The Edelweiss Way - Training the TG "Class of 26" on the module tour

After a warm "Welcome Briefing" by Mark and Philipp the previous evening—and a significant amount of late-night and early-morning preparation, wrenching an cleaning —the first official riding day kicked off. The morning sun found us on the lovely terrace of Gasthof Neuwirth, where Philipp delivered the daily briefing to a group of eager riders. We were especially honored to have two "Special Guests" join our ranks: Tobias, the CEO of Edelweiss, and Gerhard from Operations. When "Expect the Unexpected" Becomes Reality Our route was set: from Mieming to Hotel Kronburg, with the first leg climbing toward Kühtai via Telfs and the Haimingberg. It was supposed to be a smooth start, but the road had other plans. Just 5 km in, things went "haywire." Shortly before Telfs, lead guide Philipp realized nearly half the group had vanished from his mirrors. After safely parking the remaining riders at a gas station, a quick call to the sweeper, Markus, revealed the culprit: Gabor’s Triumph Tiger had suffered a rear-wheel puncture. Thankfully, our van drivers for the day, Ariel and Fabian, were on point, proving exactly why the "backup lifeline" is so vital at Edelweiss. High Altitude and Slow Coffee After a quick fix and a brief stop at the historic Stift Stams monastery, we began the ascent to the 2017m-high Kühtai. After a few more (un)expected challenges (aparently you CAN get lost on the Haimingberg...), we finally reached the summit, dreaming of caffeine. Unfortunately, we encountered the slowest espresso machine in Europe—it seemed to produce only one cup every 15 minutes! With our timetable "torpedoed," we skipped the second cup and headed straight for Niederthai. There, Ariel and Fabian saved the day again with a perfectly prepared picnic. The warm welcome and great food more than made up for the missed photo stops. Hidden Treasures and Professional Service After lunch, the "Tour Guide in Charge" vest passed from Philipp to Mark, while Fabian took over the keys to the IVECO support van. Mark led the group safely up to Hoch Imst. There wasnt enough time to experience the "Alpine Coaster", Europes longest alpine roller coaster with 3,5km length so while some enjoyed a well-deserved ice coffee, a small group hiked off to discover a hidden gem: the Blue Cavern at the end of the Rosengartenschlucht gorge. Due to the morning’s delays and the extensive feedback sessions (which are crucial for our rookies!), we decided to shortcut the route, saving the Piller Pass for another adventure. By 5:00 PM, we arrived safe and sound at Hotel Kronburg. The support van was already there, providing a reception that could only be described as "highly professional." Parking was pre-organized, the dinner menu was ready, and every piece of luggage was already waiting in the rooms. Now, that is Edelweiss service! Wrapping Up The evening concluded with the next "Welcome Briefing" by our upcoming lead guides, Gabor and Mario, followed by a fantastic meal in the "Stube"—a traditional room with historic wood paneling and heaps of character.

We enjoyed our breakfast in Hotel Klösterle in Kronburg and Mario presented the tour what was waiting for us during the day. We could enjoy the hospitality of Hotel Klösterle for few days, but the road was calling for us. We had Special Guests" join our ranks: Tobias, the CEO of Edelweiss, and Dennis "The Columbian" from Operations. The day was starting with challenges, first some of our guests get lost (not in real, was just an exercise), but before it was getting better the journey was turning in an even more difficult situation. Mark "The Guy" was involved in an accident (also not for real, was part of the training plan) and he broke his leg, laying under his motorcycle. With a little help, his leg was healing very quick, so we could continue our journey through the valley of river Inn. After this miraculous healing we faced the next challenge we haven't expected. We had to accept to miss after closure of Hahntennjoch the second spectacular Alpine Road to Kühtai. Our lovely picknick was healing our souls to get along on the road. Gabor did our second Daily Briefing we were even more exited for the afternoon journey! We dig deeper into the Inntai Valley. Passing the Sky Jump Center near Innsbruck we have lost few our guest once more (yes, an another exercise for the rookie Tour Guides). Luckily somehow we managed to get together again. We arrived in Hall in Tirol as a group, Even technical issues couldn't stop us, as lightning warning sign on our bikes. They are rental anyway, don't give a s@it. We are rolling! We had an amazing guided tour in the city, with many hidden treasures. We are very thankful for that! Thank you Marcus! Finally we managed to the Hotel for the night in Volders! Cold beers, drinks and snacks were waiting for us, thanks for the Van crue, Meli and Georg, who had a challenging day too. However, they managed to get all our luggages to our rooms in time too. Finally the the Guide West was handed over to Fabian and Arial and we could lean back, just enjoy their performance during the next Welcome Briefing.

After our morning briefing by Ariel we discovered the eastern Inn valley. Following the river our tourguide led us to Kramsach for a coffee followed by a nice curvy road up to Weerberg church. In perfect sight of the alpine landscape, the possibilities of purchasing various castles were discussed by our Texan guests. Tourguide will take care. After our tasty picnic, prepared by Frank and Walter, Fabian took over the guiding. Flo, who celebrates her 25th birthday was surprised with a vegan cake. Although there were some navigational difficulties we headed for Innsbruck going through Hall. Gelato at Eisgrotte was a perfect coolant for the riders. After the „golden roof“ Fabian liftet the secret of the „whisper bow“, which makes your dreams come true. In the end of the day the whole group rode some picturesque roads and passes above Zirl and arrived in mieming. Was a pleasure riding with you.

On the fourth day of their Module Tour, "the gang" set out to explore the upper Inn valley, after a typical morning briefing. First highlight of the day was the Fernstein Lake, lokated near the Fernpass, close to Nassenreith, Tirol. Moving on through Imst and Landeck, the travellers savely brought their bikes up some twisties to the village of Ladis, to take pictures of Laudeck castle, above lake Ladis, reaching a scenic picknick spot a view kilometers further down, where an awesome picknick was waiting. After everyone had been pempered with local food specialities, water and soft-drinks, the ride continued towards the swiss border, following the beautiful old road up to Samnaun, a municipality in the Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region. Still finding patches of snow there at this time of the year, air temperature dropped about 10 degrees Celsius. The group enjoyed coffee at the "El Rico", famous for it's apres ski parties. Rolling down towards the Inntal again, the tour led to Pfunds, where the Hotel Rieder Stub'n provided well-deserved accomodation. A nice Pizzaria a couple of yaerds away set the scene for the last evening together. What an awesome day full of surprises, challanges and observations!