Mountaineering Villages in Tyrol - Life in the Gschnitztal, Schmirntal and Valsertal Valleys

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Direction: Stefan Sternad, Camera: Heimo Pfeifenberger

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Production: ORFIII, ipFILM

Documentary film: 45 min./2023

This new production by director Stefan Sternad tells the story of the people who call the mountaineering village region around the Gschnitztal, Valsertal and Schmirntal valleys their home. “When I get up in the morning and look out of the window, I see these mountains and it always makes my heart beat faster,” enthuses Ferdinand Pranger from Gschnitz. At the Alfaierhof farm, he runs his own gray cattle farm, continuing a centuries-old family tradition.

The people live the values of the mountaineering villages: closeness to nature, sustainability and a strong community. Whether in the mill village of Gschnitz, which Roswitha Felder runs with heart and soul, or on the Trinserhof hotel, which is run by the third generation of twin sisters Jessica and Jennifer Covi - everywhere you look you can feel the pride of being part of this special region. “That may sound strange, but we do this for the community, for Tyrol and for the mountains,” says Jennifer.

In addition to impressive landscapes and unique nature, the film shows how the people here maintain traditions and at the same time break new ground. Whether it's via ferratas, which Thomas Senfter is building in St. Jodok; a village café, which was founded by Viktoria Eller in her mid-twenties; or the “School of the Alpine Pasture”, which Andreas Eller runs in Vals - the mountaineering villages create places where people can meet and slow down. “You either have to be a mountaineer or you're looking for peace and quiet,” Roswitha sums it up.

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Life in the Gschnitztal, Schmirntal und Valsertal Valleys is a cinematic portrait of this impressive region and its people, who prove how valuable a life far away from the big city can be.