Become a member of the Alpine Club

Österreichischer Alpenverein is the largest alpine association and Austria’s largest youth organization. It motivates people to take part in various mountain sports like hiking, mountaineering, climbing, ski touring, mountain biking and trains them to do so. Besides its expertise, it also provides the required infrastructure like Alpenverein huts, trails and climbing facilities. As the “Advocate for the Alps” it ensures that nature is preserved in its beauty and originality, and will remain accessible to the public in future too.

The Alpenverein has more than 700,000 members, and it is the biggest mountaineers’ association in Austria, consisting of 194 sections. Actually, the Alpenverein consists of sections (Sektionen) and their local branches (Ortsgruppen) all over Austria. Together, they make up the Alpenverein, an umbrella organisation whose highest-ranking bodies are the Federal Committee (Bundesausschuss) and the Board (Präsidium).

The Alpenverein’s sections and local branches are independent and act in accordance with the individual requirements in their region. Each member of the Alpenverein is part of a section or a local branch and is generally overseen by this entity. Members can freely choose their section, regardless of their place of residence. The benefits of their membership remain unchanged.

The Club is governed by a board of volunteers (Präsidium) that the Head Office in Innsbruck (Hauptverein) reports to. The management team works by order of the Board and is bound by their instructions. This management team and their employees constitute the main information centre for all the Alpenverein’s sections, which are mostly led by volunteers (see organizational chart).