From the Alpina
straight into the snow
Bruno Strolz
shares his story
The ski guide for golden moments
Bruno got his first skis when he was three years old. At first, he wasn't really that enthusiastic about skiing.
One day my mother sent me out to ski over the ramp of our hay barn. I was all alone in the snowstorm. When I had had enough, I took off my skis and left them right in the middle of the big field. Over the coming days it snowed so heavily that a huge amount of snow covered my skis. That was skiing done for that winter. It wasn't until spring that the melting snow freed my skis again.
How did this rogue become a passionate expert?
"From the age of seven I took part in Lech ski training and raced. Above all, though, I was out and about everywhere with my friends, including a lot off-piste. In my mid-20s I completed the state ski instructor and ski guide training. They say this is the toughest training of its kind in the world. During the preparation period for the entrance exam I was in top shape. After two years of training I was one of the best graduates."
You worked at the Lech ski school for many winters. Who were your guests?
"At first I taught group classes. Later I only went out with private guests from all over the world, such as the Golding family from London, the Bernasconi family from Buenos Aires, the Kneisel family from Boston, and Tommy Hilfiger's family. My most famous private guest for many years was Lady Diana, the Princess of Wales."
From the forest
to the fireplace
Bruno Strolz
shares his story
Felling trees in our own forest
The wood in the open fireplace of the Boutique Hotel Alpina comes from the forest in the area of the nearby ski run over the Madloch from Zürs to Lech.
The long-established families in the Omesberg district, where the Alpina is also located, have certain grazing, water and timber rights. Forest and pasture are managed jointly in the Alpe Gstüat. I am the so-called "Alpmeister", who organizes and holds everything together.
How important were these timber rights for your ancestors and their farming?
"They needed the wood for building houses, stables and barns in the mountain meadows. It was vital for survival for heating in the winter."
How does the cozy fire get into the fireplace at the Alpina today?
"Even today I go logging in the summer with my son Severin and my godchild Johannes Strolz (Olympic champion in slalom and combined, 2022/Beijing). The trees are marked and numbered. A draw decides how the timber shares are distributed to the individual houses each year. A large part of my firewood is used for the open fireplace in the Alpina."
From farm boy
to host
Bruno Strolz
shares his story
The origins of the Alpina Lech
The Alpina was the original home of the Strolz family in Lech. Bruno rebuilt it in its original size.
"I was born on a sunny summer morning. My father Artur was in Zürs that day mowing our mountain meadow. The Alpina was our home and a guest house at the same time. My mother Ingrid looked after and pampered the guests. I grew up in this environment of farming and hosting, very protected and very modest."
What was your childhood like at the Alpina?
"Already at the age of three I went to the stable every day in the morning and evening with my father. My domain was the calves. I was responsible for them: feeding and grooming. In the Alpina guest house I admired the toys of the guests' children, which we could only dream of. My brother and I had our animals in the stable instead – the cows, horses, pigs, chickens and our German Shepherd Tasso."
Years followed in the neighboring Hotel Schmelzhof and then your return to the Alpina. What have you made of your former home?
"With a heavy heart, I had to demolish the original Alpina in 1999 and rebuild it. I was able to preserve the old parlour and install it again. I used usable wood for flooring, for example. The old was carefully integrated into the new. Authentic, unique, and impossible to copy. The Alpina still benefits from that to this day."
