After the discovery of the ice mummy brought camera crews from all over the world to this quiet valley, a small but high quality photographic and film industry started to emerge in Schnalstal. Throughout the current year, shoots for major fashion magazines such as VOGUE and ELLE have taken place in the Schnalstal Valley. Top commercials for VISA, LG, Odlo, Haglöfs, North Face and Ferrero have also filmed here. The rapper J-AX shot a music video in the wild nature of the valley. Currently this video has over 38 million views on YouTube.
Manfred Waldner knows the advantages of the film industry in the Schnalstal Valley. Discretion is particularly important here. "We keep absolute silence while a film is being shot here, in order not to promote bystander tourism or to bring the press too early into the valley." In addition, thanks to the Schnalstal Glacier, winter scenes can be shot and filmed already in autumn. With the highest cable car in South Tyrol, film crews can easily reach the mighty Hochjochferner Glacier. It only takes six minutes to reach the Grawand mountain station at 3,212 meters, close to the site where Ötzi was found.
Famous actors like Jake Gyllenhaal, Juergen Vogel and Tobias Moretti spent their days off skiing or hiking with the crews. "And everyone was allowed to join the Ötzi
Glacier Tour", says Waldner. In the meantime, it could be said that this has already become a tradition. With an experienced mountain guide they make a trekking tour with rope teams up to the Ötzi site at the Tisenjoch. There guests can experience the imposing views of the northern flank of the Similaun, a truly memorable experience for all who join the tour.
In summer, the Ötzi Glacier Tour is offered as a hike, and from October to April as a challenging ski tour. The starting point is on the Grawand at 3,212 m in height, where, by the way, the highest situated hotel in the entire Alps is located. The ski tour lasts from seven to eight hours, leading over the Hochjochferner Glacier, the Schwarzwand, the Hauslabjoch and up to the Tisenjoch. Here you can experience first-hand the same trails that Ötzi once probably moved through. And if you want to find out more about the famous iceman, you should definitely make a detour to the
archeoParc open-air museum or visit the Archeological Museum in Bolzano/Bozen.
Back to the film industry: Time and again, people from the world of film and television travel to Schnalstal Valley. Who this might be in future remains a mystery. But who knows, maybe one day you might also end up in the hot tub on the glacier next to a real Hollywood star.