An international alliance is demanding that lawmakers classify local mountaineering guides as independent. Otherwise, training sessions would be canceled and safety on the mountains in Austria would be at stake.
The Austrian Alpine Association (ÖAV), the Tyrolean Association of Mountaineering Guides, the DAV Summit Club, the Innsbruck Alpine School and the Dutch Climbing and Mountaineering Association sounded the alarm at a press conference in Innsbruck on Thursday.
Finally solve the problem
They demand that the future federal government finally solve a problem that has existed since 2017: since then, Austrian mountaineering guides have increasingly been classified as dependent. Therefore, alpine clubs or mountaineering schools have to make enormous financial and bureaucratic efforts to hire them, even if they only work for the client for a few days.
This arrangement, which is unique in the EU, makes the work of mountaineering guides up to 30 percent more expensive. “Until now, we have not passed on these additional costs for the training to members,” said PES Secretary General Clemens Matt. In any case, the additional financial expenses could only be avoided if foreign mountain guides were used instead of local guides.
Mountain guides from Nepal in the local Alps?
“Would it make sense to bring mountain guides from Nepal or South America, so that the participants of the course or tour do not have to bear the additional costs,” says Manfred Lorenz, director of the DAV Summit Club. However, for cost reasons, foreign guides will probably have to be hired in the future. However, they often do not have as much knowledge of the area as local mountaineering guides.
The risk of accidents in the Alps is increasing
This increases the risk of accidents in the Alps. And overall, the higher costs could deter mountain enthusiasts from training, it was said – with unforeseeable consequences for mountain safety.
The Dutch Climbing and Mountaineering Association has drawn the first conclusions. In 2025, for the first time in 51 years, there will no longer be an ice rink at the Kaunergrathütte in the Pitztal. The increase in costs does not allow this, the course takes place in France.
Mountain guides are considering career options
Michael Rosendorfer, director of the Tyrolean Association of Mountaineering Guides, also sees the problem of losing mountain guides. “Many people are already considering career options,” he laments.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
