The Stoaberg's Primeval Rock

His life is dedicated to the mountains: at over 70 years of age, Leopold Würtl, an active climber and mountain hut host, is in no way inferior to the younger generation. His secret recipe for mental and physical health: a portion of contentment and the power of the Tyrolean mountains.

His long whiskers are already snow-white, but the mischievous twinkle in his well-travelled eyes reveals that Leopold Würtl has always remained young at heart. Growing up in St. Ulrich am Pillersee, he went through the strict school of life. Together with his four siblings, he had to lend a hand on his parents' farm and in the family carpentry business whenever helping hands were needed. And that was the case every day, Leopold laughs: "It was physically strenuous work, there were no machines back then, the days were long, but it didn't do us any harm." After leaving school, Leopold learned the carpentry trade like his father and went into business for himself as a floor fitter. It was not until many years later that he took over the family business, which he successfully managed with ten to fifteen employees and has now been run by the younger generation for several years. The motto: "For our customers, we work at high speed". A play on words that fits perfectly with his favourite pastime, exploring the fascinating mountain worlds of Mother Earth.

Always active in sports, alpine mountaineering soon became his passion as a young man. Together with a well-coordinated group of experienced mountain colleagues, he first went to the Three Peaks in South Tyrol and later on to Peru and Ecuador. "Back then, we still climbed with high, stiff mountain boots and had heavy backpacks to carry. Today the sport has changed a lot, become lighter, more fluid." As the landlord of the Schwarzenberg Hut in the Glockner Group, a member of the Tyrol Mountain Rescue Service and long-time chairman of HG Stoaberg, the father of five has always remained loyal to rocks and summits despite many a stroke of fate: "On our tour in the Peruvian Andes, a good friend died of altitude sickness. My own ascent of the Großglockner was almost my undoing. With a roped party of six people, we all fell down the 45-degree Glocknerleitl. It was only by sheer luck that we got stuck in front of a large slope and were therefore spared worse injuries. Such moments remind us that we are only guests here on earth and on the summits and that we should be grateful for every day that we are well and healthy."

Nowadays, Leopold can often be found in the Loferer Steinberge with young climbers or old-established climbing colleagues. The locals call them "Stoaberg" for short, and the name says it all.One of the best-known climbing areas there is the Steinplatte. With its compact rock and over 70 routes, it offers everything an athlete's heart desires. Climbing legends like Markus Bendler, Chris Sharma and the Huber-Buam test their skills here time and again. Thanks to the mountain lifts, the approach can be completed in a short time.

#KitzbühelerAlpen | #LebenswegeTirol