They are a strong and striking team: The life of Alban and Attila Scheiber has been shaped by their passion for motorcycles. This has always been the case. “We got our first moped when we were six years old, at eight we were sitting on our first motocross bike,” recounts Alban Scheiber, “we haven’t gotten off our bikes again since then.” They have bought more and more motorcycles over the years: from friends, online, or at auctions, such as in Belgium or in the USA. “My brother is often out and about in the States looking for new pieces.”
Their hearts beat for old bikes
Alban and Attila Scheiber have been sitting on motorcycles since they were children. The twin brothers have a great deal in common – especially their passion for rare, antique bikes. The motorcycle museum at Top Mountain Crosspoint is a dream come true for them. If you are lucky, you can run into the two of them in Hochgurgl doing what they love most: riding motorcycles.
The 51-year-old identical twin brothers – Alban Scheiber is ten minutes older than his brother Attila – are also quite enterprising. Cable car companies, hotels, ski schools, owners of the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road. The latter was what nudged them to build Top Mountain Crosspoint in Hochgurgl at an altitude of 2,200 meters. “The old toll station from the 50s had to be restored,” says Alban Scheiber, “which gave us the idea to integrate a motorcycle museum into the new building at the same time and open our collection to the public.”
In addition, a restaurant open during the summer and winter is housed in the multi-functional building with its sweeping, organic forms, except for a ten-person gondola lift that can transport 2,400 skiers and snowboarders onto the slopes each hour. “We wanted it to have a restaurant with servers,” says Alban Scheiber. Guests are very demanding nowadays and are partial to good service. “We have received so many inquiries from large groups over the years, such as Ferrari and antique car clubs or motorcycle enthusiasts. We wanted to meet this demand.”
Top Mountain Crosspoint in Hochgurgl in Tyrol brings bikers, motorists and skiers together.
Tyrol-native Michael Brötz gave shape to the idea for Top Mountain Crosspoint. Brötz is an enthusiast for motorcycles with a manual transmission and an architect. “This combination was perfect for us,” recollects Alban Scheiber. This is how the motorcycle museum, which can call itself “Europe’s highest motorcycle museum”, came to be the centerpiece of the building. The Scheibers’ more than 230 motorcycles from roughly 100 different manufacturers, along with a series of antique automobiles, are on display in the curved exhibition rooms with solid pine paneling covering an area of 3,000 square meters.
TOP MOUNTAIN CROSSPOINT: A SPECIAL BOND BETWEEN FORM AND FUNCTION
Both brothers fancy rare antique models, and invest first and foremost in quality. Alban Scheiber: “We love Indian bikes or old British super bikes. Our hearts beat for these motorcycles.” The collection is intended to provide a complete overview of the history of the motorcycle.
Flagship of the collection: The basis for this custom bike was an Indian Chief Vintage MY16.
The Scheibers don’t just showcase their motorcycles – they ride them, too.
A ten-person gondola lift replaces the old surface lift at the Hochgurgl-Obergurgl ski resort.
Naturalness and a connection to the region determine the choice of materials.
WÜRTH SCREWS PROVIDE THE NECESSARY SUPPORT FOR THE SPECTACULAR BUILDING
But how is it possible to build such a spectacular building at such an exposed location? To do this, huge pre-assembled components up to 23 meters in length were transported onto the Alpine construction site in Hochgurgl and mounted on site. “We were at the site every day,” recalls Alban Scheiber. The majority of the fastening technology comes from Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld GmbH, a Würth subsidiary. Impressive quantities are required for such a large building: Around 27,000 partially-threaded and fully-threaded screws hold Top Mountain Crosspoint together, which is exposed to extreme weather conditions especially in the winter.
This meeting place for bikers, motorists and skiers represents yet another hotspot for the Hochgurgl region. The vista extends far into the Tyrolean mountain range, with the sky close enough to touch. And the Scheiber boys? “We’ve already purchased a number of new bikes,” says Alban Scheiber laughing. “I think we’ll have to build an extension soon.”
Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld GmbH
Schmid Schrauben Hainfeld GmbH is the only screw manufacturing company in Austria. Besides screws, the company also produces fasteners, tools for various sectors of the industry, prototypes, and multi-stage cold-formed parts. Founded in 1842, the company employs 160 workers, with an annual sales volume of EUR 30 million (2017). The company has been a subsidiary of the Würth Group since 2004.
Perfect curving: Primarily pinewood is used in the museum.
“These rare bikes can be seen in the motorcycle museum at Top Mountain Crosspoint in Hochgurgl.”
