Heavy artillery is currently being deployed on the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road: the border pass between North and South Tyrol has been cleared of snow for two and a half weeks. However, bad weather and large amounts of fresh snow have made milling work more difficult lately. “Nevertheless, it could be unlocked as early as mid-May – sooner than ever,” it said.
Since April 17, the snow clearing team Timmelsjoch Hochalpenstraße AG has been making its way from Hochgurgl to the top of the pass. “Despite the changeable weather with fresh snow time and time again, we were still able to reach the top of the pass. So nothing should stand in the way of the ‘breakthrough’ to the South Tyrolean colleagues in the coming days,” says board member Manfred Tschopfer .
250,000 cubic meters of snow on the Tyrolean side alone
Clearing the road is hard and dangerous work. “The danger of avalanches and falling rocks is very high in the Timmelstal and even a winter with little snow like this year means for us that we have to clear away about 250,000 cubic meters of snow layer by layer on the North Tyrol side alone. If we had to transport the amounts of snow by truck, that would be more than 30,000 loads,” continues Tschopfer.
State-of-the-art equipment is available for snow removal. A 12 ton Syntrac and a 16 ton wheel loader power two 400 hp milling machines – the largest on the market. “The drawbar construction alone weighs four tons and can handle snow layers of 170 centimeters,” explains Tschopfer. They are backed by a 300 horsepower rotary cutter that has been in use for about 50 years.
Earliest possible start of the season
Provided there are no more large amounts of fresh snow and the weather cooperates with the snow removal, Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road AG plans to open the season in time for Ascension Day next week. In terms of date, that would be the earliest opening date in the pass road’s history.
Source: Krone
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