One Year After the Mudslide

Alpine innkeeper in despair: “Battlefield” instead of pasture

Before the mudslide, sheep grazed near the alpine pasture; today, the area looks like it’s been hit by a bomb.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Gamsalm)

No one feels responsible, no one wants to pay: The pasture in front of the Gamsalm in Ehrwald, Tyrol (Reutte district) still resembles a battlefield following a devastating mudslide from the Zugspitze last summer. Now the innkeeper has launched a fundraising appeal for restoration.

On July 19, 2025, a massive mudslide from the Gamskar devastated the pasture and ski slope of the Gamskarlift next to the Gamsalm in Ehrwald, also damaging the popular mountain hut. The damage to the hut has long since been repaired, but guests still look out from the terrace onto a pile of rubble.

Agricultural community hesitates
The reason: The agricultural community, as the landowner, has still not repaired the damage nearly a year after the storm. It’s likely all about the money.

No agreement on financing
“Apparently, there is no agreement between the landowner and the State of Tyrol on who should ultimately pay for the restoration,” says Sabine Ostler, the long-time tenant of the Gamsalm, with frustration.

(Bild: Gamsalm)

“We make our living here from the beautiful view,” she says, slowly losing hope. “And in about four weeks, the sheep are supposed to come here to graze—on a pasture that, unfortunately, is no longer a pasture,” she shakes her head in disbelief.

Fundraising Appeal on Social Media
Because, in her opinion, those in charge are doing nothing, she has now resorted to an unusual measure. On the alp’s Facebook page, she posted a call for donations to restore the scree-covered wasteland. The appeal is directed at “everyone for whom wildlife, forests, and sheep are just as important as they are to us.”

It would be nice if the animals could find grass instead of rocks again this summer. The sheep are scheduled to come to the pasture in just four weeks.

Sabine Ostler, Wirtin Gamsalm

The mudslide thundered down from the Gamskar below the Zugspitze—and still lies on the meadow and ski slope today.(Bild: Gamsalm)

It would be nice if the animals could find grass instead of rocks again this summer, the post continues. “Since neither the state nor the municipality nor anyone else has the funds to change this situation, we are asking for your help.” Approximately 200,000 euros in donations would be needed.

The innkeeper wants to use the campaign to exert pressure. We don’t know what kind of lift is supposed to go there. There’s another meeting scheduled for May.

Markus Köck, Bürgermeister Ehrwald

Ehrwald Mayor Markus Köck, however, is not pleased with the unusual appeal for donations. “The innkeeper wants to use the campaign to exert pressure,” he says. He notes that the renovation of the property is “underway.”

The next meeting on the matter is scheduled for May. It remains unclear what the lift operator wants. This is because the Gamskarlift—a T-bar lift—was already damaged by a mudslide in 2024 and was not in operation last winter. “We don’t know what kind of lift will be installed there in the future,” says Köck.

Renovation in the course of the year
In any case, a short-term solution does not seem to be in sight. The renovation would take place over the course of the year, according to Köck.