 Poster: A snowHead
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Ski engineer Michael Manhart has introduced a herd of Highland cattle to his ski slopes in Lech, Austria, but not just to eat the grass. He claims it helps to create an avalanche-safe environment and also cuts the costs of preparing the slopes. As well as eating shrubs that could get in the way of skiers, the cattle's’ hoof prints churn the ground, creating an irregular surface that is the perfect way to bind the snow to the ground to prevent avalanches....For more, see: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/452400/Alpine-ski-slopes-avalanche-proofed-by-a-herd-of-Highland-cows
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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That sounds a bit odd to me. It's hardly a new idea, is it, having cows grazing on the ski slopes? Do Highland cattle churn the ground in a different way to Abondance or Tarine cows? (the ones that make Beaufort cheese and graze over all the ski slopes here). Our pistes are just about all pasture, but having walked extensively out of the ski season I can confirm that that doesn't mean they are like suburban lawns! Walking off the designated paths in summer is ankle-threatening stuff, even in walking boots, and also very bad for the pasture and strongly discouraged by landowners.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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its the hoof prints that are the secret..
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Guess I'll be heading the Lech sometime soon.... 
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There is a herd of Highland Cattle at Rifugio Friedrich August above Campitello just off the Sella Ronda. Not used for avalanche prevention as far as I know - but they serve some very tastey beef dishes!
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So the cows have gone up the mountains in spring for hundreds of years and start progressively coming back down in september. They were all up there right up to about 2400 metres in the 3 vallees last summer as I rounded a corner on my mountain bike. Can't see why scottish cows hooves would be any different to french cows hooves. maybe a bit tighter?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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emwmarine, it seems to be about them eating shrubs & stuff that other cows don't eat, or being able to get to places that other cows can't get to so they are better at clearing pistes of unwanted stuff than other cows. I have no idea whether there is any truth to that. Maybe they are just considered to be a tourist attraction!
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I can't find the original article but IIRC the cows that produce milk at high altitude for Beaufortain (sp??) cheese around Tignes were cited as reducing the chance of avalanche as they keep the grass trimmed - if you end up with long grass which then lays down under the weight of snow - slips can occur as it is a slippery surface - made sense to me at the time as its much easier to slide down long wet grass on a hillside on a plastic bag from memory!
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FAQ
and having to drive home in my undercrackers . . . and stop for fuel 
