fair
with view

When mountains are there, I know that I can go up there to get a new perspective on life from above. The musician Hubert von Goisern didn't sing that, but he did say it, and somehow he hits the hearts of alpine people with it. Those, at any rate, who do not see the mountains as abruptly repelling hurdles, but rather as magnificent invitations to take a step back from everyday life and perceive the world around them as a whole again. Mountaineering is sung about a lot, summit victories are yodeled with echo, and more daring tours are often loudly embellished with Latin reminiscent of anglers. Yet it is actually the quiet moments that connect many
mountain experiences.

The power of the top
The Kellerjoch may be just one mountain of so many in the Tux Alps, but these moments on its summit have a special power. Perhaps because the mighty jags of the Karwendel can be grasped in their impressive expanse. Perhaps because the urban hustle and bustle of the Inn Valley seems so unreal from up here, or precisely because there are also glimpses of distant rock formations that show no human traces. It is probably the mixture of the bizarre panorama that makes the Kellerjoch what it is: the rock-solid pride of the people from Schwaz and Pill, for whom this 2,344-meter-high Joch is the local mountain. 2,344 meters high? The altitude is correct, but it is only correct if the chapel that crowns the Kellerjoch and sets it apart from its colleagues decorated with crosses is not taken into account. The builders of the little chapel must have been aware that the summit is a radiant place of power where it is impossible to avoid paying homage to heaven. And they took many pains to make the special nature of their mountain visible from afar with a chapel. "Among other things, the students of the Paulinum in Schwaz carried up the boards for the chapel," knows Hannes Filzer, captain of the 1st Schwaz Rifle Company. When the students did this, there was not yet a comfortable lift. The Kellerjochbahn was not built until 1953, but the chapel was already inaugurated in 1931, which gives the boards additional weight.

Special place
Always people who hiked the Kellerjoch were rewarded with the sublime panoramic view, but on the day the current chapel was inaugurated, the crowds were also a kind of reward for students and builders. "At the inauguration of the Kellerjoch Chapel, 1,200 people were up at the summit," Hannes Filzer recounts almost unbelievably. A veritable sea of people had gathered around the chapel at that time, and it was not only the idea that they had all climbed the mountain together beforehand that made this event so impressive. The image of 1,200 heads, sometimes humbly bowed, sometimes joyfully looking up, is also appealing. "Yes, the chapel is very special and it's always a good feeling to be there," the captain said.

20 to 30 times a year he looks for and finds this feeling - not only because as a Schwazer he is proud of the crown of his local mountain, but also because it is the 1st Schwazer Schützenkompanie that has been in charge of the chapel for decades: "We have a blast with it. It's a very special place for us."
At this special place, the riflemen celebrate their very special day every year. Not only do they look after the chapel itself and see to it that it is kept in good shape, but they also organize the highlight for the company and everyone who wants to celebrate with them with the Kellerjoch Mass. "The mass is the highlight of our shooting year. It always takes place at the end of July. After that, we still move out on High Women's Day, at the taps on National Day and for the hero tribute," Filzer tells us.

Silent Moments
In 1976, the company took over care of the chapel after its members took care of its renovation. The chapel had come into the years, the strong weather changes had left their traces and so the shooters went in the year of the monument protection to let shine beside the clubhouse also the chapel in new light. Since then, it has been a well-kept gem for the marksmen and the focal point for their big day. "The chapel was consecrated by Franciscan priests at the time, and we still ask one of the fathers to say Mass for us," Filzer says.

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Like the participants - usually there are between 200 and 300 people, but 350 have also been counted - the Father must also be good on his feet and free from vertigo, so as not to experience any conditions on the last few meters to the chapel that could cloud the day. "We have often trudged up in the snow," Filzer knows of the chilly moods of summer, when the hike over the last ridge from the Kellerjochhütte to the chapel was too dangerous. Two years ago, it poured so wildly at all that the mass had to be held at the Hecherhaus, but even the wildest weather can't stop the shooters from celebrating their day on the mountain and remembering their deceased comrades in prayer.
Most of the time they are lucky and the weather cooperates. Then the Kellerjoch Chapel is the perfect focal point for sharing the quiet moments that have a special power up here. The sky moves a little closer. He does at the Kellerjoch simply more than anywhere else.

This year, the Kellerjoch Mass will be held on Sunday, July 29.

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