Because hiking heals the soul

Anyone who thinks of Kitzbühel only in terms of skiing and the Hahnenkamm is very mistaken. Because as soon as the snow has melted, it gives way to a vast hiking paradise across grassy green Alpine pastures, striking peaks and unique "catwalks".

Christina Foidl is a real mountain child. Even as a young girl, she swooped barefoot across the green pastures of the Kitzbüheler Alpen, helped her father with the cows in the barn and entertained the guests - also without shoes - on her parents' Huberalm, (Alpine farm) which is situated at 1,080 metres above sea level high above the village of Kirchdorf in Tyrol. To this day nothing has changed in her passion for nature, the mountains and their originality. A life in the city? Unthinkable. She prefers to commute several hours a day by train from A to B in order to be able to work on her next tour while she is still lost in thought. "Hiking gives me a different perspective of the world. With each step I am further away from the valley, but closer to myself. It's not about reaching the summit, but rather about the route itself, about feeling yourself again, coming to terms with yourself again. A feeling that Christina likes to pass on to the people who accompany her on her way.

As a native of the Tyrolean lowlands, she is as connected to her home as much as she is talkative, open-minded, helpful, and musical. Above all, it is her musical talent which cannot be overheard. Given the right time and place, Christina produces her flugelhorn and gives free rein to the language of music. It is for these irretrievable moments that peace and quiet suddenly return to the Huberalm and the buzz of the guests’ voices falls silent. They let the melancholic sounds of traditional folk melodies take over as they fade away in the vastness of the mountains. "Many don't expect such a performance and are simply baffled." For the passionate musician these are moments of happiness and gratitude. "Music expresses, what cannot be spoken, in a language that is understood worldwide." That's exactly why she carries her flugelhorn with her on almost every tour, well stowed in her backpack, to pause at a bench, a cliff edge or under a summit cross, retrieve her wind instrument and fill the space with music which words cannot express. Whether soft or euphoric tones, legato or staccato, Christina always turns her gaze in a very specific direction while playing music. That of the Wilder Kaiser mountain range, the "Koasa" as it is known here. "I don't perform for the guests, I perform for the mountain. There's a reason for that." The "Koasa" fascinated Christina all her life. Whether it was from the train window or directly in the ascent via ferrata (protected climbing route): "There are places in life that give you something in return. You can't explain it, you have to experience it."

Nature seekers can experience and hike the beauty of the Kitzbüheler Alpen on many trails and among them you can even find a real catwalk - the Kitzbüheler Alpen Trail, or "KAT Walk“ for short. Six hiking days, 106 kilometres, 6,350 metres of elevation and countless encounters are waiting to be discovered. Because it's the route that counts, not the destination, as Christina knows: "The KAT Walk is like a change of scenery in nature. Here, forest paths alternate with Alpine meadows with magnificent views. There are passages where the sun is your constant companion and sections of forest suffused with light where you can follow the scent of pine and spruce needles. "Day after day, the route winds its way up to the grassy green peaks of the Kitzbüheler Alpen, which brings with it the fortunate circumstance that hikers find themselves in a sea of Alpine flowers, especially in the Summer months: "Gentian, arnica, daisies, all of them stretching their blossoms towards the sky at the end of July, beginning of August, hungry for the sun". In addition, one should also look more often towards the ground and the edge of the forest in order to spot other "natives": "Be it hard-working forest ants, local chamois or passing does, those who pay attention see more.

Moments that give you goose bumps. Moments that will be etched in your memory forever. Moments that can only be found when one moves away from the everyday madness, gets involved with nature and feeling again, in order to finally get back to oneself, just like Christina, because walking is the most natural way to gain spiritual healing. Step by step.

#KitzbühelerAlpen | #KATWalkTirol | #LebenswegeTirol