“My mother owned a fashion boutique. For her it was always clear that one day the business would pass to me. When I was 15 I did an apprenticeship, started working in the shop … and hated it.

Then my uncle Helmut asked me if I would be interested in taking the test to become a qualified hiking guide. Since then Helmut and I have been a team. As a child I spent a lot of time with him hiking in the mountains. He took me everywhere he went and taught me everything he knew. He was the best teacher anyone could hope for. Back then there was nothing more exciting for me than hiking the Drischlsteig trail up to the Muttekopfhütte hut. The trail itself isn’t that difficult, but it is narrow and slippery in places. You definitely need a head for heights. Once you are up at the top the reward for all your efforts is a bowl of hot soup with a hearty cheese dumpling.

I have always loved being out in the mountains, but becoming a hiking guide was a spontaneous decision. It fills me with pleasure and pride when I am able to show guests around the region I am lucky enough to call home and to see how much they enjoy being in Tirol. And wherever I go I am always joined by Lou, my faithful four-legged friend.”

Silvia Mair – hiking guide

The Drischlsteig trail can be reached quickly and easily using the Imster Bergbahnen cable cars. It starts by the Alpjoch ridge at around 2,000 metres above sea level and leads up to the hut near the top of the Muttekopf mountain. Hikers wishing to complete the trail must be sure-footed. To get back down there is the option of taking the same path in the opposite direction or using the alternative trail leading past the Latschenhütte hut and down to the starting point in Hoch-Imst.