Before Karl Neururer climbs into the cab of the glacier-Express, he disappears in the belly of the base station in Mittelberg. Radiant with joy, the train ago, returns with a framed photo in Hand: “Look,” says the man calling in the Pitztal glacier-Charly, “I was a handsome boy.”
The image shows a 24-Year-old with a mullet hairstyle in front of the Pitz-Express. The evidence is almost 36 years old, Neururer today, the senior employee of the Pitztal glacier cableway. In 1981 he began the construction in the Tyrolean Alps and helped to drill the 3.8-kilometre-long Tunnel for the railway up to the Pitztal glacier.
27’500 meters per shift
And, since September 1983 and the inauguration of the glacier Express, which was then called Pitz-Express, serves the faithful Charly as a conductor. Up to 30 times per day he will overcome 1100 meters of altitude, operates between mid-July and the end of may, six days in a row, followed by two free days. Per shift, he comes in the cut to 27’500 meters in altitude. “No Problem for the body,” reports the 59-Year-old, “the doctor said, Charlie, are you all right with you.”
Resourceful PR people have calculated that Neururer in his previous professional life has been laid back 195.5 million meters of altitude. He rode in his train to 670’000 km, almost the distance from the earth to the moon and back.
Karl Neururer (59), built in 1981, with the railway tunnel. Photo: Chris Walch
such a mathematical game of the conductor thinks when he was in the leaders a critical view into the rear-view mirror, the doors closed and with an acoustic Signal in the above-harre colleagues. A four-tone Gong sounds, the headlights, flames, Charly drives off. “The speed is nine meters per second,” explains Neururer, “twelve is the Maximum.”
Quietly, the painted eggs of Easter decoration rocking in Charly’s rich, a squeak accompanied ducky him on the trip up to the glacier. “Whether it’s the carnival, Easter or Christmas, I always decorate my cab season,” says glacier-Charly.
Sometimes passengers tilt
1.89 kilometres, the compositions cross; the two car guide, Charly here, Mr Rudl on the descent, you press the horn. In comparison to Charly Rudl, incidentally, is almost a rookie, he rides the glacier Express, it is only since December 1983. The two wagons of a composition sliding on 16 wheels on the rails. In principle, the Express is a cable car, powered by four electric motors with a total of 1632 HP. Now light shines at the end of the tunnel, the train slows down, the staircase-like platform, Charly opens the door, the winter sports enthusiasts push to the glacier.
In Sepp pus (60) Café 3.440 cooking is a science. Photo: Chris Walch
Sometimes, says the Lord of car 1, dumped passengers. The body pays tribute to the height difference, in the case of large crowds, the Express is capable of accelerating the journey from 1730 to 2840 metres above sea level in eight minutes. Neururer: “I calm down, the bystanders, bette the patient on the platform, legs up, and two minutes later, the bout of weakness is over.”
The Pitztal glacier is the highest in Austria. A network of trails extends over several glacier tongues, together with the neighboring skiing area of Rifflsee there are 12 lifts and 40 kilometers of slopes. The season on the ice begins at the end of September and lasts until may.
“it’s The best job one can have”
“is in the autumn,” says Marita Schranz from the Pitztal glacier, “in October and November, many Skikader train here. From the mountain station of the glacier Express, the gondola of the wildspitz cable car leads up to the Café 3.440 on the hinterer Brunnenkogel. The house of the Lord in the highest coffee house in Austria, the Pitztal veteran Sepp pus. “It’s the best job you could wish for,” says the 60-Year-old, “where you can see many peaks of the Alps of the Bernina group, on the Ötztal Alps to Zugspitze, Silvretta massif?”
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Proud of the facilities is also waiting for the showcase at the entrance: marzipan cake glaciers, snow and strawberry cake, Curd cheese and Apple strudel. Claudia Sabau, bake the delicacies in the highest pastry shop at the foot of the Wildspitzbahn. Per season of 4 tons of kaiserschmarrn and 25 kilometres to the Apple strudel.
bake at 2840 meters above sea level is a science and in case of bad weather is a lottery. The biggest Problem: the air pressure takes influence on the volume. “In the case of low pressure, it needs more gelatin on the cake,” says the Romanian pastry chef. “And the Muffins are in need of 40 instead of 30 minutes of baking time.”
cooking pasta? Not at this altitude
at the Top, Sepp pus Café at almost 3500 metres above sea-level baking is impossible, the adjustment of the coffee maker and beer tap for a challenge. The caretaker can cook for physical reasons, time pasta. “The dumplings, we need to VAPE, otherwise they are rock hard,” he says.
On a good day, the five-member Crew operated to pus up to 1000 guests. “In the case of Stress there is only one currency in this altitude: drink. At least four liters of water per working day.”
The trip was supported by the tourism Association Pitztal.
(editing Tamedia)
Created: 04.04.2019, 17:30 PM
