Spring has arrived and the snow has started to melt in the mountains. Spring flowers and trees are blooming in the valley, while winter still reigns on the mountains around Innsbruck. But during these weeks, the snow is also melting high up in the mountains. This is when you can often see images on the mountain slopes that the snow draws on the rocks. We call them "Ausaperungsfigures".
Whether Nordkette, the Serles or the Patscherkofel: many different figures become visible on our mountains in spring. They usually return every year. The melting snow makes the rocks stand out again. With a little imagination, you can recognize the "Ausaperungsfigures". They are often familiar to experienced Innsbruck residents, but not so much to younger generations. A good reason to refresh our knowledge of the well-known Ausaperungsfigures. Incidentally, their name comes from the word "aper". It describes the state of the snow when it gets warmer: soft and often only remnants remain.
The falconer
I grew up in Mühlau near Innsbruck, where I was introduced early on to one of the most famous of the fgures: the falcon bearer.
It appears constantly every year in the same place below the ridge to Rumer Spitze. Depending on how harsh the winter was, it can sometimes be seen as early as the beginning of April, sometimes not until May. For me as a small child, it was always nice to look up to Nordkette on the way to elementary school via the Mühlau parish church to see the falcon bearer. With the falcon on his hand and the beret with feather, he is actually easy to recognize. Once you have found him, you will probably think of him every spring when you look at our beautiful Nordkette. For all those who don't recognize him right away, you can find the solution below.
