Snow clearing on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road: an impressive natural spectacle

Article from 11.04.2025

When winter slowly recedes and spring arrives in the valleys, a spectacular spectacle begins high up in the Alps: the clearing of snow from the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Every year, the challenge of clearing the huge masses of snow from the famous panoramic road is taken up again to enable an unforgettable experience of nature from the beginning of May.

Glockner road snow clearing, snow blower, rotary plough system "Wallack" | © grossglockner.at
Glocknerroad historical snow clearing, Men shovelling snow by hand | © grossglockner.at/Archiv
Glocknerroad historical snow clearing, Men shovelling snow by hand | © grossglockner.at/Archiv
Rotary ploughs Eisbändiger and Paul clearing snow | © grossglockner.at
Glockner road snow clearing, snow blower, rotary plough system "Wallack" | © grossglockner.at/Eduardo Gellner

A road in hibernation
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is covered in a thick blanket of snow for almost half the year. Storms and avalanches leave behind snow depths of up to 20 meters, making the road impassable. But as soon as spring arrives, the road comes back to life. The aim is to clear the route of snow by the end of April or beginning of May so that you can enjoy the impressive drive between meter-high walls of snow.

Historical challenges and technical masterpieces
In the first few years after the High Alpine Road opened in 1935, clearing the snow was a truly mammoth task. Around 350 men battled against the masses of snow with shovels and ice axes for up to 70 days. In addition to physical exhaustion, they suffered from snow blindness and severe sunburn. Bad weather and fierce winds often ruined their hard work. 

The builder of the road, Franz Wallack, recognised the need for mechanised snow clearance at an early stage. Due to a lack of suitable machines, he developed the rotary plough, known as the ‘Wallack system’. These specially designed snow blowers have been in use since 1953 and enable the road to be cleared in an average of 25 days.

Technical specifications of the Wallack snow blowers
•    Clearing width: 2.40 meters
•    Throwing distance: up to 50 meters
•    Throwing height: up to 25 meters
•    Weight: approx. 15 tons

An experience for visitors
The road is closed while the snow is being cleared, but you can still experience this impressive natural spectacle with exciting videos that impressively document the battle against snow and ice. In addition, the podcast ‘Glocknergipfel’ offers exciting insights into the challenges and dangers that the snow clearing teams face year after year with the episode ‘#06 – Snow removal of superlatives’.

A special chapter in the year on the High Alpine Road
Snow clearance is an essential and impressive part of the preparation for the summer season every year. It combines technical precision with experience - and it makes it possible for the Grossglockner High Alpine Road to be reopened to visitors just in time for spring. Anyone travelling shortly after the opening will experience the road in a special light: framed by walls of snow, with clear mountain air and far-reaching views up to the peaks.