History
In 2023 TYROMONT celebrates its 70th anniversary. Enclosed you will find a brief overview of the history of the company, the varied and interesting development of the past until today.
70 YEARS OF ALPINE RESCUE EQUIPMENT
In the autumn of 1948 the Austrian Alpine Association invited neighbouring alpine rescue services to a meeting in the "Steinernen Rinne" at the Wilder Kaiser for the very first time. There modern rescue equipment and methods were demonstrated to the international audience. These were mountain rescue specialists and doctors from Germany (from the DAV and the BRK Mountain Rescue), from France (SAD Army), Italy (AVS and CAI) Switzerland (Army and SAC) and of course from Austria (Austrian Mountain Rescue Service and PES).
For the technical transaction the Austrian alpine pioneer Sebastian "Wastl" Mariner (1909 - 1989) and Louis "Wiggerl" Gramminger (1909 - 1997) from Germany were responsible.
It was demonstrated how to rope down with steel ropes for rescue purposes over several hundred meters, and the transportation of the injured on snow with an Akja sledge.
At the meeting, the establishment of a working group to coordinate the Alpine rescue service in the Alps has been agreed. So the ICAR (International Commission for Alpine Rescue) was officially established in 1955 in Bolzano as a result of the first meeting in 1948.
1953 - TYROMONT STARTS PRODUCTION OF MOUNTAIN RESCUE EQUIPMENT
The effort to find an interested and competent production company for these revolutionary rescue devices brought together Professor Wastl Mariner and Gebr. Köllensperger from Innsbruck.
Köllensperger was founded in 1822 as a metalworking company in Innsbruck and had a long tradition as Eisenwarenfabrik, body shop, and producer and distributor of iron and iron products.
In 1953 a license agreement was signed with the Austrian Alpine Association and the production of mountain rescue equipment was started. The global brand name TYROMONT was born.
In the early years the TYROMONT rescue devices were produced in the factory in the Kirschentalgasse in Innsbruck. After the premises at Kirschentalgasse had become too tight and this location had focused exclusively on the automotive trade, the production of TYROMONT rescue equipment was moved to Hall in Tirol in the former Saline building "Lobkowitz".
Here the company was located until 1995. Then it was moved to its current location at the entrance to Sillschlucht in Innsbruck (Villerberg 1).
THE "EGG GONDOLAS" OF THE MUTTERERALMBAHN AND KÖLL SCAFFOLDING
Over the years, the company TYROMONT could not only make a name with the mountain rescue equipment, but two other areas are likely to be known by most Tyrolean.
In the early 60s, the company began to develop glass-fibre reinforced plastic material (GRP) and to process it. This led to, among other things, the legendary "Gaggerlen" or egg ski gondola of the Muttereralmbahn near Innsbruck.
At the start the cable railway was opened as a double chairlift. Later it was improved to a gondola in order to increase the driving comfort of the skiers. Since these gondolas had to fit into the loading gauge of the double chair, "commercial" lift gondolas could not be used.
The operators of the public transportation services of Innsbruck as operator of the Muttereralmbahn asked TYROMONT as renowned company with the development of these novel TYROMONT gondolas. From 1964 - 1969, finally, 101 colored gondolas (magenta, blue, lime green and lemon) were installed.
After starting the Muttereralmbahn TYROMONT was involved in this business section for some more years. So TYROMONT delivered weather fibreglass hoods for the Kellerjochbahn-Schwaz, which justified the later trend of weather-clad seats.
Since the setting and removal of Muttereralmbahn in the late 90s, many of these colored egg gondolas are found as memorabilia in the gardens in and around Innsbruck.
A few years later toll stations were prepared for the Brenner and Tauern motorway out of the same material, which for decades dominated the picture of these two highways.
Another mainstay of the company TYROMONT was the production of scaffoldings, which were sold under the brand "KÖLL steel framework". Numerous buildings in western Austria were built due to the steel framework of TYROMONT.
PERMANENT DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF TYROMONT RESCUE EQUIPMENT
Since the mid-90s the company has focused exclusively on the development, production and trade of rescue equipment for the alpine terrain.
The Akja rescue sledge is still the most famous and important product of TYROMONT. Since its introduction in the 50's it has been built in different stages of evolution and model variations over 10,000 times.
Also all the other products of TYROMONT have been adapted to the development in modern rescue. The company now offers solutions for ski patrol with snowmobiles and QUADS. The section air rescue/ambulance has evolved into an important business unit of TYROMONT in recent years.
TYROMONT - A 100% SUBSIDIARY OF KÖLLENSPERGER BETEILIGUNGS GMBH
The TYROMONT Alpin Technik GmbH is a 100% subsidiary of Köllensperger Beteiligungs GmbH, which has emerged as the successor company of the company Gebr. Köllensperger.
Köllensperger group also includes Köllensperger Stahlhandel GmbH & Co.KG and Duschek Haustechnik GmbH, both company based in Thaur / Tyrol.
In 2017, the family business, which is now headed by the 6th respectively 7th generation, achieved a turnover of nearly EUR 35 million and employed almost 140 employees at the three locations in Thaur.
