Alpe Albona - Bludenzer Alpe

It's a Sunday morning on the Alpe Albona. The sky is gray, thick fog lies over the landscape and the mountains around cannot be seen. However, the unstable weather doesn't stop anyone from doing the necessary work - fencing is on the agenda today. Like on many summer weekends, Martin the shepherd and his wife Vroni are actively supported by their family.

Martin comes into the hut soaking wet from outside, while his one-year-old granddaughter Mia sits at the kitchen table with her grandma Vroni. Vroni looks lovingly at the little girl while Selina, Mia's mother, stands at the stove and prepares lunch. There is chili con carne for the whole family. Outside, Sabrina's sister, the former small shepherd Linus - whom Vroni smilingly calls the "leasing child" - and other helpers are still at work.

Martin and Vroni have spent every summer on the Alpe since 2002, and since 2009 on the Alpe Albona, which is owned by the town of Bludenz and is therefore also known as the "Bludenzer Alpe". The couple's three now grown-up children - Christoph, Sabrina and Selina - grew up on the Alpe. Until they were 15 years old, they spent every summer here and helped out as small shepherds. They still come to visit regularly with their partners.

All the helpers are now back in the hut, the wet clothes are hanging out to dry and the family sits together in the warm living room. On Sundays, they work a little less if possible, but everyday life on the Alpe remains demanding even at the weekend. Martin, who struggled with knee problems at the beginning of the summer, is happy for any help. Even the family dog actively supports him, he says.

The upper alpine hut has been repeatedly renovated by the town of Bludenz in recent years, and Martin feels particularly at home up here. Life in nature means a lot to him. But soon it will be time to put away everything that is no longer needed. Martin will move to the lower Bludenzer Alpe for the last few days of the alpine season as the summer draws to a close.

Martin will decide later whether to continue working outside after lunch. Inside it is warm and cozy, outside the fog is still hanging low - and as always on the Alpe, life depends entirely on the whims of nature.