As a child, Markus Hirnb\u00f6ck wanted to be a mountain guide or a crystal seeker. So far, his career as crystal seeker hasn’t worked out but Markus has been working full-time for the last 27 years as a mountain guide in the Salzburger Saalachtal – and as well as this, on expeditions in Central Asia. And even though, or perhaps because, Markus has seen so much of the world, he prefers to come back here. <\/strong>\n\n\u201cMy grandmother was mountain-mad\u201c, says Markus and smiling, drinks a sip of his coffee. \u201cShe was a cook in an alpine refuge and always liked to be out and about in the mountains. I’ve probably inherited my enthusiasm for the mountains from her.\u201c\n\nWe meet the likeable 52-year-old in an inn in Wei\u00dfbach bei Lofer, just a few metres away from the via ferrata \u201cZahme Gams\u201c. A little earlier in the day we watched as Markus made his way up the rockface step by step, hook by hook, nimble and agile like a mountain goat. No wonder: Markus is like the father of the \u201cDrei G\u00e4mse\u201c. The \u201cZahme Gams\u201c (tame chamois) is ideally suited for beginners; the \u201cWei\u00dfe Gams\u201c (white chamois), with a difficulty grading D, requires a little more ability and top via ferrata professionals will get their fill on the \u201cWilde Gams\u201c, (wild chamois), difficulty E-F. The \u201cWilde Gams\u201c is one of the most difficult via ferrata in the whole of Austria\u201c, explains Markus, who was the main initiator and had the idea for the via ferrata. \u201cHowever, all three are rewarding \u2013 the view is simply fantastic\u201c, adds Markus with sparkling eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n