The Idea - Why are we doing this?
Yes you read that correct: We want to found the Alpine Club Melbourne. The plan is to set it up as a local group (Ortsgruppe) within the Austrian Alpine Club (Alpenverein Österreich / OeAV) in order to benefit from a bigger network of European Alpine Clubs. We already reached out to the Section Innsbruck and got some positive feedback. What we now need is founding members and this is where you come in.
If you're a mountaineer, climber, backcountry skier or snowboarder, hiker or simply an adventurer, this might be right up your alleyway. Here are some advantages the Alpenverein Melbourne would bring and why you should join:
- Insurance
This is probably the biggest draw-card. As an Austrian Alpine Club (OeAV) member you benefit from a great insurance. You'll find the details on the OeAV website. - Big Adventures
Trips to the big mountains are already on the cards. We have Mont Blanc booked in for next year and we intend to continue doing this. - Family Friendly
Getting children outside is one of the best things you can do. It fosters resilience and self-confidence. As parents we know this can be hard but it's much easier in a group. Don't believe us? Have a look at Emil's recent snow adventure. - Melbourne Based
Part of the Austrian Alpine Club tradition is to have regular social nights. Sounds good to us. - Safety Culture
Mountaineering safety culture differs between continental Europe and the Anglo-American mountaineering community. The aim is to tap into the latest safety research of the CAA - Club Arc Alpin - and make use of that here in Australia.
We know there are other climbing and mountaineering clubs in Victoria but we don't see this as competition. Actually quite the opposite: We're already encouraging joined trips and cross-club activities.
Now you want to join this adventure? Awesome and welcome aboard! Here is how it works:
- Join the Austrian Alpine Club (OeAV) - preferably the Section Innsbruck - if you haven't done so already. If you join after 1st September, you'll get the remainder of the year 2018 for free when paying your 2019 membership fee.
- Come back and enter your membership details into the webform.
- We'll collect the details and once we got a bunch of members, we'll put or application forward to the committee of the Section Innsbruck.
That's it! We hope we sparked your interest and we'll have our local Alpine Club soon. In the meantime join us at the upcoming Mountaineering Social Night At the Clifton Hill Brewpub.
Cheers 🍻
The Valentines
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| 2018 trip to the Dolomites |
FAQs
Here are some potential questions you might have. Please drop us a line if you can't find the answer you're looking for: go@mountaineering.me
- Does the insurance cover trips here in Australia?
Yes. Absolutely. It's actually worldwide. - What happens next?
We'll collect details throughout September and if we get to 15 -20 founding members, we'll submit the list to the committee of the Alpine Club - Section Innsbruck for consideration. If they accept our application we'll be the "Alpenverein Melbourne" as a Regional Group of the Alpine Club - Section Innsbruck. - Why not the German Alpine Club (DAV) or any other alpine club?
Simple: The Insurance of the OeAV is better for Australia based activities - Why not found the Australian Alpine Club?
It already exists but has a strong focus on snow sports. Mountaineering and Alpine Adventures aren't something the AAC does. - Can I join without becoming an OeAV member?
No. The Alpenverein Melbourne will be a sub-group of the Alpenverein Österreich - Sektion Innsbruck. Technically you'll be joining the OeAV. - Can I join if I'm already member of another OeAV section?
Yes! Just enter your membership number in the form. - Can I join at a later stage?
You can but if we don't get the numbers this might not happen! - Will the Alpenverein Melbourne be incorporated in Australia?
That isn't planned at this stage since we'll be a subgroup of an Austrian club. If the necessity arises, we can revisit this at a later stage. - How will the Alpenverein Melbourne be structured?
This hasn't been decided yet. That's up to the members who found the group - meaning you :) - What would be the structure within the OeAV?
The OeAV is made out of 197 independent member-clubs so-called sections. One of them is the Section Innsbruck. We'd be a sub-group with in Alpine Club - Section Innsbruck. See the diagram below. - Why Innsbruck - why not any other section?
This is the biggest section within the OeAV it might be hard getting this off the ground with smaller sections. On top of that we're already members of that section. - Why do we use the German "Alpenverein" instead of "Alpine Club"?
We're simply sticking with the Corporate Design Manual of the club. Even the pommies with their British Section couldn't escape that. Besides we will have some German native speakers as members. - What do we do about the language barrier when we need to communicate with Austria?
Luckily we got some German native speakers among us however the English of the guys in Austria is also pretty good. - How much does the Membership cost?
Individuals € 57, Family € 101, Senior € 44 - All options are on the OeAV website. You can pay with credit card. There won't be additional fees for the local group here in Melbourne. - Will there be local club trips?
Absolutely. That's one of the reasons why we're doing this. We'll also organise regular social nights. - What if I join the OeAV and the Alpenverein Melbourne doesn't get off the ground?
You'll still have the benefits of the OeAV and that includes the insurance. Basically you won't lose anything.
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| Simplified Structure of the OeAV |
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