On Their Shoulders

What does carrying a load mean? Can you make money doing it? Are porters to be found only in the Tatra Mountains? Is the world of porters macho? Are there any female porters? How come supplies are still not being transported to the mountain huts by helicopters? What is the hierarchy and what are the rules up there? And who’s a porter anyway?

For more than a year, we accompanied various porters, mountain hut keepers, mountain guides and carrying frame makers on the uphill trails, downhill trails, and down there. They answered even the most burning questions about the craft of portering.

But don’t expect a book full of legends or a porter’s encyclopaedia. Instead, we offer a unique chronicle of the perspectives and experiences of people who regularly hike up to mountain huts with a hefty load strapped to their backs and shoulders, get passed by curious hikers, and still manage to enjoy the experience. Perhaps that’s why they are the last of their kind in Europe.