Alpine Club South Tyrol (AVS)
The Alpine Club South Tyrol (Alpenverein Südtirol, AVS), founded in 1946, today (2019) has 70.000 members in 35 sections with 58 local units. Legally, the sections and the regional association of the alpine rescue service represent the members of the Club as a whole.
However, the origins of the Alpine Club in South Tyrol reach far back. They parallel the foundation of the first alpine clubs in the European context. As early as 1869 the first sections in the then German Alpine Club and from 1873 in the German and Austrian Alpine Club (D. and OeAV) were founded in Bolzano and in the Upper Pusteria Valley (Niederdorf). After the Italian assumption of power 1923 all sections were dissolved and expropriated of their properties.
Today the AVS is closely linked to culture and history of the region, and with its diversified services and activities it represents the mountaineering association of the German and Ladin population as a professionally competent point of contact.
Services and objectives of the AVS:
- Tour programmes and alpine formation in all forms of alpinism. This is supported by qualified executives in the sections, local units and at the regional level. Furthermore, the AVS promotes fair and respectful mountain sports through information and education.
- Promotion of an environmentally responsible and sustainable handling of our natural life resources (water, air, soil, animals, plants).
- AVS insurance: adapted coverage for all mountain- and leisure time accidents worldwide. It contains a refund of costs of justified rescuing, primary care, search operation and transfer. Liability and legal protection complete the service.
- Home advantage on huts: Together with the hut keepers we have the objectives of an ecological maintenance of the huts and family-friendly offers. The International Reciprocal Agreement of the alpine associations on mountain huts allows reductions regarding overnight stays on about 1,200 huts in the whole of the Alps, in the Apennines and the Pyrenees.
- The network of trails is the basis for your mountain experience and the alpine tourism. The Alpine Club has been committed to this network for more than 140 years. On the initiative of the AVS all trails of South Tyrol have been digitally collected, they form the basis for interactive trekking information systems.
- AVS Youth: Joint experience in the mountains. Find adventures, experience nature, meet mountains and people and have fun with expert youth guides.
- Sport climbing in 40 AVS-indoor climbing and boulder centers, with instruction and training with experts. Special attention we give to the climbing gardens with a contemporary safeguarding with hooks. Our guidebook „Sportklettern & Bouldern in Südtirol“ gives the necessary overview.
- The publication “Bergeerleben” with actual articles, reports and the information pages, complemented by the report of the year “Berge erlebt” and the course programme which is published every half year and the internet portal www.alpenverein.it covers the whole spectrum of our activities.
- The route portal alpenvereinaktiv.com of DAV, ÖAV and AVS is an open platform for the exchange of information for all the people who like outdoor activities.
- Alpine Club is also culture. The alpine library is open to all interested persons. Specialist literature, magazines and map material include about 6.500 volumes.
Besides our archive is a treasure chest of the touristic and alpine development and is accessible under www.historisches-alpenarchiv.org.