PG: Is La Grave your home spot?
Stefan: I spend a lot of time in La Grave, but I also always look at what's happening in the surrounding area. There was once a winter in La Grave with only cold, windy and dry air. That was the moment when I realized that it was really snowing in the inner Alps. So I went in search of areas that benefit from Genoa or Mediterranean lows. I now offer my camps in areas that benefit from genoa lows, southern and western accumulations and northern exposures. The secret is to create a base right in the middle of the different snow-bringing weather conditions and their accumulation zones. Some areas don't have big names and are spread far and wide across the Southern Alps, so they can't be described as freeride meccas like La Grave or Alagna. But these many small, unknown locations, together with areas like La Grave, make it very likely to catch good snow.
PG: You trained as an insurance salesman. So how did you become a mountain guide?
Stefan:(laughs). You have to learn something proper, don't you? No, seriously: I've actually always been fixated on the mountains. My parents used to rent an alpine pasture, so I've been in touch with climbing, ski touring and hiking since I was a child. But I never thought of making a career out of it. So I first learned something down-to-earth and then went astray through German universities. During this time, I was always out in the mountains a lot and actually worked more on my training as a state mountain guide instead of absorbing the content of mass lectures. But I wouldn't want to miss the study phase. I've been a state-certified mountain guide since 1993 and have been an instructor for the DAV (German Alpine Club) and for the Association of German Mountain and Ski Guides in the field of canyoning. I can even use knowledge from my studies - such as communication psychology - to better understand people in difficult situations on the mountain.
PG: What tours have you done so far?
Stefan: A particular highlight was certainly the first ascent of the north pillar of the Freispitze, together with Herrman Reisach, alpine historian and mountain guide. We spontaneously left the planned drill at the bottom and managed the tour with minimal resources. The decisive factor for me was the harmony in the rope team. The focus here was not on a possible publication, but on the line itself. I never have a fixed rope partner, it changes depending on the tour. I did many first ascents "by fair means" - so I didn't set any bolts, just wedges, friends and normal bolts. The disadvantage of this is that nobody repeats the routes. Later on, I bought myself a drill. In the meantime, however, I do much less climbing and mountaineering. Instead, I indulge in my love of alpine enduro biking. I do it a bit like ski touring and freeriding - always on the lookout for a fine descent.
PG: If you're always out and about, have you had any incidents involving avalanches?
Stefan: As a 16-year-old, I triggered a snow slab on the northern flank of the Heidenkopf. At that time, the entire slope was about 500 meters wide with a break-off edge of about one meter. Fortunately, I was still able to claw my way through the old snow cover. The force with which the masses of snow thundered into the forest was a key experience for me, the abstract risk became tangible. Snow looks so white and innocent and doesn't smell of danger at all. You're having a lot of fun and suddenly it crashes. A personal experience like that makes you understand the forces at work. But by then it's often too late.
PG: How do you deal with danger as a mountain guide?
Stefan: I'm already out on tours a lot in the run-up to winter. This gives me the necessary fitness and sharpens my senses for the winter. That plays a big role for me alongside the rational methods of risk management. Then I do the easier tours first to really get back into it, observe the conditions and how the snow cover develops. My big advantage is also that I'm on the ground almost all the time and therefore experience the "history" of the winter directly. So I try to get my own picture and recognize the peculiarities of the spots. I then compare my observations with the situation report. When I'm out and about in mountains where there is no LLB, the motto is always: take your time and digest your impressions. This has always worked well so far.
