This is Bettina Huber’s tenth summer on the Filzmoosalm. She has known the idyllic place below the Filzmooshörndl in Salzburgerland since her childhood. Her family has owned an alpine hut here since the 1920s. Back then, it is said to have been Austria’s first ski hut. There is no proof of this, says Bettina Huber, as an avalanche swept away the Promegg family’s old hut in 1950. Shortly afterwards, they rebuilt the Filzmoosalm in its current location.
Like many generations before them, they bring the cattle to the alpine pastures for summering. But Bettina Huber’s tasks as a mountain pasture manager are more varied than ever. What is life like on the mountain pasture? Here, where cell phones have no reception and the senses focus on the essentials. We spend a few days at the Filzmoosalm, where ten good-natured Pinzgauers, hungry hikers, tired overnight guests and three little daughters want to be looked after.
Cows are individualists too
The days start early on the Filzmoosalm. Long before the first hikers stop for a snack, the cows want to be milked. It’s five o’clock in the morning. Snow has fallen overnight on the Draugstein at an altitude of 2,300 meters. Manfred Huber is already standing in front of the mountain hut with his six-year-old daughter Magdalena. Both have a stick in their hands. Magdalena already knows that the stick is important to keep the good-natured Pinzgauers with their 600 kilos of body mass at bay in an emergency. We make our way to the night pasture. Manfred Huber knows the peculiarities of his Pinzgauer cows inside out. One is always dawdling and refuses to be driven, another is curious about everything she doesn’t know. This morning I seem to have aroused her interest. But Magdalena has the situation under control with her stick and shows the cow the way to the barn.
The Pinzgau cows have become rare on the alpine pastures in Salzburgerland. Around 1900, Pinzgauers were mainly used as draft animals. Their milk yield is far below that of high-yielding cows. Bettina and Manfred Huber deliberately opted for the local Pinzgauer breed. This breed is considered calm, explains Manfred Huber. The animals are also allowed to keep their horns. Pinzgauers can be recognized by the chestnut-red color of their coat with a broad white stripe from the withers across their back and rear. With their strong claws, they can move sure-footedly on steep terrain.
The Hubers’ cows are called Zierl, Zeder or Sieglinde and, according to Bettina Huber, they remain part of the family for a good ten years. In the fully automated cowsheds of large farms, on the other hand, a cow’s life only lasts two to three years. Then a turbo cow is at the end of its so-called useful life. On the Filzmoosalm, the cows approach the milking parlor and put in a final spurt. This is not due to aching, overflowing udders, but to the concentrated feed that is already waiting for them in the barn. A trick, Manfred Huber reveals, to keep the animals busy in the small milking shed on the mountain pasture while he ties them up and puts the milking harness on the first two. Manfred Huber moves smoothly between the cows, resolutely pushing them aside when he needs space. The milking machine roars, but the animals remain calm. Once the first five animals are tethered, he opens the barn door again and the others crowd in and go to their regular place.
As a night owl on the Filzmoosalm
In alpine lingo, overnight guests are called “Nächtler”. The time of dormitory beds is over on the Filzmoosalm. Groups of strangers are no longer put together. The renovated rooms on the second floor are located directly above the cowshed. People and animals used to live under one roof. Here on the mountain pasture, this is the case twice a day when the Pinzgau cows rush into their milking stall. Guests are invited to watch the milking. It is a daily ritual that not only fascinates children. On the second day on the mountain pasture, I don’t make it out of bed in time to accompany Manfred to the night pasture. But I can hear the cowbells ringing closer, the animals walk around the house and when the stable door opens, the footsteps of the Pinzgau cows rumble beneath me for a brief moment. Then it becomes quiet and I know that they are now happily munching on their concentrated feed. On this day too, the cows will produce around 100 liters of the best alpine milk. And even on this day, milking is only the beginning of a long chain of work. But good cheese and the best butter start right here, with cows that move freely, eat fresh herbs and are treated with respect.
Cows, cheese, children
Every day, Bettina Huber processes around 100 liters of milk into alpine specialties. Bettina never tires of trying out new things. Since setting up a modern dairy on the Prommegghof farm, she has even been making ice cream and oven-baked camembert. Both have been on the menu at the Filzmoosalm since 2024. Just like her award-winning sour cheese, Tauern semi-hard cheese, curd cheese, yoghurt, whey and buttermilk. There is a piece of golden yellow alpine butter on every snack platter, the sausages are made from Pinzgau beef and the home-made cheese dumplings in bouillon are delicious. This abundance of alpine specialties is served to hikers and bikers throughout the summer from June to September. Bettina and Manfred are supported by young alpine dairymen and women. They are often caught between two stages of life, such as school and university or university and their first job. A summer on the mountain pasture, between the cowshed, kitchen and the Hubers’ three young daughters, is like taking a deep breath before moving on with your own life plan.
Everything is hunky-dory
The old cheese kettle in the Vorkaser on the Filzmoosalm is now just decoration. Bettina and Manfred Huber went all in when they took over the Promegghof in 2018. Bettina is a trained hairdresser and Manfred had already been working as a communications technician when they decided to switch to farming on their parents’ farm. They built a state-of-the-art barn for their Pinzgauer cows and a professional dairy for milk processing. A few training courses and failed cheese wheels later, production at the Promegghof took off. The Tauern semi-hard cheese matures in large quantities in the cold store, the golden yellow alpine butter is in great demand from hoteliers and on the alpine pasture, their sour cheese has already been named Almweg Schmankerl of the year 2022 and guests keep coming back to the Filzmoosalm for their ice cream.
Off to the alpine pasture
Hiking has been a strong trend for several years. In Salzburg’s Pongau region, the Almenweg is a more leisurely option. Here you go from alpine pasture to alpine pasture, at a moderate pace, with impressive scenery and the tranquillity of the mountains. The 25 stages can be hiked individually or in one go. Ascents are possible from many places in Pongau and the traditional alpine huts with their good food invite you along the way. The days of dormitory beds are also over on the Salzburger Almenweg and those who wish can book a complete package for several nights in an Alpine hut. At the Filzmoosalm, overnight stays can be booked by email. Bettina Huber’s many alpine specialties are available throughout the alpine summer without reservation, but not without effort. The alp can be reached on foot and by bike. Overnight guests can also drive up by car by prior arrangement.
In Salzburgerland, green meadows can even exude a touch of Hollywood. In Werfen, 40 kilometers south of Salzburg, film tourists from all over the world walk the Sound of Music Trail. Their destination is a meadow at the Gschwandtanger viewing platform, where a famous scene from the Oscar-winning music film is set.
The research was supported by Tourismusverband Großarltal and SalzburgerLand
