MINI-BIO

Looking back, even in elementary school, I wanted to turn away from a “system” that seemed inhuman to me. There was no one there who wanted to address my talents and basic needs as a child and “MOUNTAIN FARM BOY.” Theory and people who, far removed from any practice, ranked this theory as the highest credo, let my life be determined. As a child, I couldn’t know any better, and I felt at its mercy.

A class teacher, whose favorite hobby was hunting, managed to break my ice. I understood that there should be a life alongside and after school. From then on, I was an A-student and simultaneously opened the door to regained freedom, which I initially lived out as a cross-country skier in various performance squads.

A decade followed, marked by a strong performance and success-oriented mindset, very pronounced in my GENERATION X. Unfortunately, this also affected my approach to mountaineering. And once again, my origins, my passions for movement in nature, my roots as a mountain farm boy collided with my reality as a man in pinstripes, IT project manager, and executive in an organization filled with thousands of people.

The desire for change grew strong. So strong that with my boundless energy, I completed the then 2-year training to become a mountain and ski guide. From then on, it was clear: there is only one life for me, with and in the mountains.

BUT: My lifestyle had left mental and physical traces. I regularly took my car for service. My health, however, I freely sacrificed to my arrogance, believing I could achieve anything.

When I think back today to how brutally I treated myself and my body, I often feel that I didn’t deserve all the people and animals who were like guardian angels on my path. BUT: If you are lucky enough to be born into a life like mine, then a proverb is 100% true: “Happiness is what you are.”

Georg Fraberger, psychologist and author of “Ohne Leib mit Seele” (Without Body with Soul), puts it perfectly in his book.

DID IT MAKE IT EASIER?

My ego as a high-achiever changed. I “shed my skin” like a snake, so to speak. A total shift in values was the result. The egomaniacal, ambitious, and at times probably even narcissistic high-achiever, who operated by rules, duties, and customs, became a compassionate family man. The small and sensitive “mountain farm boy” asserted himself, replacing “having” with “being.”

The path back to “my freedom” was hard. Emotional intelligence and compassion became central to my existence, which strongly influenced both my work as a mountain guide and my development as a musher of Siberian Huskies. As a purist of Generation X, looking back, I would have miserably failed at both!

It was not “easy” to trust this development. Especially since the word “easy” turned out to be very difficult. Because “easy” means gaining “clarity through deep understanding.” And only my transformation could establish this relationship from the “now” to the past self. Seeing and understanding this difference was the most instructive thing of all. A meeting point for grounding, a weapon against everything that could harm me, my family, and this existence. A deep understanding of what is important to me and what seems right.

“The journey is the reward” – Confucius expresses this very “simply.” What that truly means can only be EXPERIENCED.

And since I still feel quite lonely with this approach to life and mountaineering, we at Lechtal Mountain School have decided to convey these important messages in all our guided tours and training courses. Not as a lecture. Subtly. Packaged within the mountain world into which we lead you.

INDIVIDUAL – PERSONAL – SUSTAINABLE