EVERYDAY HEROES: THIS IS HOW THE CROSS-COUNTRY TRAILS IN THE TIROLER ZUGSPITZ ARENA ARE CREATED

Pitch-black night, a snowstorm that is dying down - high time for the field staff of the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena to jump out of bed full of energy. After all, it's already 4:30 a.m. Last evening, it snowed so heavily that the cross-country ski trail preparation was scheduled for the early morning hours. Because this way the cross-country skiers can enjoy perfect conditions. So the winter and also summer days of the "Außis", as the infrastructure employees of the region are affectionately called, can certainly extend in both directions. From an early start to a very late end of work, everything happens. More than 100 kilometers of cross-country ski trails in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena are maintained by the 300-horsepower Bullys, both as classic trails and as skating trails.

Of course, the trails should always be in the best condition. That is, it is not done with a round ride with the Pistenbully at times. On the contrary, you prepare the tracks until everything fits perfectly. Fine motor skills are required for this, because the powerful machine can certainly have its pitfalls and the settings have to fit. So it's no wonder that the cockpit is equipped with numerous buttons and levers and that practice is a prerequisite.

A total of six Bullys work the snow surfaces of the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena for the cross-country paradise. With an average speed of twelve kilometers per hour, they transform the white fields into a sports field for cross-country skiers. After a sunny winter day, the machines plow the cross-country trails of the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena along the specified track in the evening. This allows the groomed snow surface to really "go through" during the icy night. But when it snows, the cross-country skiing service staff are on the road early in the morning. This is the only way they can provide perfect cross-country skiing conditions as early as 9:00 a.m. A job for everyday heroes, then!