Marmot, Burmänta & Master of Hibernation.
The Alpine marmot.
A shrill whistle. A quick glance across the mountain meadow. And suddenly it’s gone. One moment the marmot is sitting on a rock, alert and remarkably calm – the next, it vanishes into its burrow as if it had never been there.
Anyone who hikes through the Alps in summer is familiar with these little encounters. And that’s precisely why, for many people, marmots are simply part of a summer in the mountains.
In Warth-Schröcken, they’re not just inhabitants of the mountain meadows – here they even have a very special name: in the local dialect, marmots are affectionately known as ‘Burmänta’. And this little mountain dweller has long since become much more than that: Murmele, Warth-Schröcken’s marmot mascot, accompanies mountain adventurers of all ages on their explorations through the region.
The life of a true mountain professional.
The Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) is a specialist in extreme habitats. It feels at home where the trees grow smaller and the meadows stretch right up to the rocks and peaks. Its habitat is often above the tree line and extends to altitudes of around 3,000 metres.
It always carries its most important tools with it: powerful front paws and sharp claws.
With these, the marmot digs extensively branched burrows into the mountain soil. And this burrow is to the animal roughly what a house, a child’s bedroom, a place of retreat and a winter holiday destination all rolled into one would be for us.
This is where it sleeps.
This is where the young are raised.
And this is where the marmot waits out the winter.
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Marmot
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Marmot
When summer suddenly turns to winter.
For us, autumn is the time when our walking boots slowly disappear back into the cupboard. For the marmot, however, this is when the serious business of life begins. Because the mountain summer is short. Very short.
From around October to March, the marmot retreats into its burrow and hibernates. Its body temperature drops sharply, its heart rate slows down and its metabolism also slows to a minimum.
Food? Not a chance.
Instead, the marmot lives for months on what it has eaten during the summer. And that’s precisely why a marmot has a rather important task in summer: to eat as much as it can.
Grasses, herbs, leaves and other plants are on the menu. So what looks like leisurely grazing from the outside is actually intensive preparation for winter.
A marmot can lose up to a third of its body weight during hibernation.
You could say that summer is its larder.
Who’s whistling over there?
But if you look closely, you might spot more than just a marmot. Often, an animal is perched somewhere slightly higher up, watching its surroundings intently.
That’s because marmots live in family groups. And within this family, there is, so to speak, a sentry duty.
A fox? A bird of prey? Some other danger?
Whistle!
The signal spreads through the group – and in no time at all, the animals disappear into their burrows.
So if you hear a shrill whistle whilst out walking, you may well have just witnessed a small alpine warning system at work.
Small animals, big task.
Marmots are not just charming inhabitants of mountain meadows. Their way of life actually changes their environment.
When they dig, they loosen the soil and create underground cavities and structures that can also benefit other animals. That is why they are sometimes referred to as the ‘engineers of the mountains’.
Yet the very thing that can make life difficult for them in summer is becoming increasingly important due to climate change: temperature.
Marmots are adapted to cool conditions. Extreme heat causes them stress. As temperatures rise, they spend more time in their cool burrows – leaving them less time to forage outdoors and build up their fat reserves for the coming winter.
For a marmot, therefore, the mountain summer must not only be long enough, but also cool enough.
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Marmot
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Warth-Schröcken: Marmot country set against a mountain backdrop.
If you’d like to spot marmots, Warth-Schröcken offers the perfect alpine setting. The two Walser villages lie at around 1,500 metres above sea level and are surrounded by mountain meadows, alpine pastures, rocks and peaks. It’s a landscape where not only walkers feel at home, but marmots do too.
"Murmele", our little mascot, knows what’s what.
On the Murmele Adventure Trail in Schröcken, the route – around two kilometres long – winds its way through the countryside. Here, children can explore, play and marvel at their surroundings.
Fancy a bit more of a thrill?
Then the Murmele via ferrata awaits.
And if you’d like to collect several adventures at once, take the Murmele Hiking Pass with you on your way. On selected routes, children can collect stamps and discover the mountain world step by step. Those who work hard along the way can even look forward to a little surprise at the end.
Keep your eyes open and keep your distance.
And a bit of luck.
It’s best to stick to the paths, keep your eyes peeled and, every now and then, just listen to the sounds of the countryside.
Perhaps there’s a rustling in the grass.
Perhaps something is moving on a rock.
Perhaps you’ll suddenly hear that unmistakable whistle.
And then it’s time to stop, watch and marvel.
Because even though marmots sometimes seem surprisingly trusting, they are wild animals. Please do not feed, touch or disturb them. Keeping a respectful distance is the best way to ensure that both humans and marmots can enjoy their encounter.
Marmot facts to take away.
- Scientific name: Marmota marmota
- Family: Horned beetles
- Diet: grasses, herbs, leaves and other parts of plants
- Habitat: alpine grasslands above the tree line
- Family life: sociable within family groups
- Warning system: the shrill warning whistle
- Hibernation: roughly from October to March
Small, clever, sociable and surprisingly hardy: the Alpine marmot is a true expert at life in the mountains. It whistles, digs, feasts its way through the summer – and sleeps through the winter.
And when Murmele calls you to the next adventure in Warth-Schröcken, there’s really only one fitting response: eyes wide open. Ears pricked. And off into the mountains!