Music at the summit above Innsbruck: Pianist Katie Mahan plays at Hafelekar

There are days when I prefer to just listen to the sounds of nature while hiking. And there are days when I prefer to listen to music as I march step by step toward the summit or the alpine pasture. And then there's July 1, 2022, when U.S. pianist Katie Mahan will play a concert live on a piano on the Hafelekar high above Innsbruck. An event that is also out of the ordinary due to the unusual location and will certainly remain unforgettable

Katie Mahan is an up-and-coming American pianist who also calls Salzburg home. Her repertoire includes works by Beethoven, Gershwin and Mozart.

Contributing to her musical influence have been her studies with French pianist Pascal Rogé, as well as various master classes with world stars (e.g. Lang Lang!). Performances with large orchestras and as a soloist have shaped her extraordinary, poetic style

A child of the Rocky Mountains, Katie has the mountains in her blood, having grown up in Denver, Colorado. The small town lies at 1,600 meters above sea level, is strongly influenced by the continental mountain climate and is also called Mile High City. Temperature fluctuations, as they can also occur here in the mountains in summer, are therefore nothing new for the American. For July 1, of course, we'd still prefer a balmy breeze when Katie hits the keys

2.334m high is probably the most accessible peak in Innsbruck. Who now wonders what a peak has lost in a city: In fact, this part of the Karwendel Nature Park still belongs to the Innsbruck city area! Thus, even the Pfeishütte, which is about two hours away, still has an Innsbruck postal address. The Hafelekar is the starting point of many hiking tours, and in winter freeriders indulge in powder fun close to the city here. The short hike from the Hafelekar mountain station of the Nordkettenbahnen to the summit cross (don't forget good shoes!) is possible almost all year round

From Innsbruck you can reach the Hafelekar via Hungerburg (bus line J or Hungerburgbahn from Altstadt Station Congress) and with the Nordkettenbahnen (Hungerburg-Seegrube and Seegrube-Hafelekar)