Report from the Summer Course 2026 at Alpinpark Steinmühle, Gaal
Authors: Andrea Schroll, Beatrix Schobersberger
The alpine sports course in the Graz mountain region, offered for the first time as a four-day event from 04/06/2026 to 07/06/2026, was led by our treasurer and mountain guide Dr. Frans van der Kallen. Together with his fellow mountain guide Dr. Marcellus Schreilechner and the founder and host of Alpinpark Steinmühle, Ewald Walder, participants were offered, in small groups, a comprehensive opportunity to refresh, deepen and apply existing mountaineering skills in practice. Following a joint introduction, the course objectives, organisational procedures and training content were presented. This was followed by allocation to different interest and performance groups in order to best meet the participants’ individual requirements, experience and objectives.
Over the course of the programme, both theoretical and practical content was taught. Specialist lectures on alpine meteorology as well as on mental health and psychological resilience in an alpine environment complemented the practical training and provided important foundations for making safe decisions in the mountains. Particular emphasis was placed on assessing weather developments, tour planning and dealing with stress situations in alpine terrain.
Due to rainy weather, not the entire programme could be carried out in the terrain as originally planned. However, the weather-related restrictions were used sensibly to expand the theoretical training content. In particular, a detailed session on materials and equipment took place, during which the various items of equipment were presented and discussed in detail. In addition to the function and possible uses of climbing harnesses, ropes, carabiners, belay and abseil devices, slings, helmets and via ferrata sets, aspects such as equipment care, storage, service life, signs of wear and safety-relevant checks were also addressed. In addition, numerous practical questions could be discussed and experiences exchanged, providing a deeper understanding of the safe and responsible use of alpine equipment.
The focus of the course was practice-oriented training in the Graz mountain region, including at the Rote Wand, where the skills learned could be put into practice during tours and exercises in alpine terrain. Among other things, participants were taught and practised knot-tying, safe movement in pathless terrain, basics of climbing technique, tour planning, building anchors, abseiling techniques, basic rescue techniques, and the safe application of via ferrata techniques. The emphasis was on independent action, safe risk management, and applying the belay and rescue techniques learned.
The course leaders responded very flexibly to the participants’ wishes and needs. Individual content could be specifically intensified and explored in greater depth depending on interest and prior knowledge, enabling both beginners and experienced alpinists to benefit optimally. Especially for participants with prior alpine experience, the course was ideally suited to refreshing techniques and safety standards already learned.
In addition to the technical content, the course also offered ample opportunity for personal and collegial exchange. The shared dinners and social get-togethers created a pleasant atmosphere, encouraged discussions about alpine experiences and enabled a valuable exchange between participants and the mountain guides, who know the mountains around Graz like the back of their hand and kept us entertained with their “true mountain stories”.
Alpinpark Steinmühle was built up over many years by mountain guide Ewald Walder and is looked after by him with meticulous care. The Alpinpark serves as an adventure and training centre for school classes or families who enjoy the high ropes course, and above all for people who want to try a via ferrata for the first time or gain experience in a climbing garden.
Overall, the alpine sports co
urse held for the first time over four days in the Graz mountain region represented an extremely successful combination of theoretical knowledge transfer, practical training and collegial exchange. Thanks to the individual support, the flexible design of the content and the high proportion of practical work, it offered both a sound introduction to alpine techniques and an excellent opportunity to refresh and deepen existing knowledge.
It is also important to note that this course format is credited toward the ÖÄK Diploma in Alpine and High Altitude Medicine and that ÖGAHM is planning an expansion due to the extremely positive feedback from participants. Thus, the first winter course Alpine Sports & Practical Seminar is expected to take place from Thursday, 4 March to Sunday, 7 March 2027 in the southern Schladming Tauern region.
Our thanks go to Frans, who organised this great course, as well as to his friends and mountain guides Marcellus and Ewald, who ensured our safety and gave us varied, fun climbing days.
Author
Dr. Andrea Schroll PhD
University Hospital for Internal Medicine II, Innsbruck
Infectious Diseases/Tropical Medicine, Immunology, Pulmonology and Rheumatology
Photos: Andrea Schroll, Beatrix Schobersberger