Alp Garnera

The Garnera dairy alp lies at around 1,650 m in the Garnera valley, a quiet side valley behind Gaschurn. About 35 cows from roughly ten farms spend the summer here, and since 2009 their milk has once again been processed directly on the alp – before that it was driven down to the valley for 15 years. Veronika Kartnig makes Montafon Sura Kees the old way, without bought-in cultures: the skimmed milk sours in wooden tubs, is warmed, shaped, salted and matures in the cellar until the typical yellow “Muffa” rind forms. The range also includes alpine butter, the brine-ripened “Saladiner”, Garnera valley alpine cheese and yoghurt. Slow Food has listed Sura Kees in its Ark of Taste, and the alp regularly wins prizes for its cheese at the Vorarlberg cheese awards.

From the valley station of the Versettla cable car in Gaschurn – 5 minutes by car or about 10 minutes on bus 650 from St. Gallenkirch – ride to the middle station (1,480 m) and walk along the Garnera stream to the alp in about 1¾ hours; the path is family-friendly and technically easy. If you walk the whole way, allow around 2¾ hours from Gaschurn through the Fengga gorge and past the Ganeu Maisäß (1,400 m), and be sure-footed. You can buy the products directly at the alp, in summer also at the Alpe Garnera stall at the Gaschurn weekly market, or pre-order them for collection in Gaschurn.

Last updated: 13 Sep 2026