"OnSight" - a success story from the Oberland region

Florian Falkner has been running the extremely well-stocked climbing and mountain sports shop "OnSight"in Zams since 2012 . Before that - from 2010 to 2011 - the trained sheet metal worker and passionate climber himself renovated the "Affenhimmel" in the Tirol West vacation region on behalf of Climbers Paradise. Stephan Mitter met Florian Falkner on site and asked him about the secret of his success.

Interview: Stephan Mitter, Text: Christina Schwann

What many climbing enthusiasts can probably confirm applies to Florian Falkner: Once you've developed a passion for climbing, it's hard to get away from it. In Florian Falkner's case, the Alpine Club Youth laid the foundation for his later success in climbing. This was despite the fact that he took a break between the ages of 15 and 20 to train as a sheet metal worker, which later proved to be of great benefit to him, especially when it came to climbing.

At the age of around 20, his old colleagues from his early climbing days came back on the scene and Florian Falkner became a member of the HG - Hochgebirgsgruppe - Landeck. A stroke of luck, because the mixture of old warhorses and young savages also encouraged Florian Falkner to surpass himself. The "school" was a tough one, they often met in the Steinsee area, grew up with alpine difficulty levels 4 and 5 and matured with the challenges. At the same time, he and his colleagues pushed sport climbing, which provided valuable support as training for alpine climbing, because Florian Falkner was certain: "There's more to it than that."

Climbers Paradise was founded in 2006 and also established in the Oberland around 2010. And this is where the association now meets the highly motivated and local Florian Falkner, who is a sheet metal worker by trade and has just completed the drilling courses offered by the Alpine Club.

Stephan Mitter asks

How did you get involved in the "Affenhimmel" project?

Originally, the Alpine Club was commissioned to renovate the climbing garden. At that time, I had already been working for the Alpine Club for several years in the areas of children's and youth work with a focus on climbing. So one thing led to another. The "Affenhimmel" was already on Climbers Paradise's list. It quickly became clear that the renovation of this classic climbing area was going to be a major project, so I came up with the idea of doing it full-time, which then took a total of two years.

So it was an amazing project. Who provided the materials and paid for your countless hours of work?

The TVB provided the hooks and I was employed on a contract basis.

What do you particularly remember from your time renovating climbing areas and as a climber yourself?

Two accidents happened during the renovation of the "Affenhimmel". In one, I fell around 50 meters. I wanted to do it quickly and forgot the knot at the end of the rope. That put me out of action for a whole four months. So you see, mistakes can happen and there is always a residual risk. But all in all, these two years were really good. I was even able to completely redo two routes on the Hasliwand and the renovation of the Burschlwand was also an exciting experience.

But now to your specialist sports store "OnSight". When did you open it?

We opened in 2012. Even before that, we were always talking about the need for something like this. I myself bought an incredible amount of equipment on my trips, for example in Chamonix or Arco, because we didn't actually get much. That's why the idea of opening my own store for mountain sports equipment was always there. After completing the renovations, I suddenly had enough time for it. A location practically presented itself, so I thought: "Give it a try - it could easily go wrong."

You can now look back on a nine-year success story and the "OnSight" has established itself as one of the best mountain sports stores in the Oberland. What do you think is the secret of its success?

I think you have to carry on the philosophy in the same way that you cherish it yourself. You have to be honest with people, then it works quite well. Basically, it's a give and take. It also makes me happy when someone buys good material from me and has a lot of fun with it.

So you could say that your knowledge of what both a professional and a beginner needs, and then having everything in the best quality, is what makes it so special?

Yes, that's the appeal of the whole thing. I also like to test products myself, such as skis, and give other people equipment and they tell me how they got on afterwards.

You've built a house, have a partner and a daughter. Does that have any effect on climbing?

Yes, you certainly become more careful. In all areas, not just climbing, but also ski touring. Of course, building the house also limited my time. But on the other hand, you need a little distance from the material from time to time anyway, so that you can continue working at full strength. Climbing, for example here in "monkey heaven", is also really fun again now. Before, I knew it all so well that I almost got a little tired of it.

However, the renovation of the "Affenhimmel" has also increased visitor frequency considerably. Do you have to choose the times when you go climbing better?

Yes, definitely. Especially since Corona, the "monkey heaven" is simply overcrowded on some days. It wasn't like that three or four years ago. I try to go in the evening during the week. There's usually not much going on then.

Do you think that Climbers Paradise is one of the reasons for the large number of visitors? Would other areas that are still considered an insider's tip attract as much attention by being published on the platform?

The "Affenhimmel" climbing area has become much more attractive as a result of the renovation, which is thanks to the initiative of Climbers Paradise. However, the large number of visitors could be due to the moderate level of difficulty, which simply makes the area interesting for a wider audience.

What awaits climbers coming from the gym in "monkey heaven"?

The first three bolt spacings are very small. After that, however, depending on the level of difficulty and if the fall space allows, the distances can be up to 1.80 meters. The "Affenhimmel" has been renovated from a classic area to a modern area and all those who come from the hall can feel their way here and are in any case "safe" on the way.