavy steel cable, including the sled, must first be hauled up by hand by numerous helpers and securely fastened – an enormous feat of strength that requires great skill and experience. Since only trees close to the transport cable and its winch can be removed, the placement of the transport lane must be carefully chosen for efficient extraction.