Brunner Andreas
Certified Mountain Guide
International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations
Tel.: +39 320 1123068
Mail: suedtirolalpin@gmail.com
Georg Plattner Str. 12
39040 Feldthurns (BZ) - Italy
IVA Nr.: 03152210211
SÜDTIROLALPIN
Our experienced local mountain guides will take you safely to the most beautiful places in the Dolomites and the entire Alps.
Challenging summits, exciting climbing tours, fantastic ski tours or extraordinary travel adventures - we have the right experience for everyone.
The entire team has a deep-rooted connection to the mountains, which we are privileged to experience every day. Thanks to 300 days of sunshine per year on the south side of the Alps and a job we enjoy, our tours become unforgettable days to remember.
Have fun browsing and choosing your next mountain tour on our site!
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MOUNTAIN GUIDE - SOUTH TIROL
# BERG- UND SKIFÜHRER # MOUNTAIN GUIDE # GUIDA ALPINA
Georg Plattner Straße 12
39040 Feldthurns / Velturno
Italy (BZ)
Berg- und Skiführer - Mountain Guide - Guida Alpina
THE HISTORY OF SOUTH TYROLEAN MOUNTAIN GUIDES
The beginnings
A profession with an exciting, varied history, marked by numerous difficult episodes and setbacks, as well as two world wars. It all began towards the end of the 18th century—more precisely, with the ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786. At that time and in the decades that followed, it was primarily scientists who needed local guides for their research and surveying. Slowly the first particularly skilled "mountain guides" emerged and made a name for themselves. At that time, however, mountain guiding was still a long way from being a regulated profession.
Climbing the highest Alpine peaks was fashionable, especially among wealthy Englishmen, but this activity primarily took place in the Western Alps. Thus, it took a little longer in Tyrol before it became clear that one could make money from mountain guiding. The reason was simple: mountaineers were still rare, and so was the demand for guides. The first official regulation of mountain guiding in Tyrol dates back to the 1860s .
Initially, Tyrolean mountain guides were a diverse group with diverse backgrounds. But demand is growing, and there's a real search for suitable mountaineers to accompany the ever-increasing number of tourists into the mountains. Some mountain guides are beginning to cleverly invest the relatively good wages they received for their guided tours in the tourism industry.
In the 1870s, the German and Austrian Alpine Club took mountain guides under its wing and began regulating the profession, ensuring proper training and, above all, social security in the event of accidents. This was anything but a given at the time. The mountain guide profession was privileged.
The golden age of mountain guiding
Never before and never again since have mountain guides been as respected in society and as wealthy as they were between 1880 and 1910. Their opinion was important, they were involved on local councils, are among the top earners of the time and invest in tourist infrastructure, hotels and mountain huts. In South Tyrol , mountain guides are among the pioneers of today's strong tourism industry and the demand for guided tours is growing. These days, even the middle class can afford to spend their holidays in the mountains. Michl Innerkofler , Franz Innerkofler , Johann Niederwieser Stabeler , Hanssepp Pinggera and Peter Salcher are the outstanding figures among the South Tyrolean mountain guides of that time. More and more people now want to pursue this highly respected profession. Mountain guide aspirants to complete increasingly demanding training. At the same time, a new mountain guide regulation gives fully trained mountain guides a boost and provides them with aspirants to support them.
The church becomes a spoilsport
At the turn of the century, the church began to intervene. Tourism and the resulting moral decline were not what clergy wanted. In the midst of this, South Tyrol's mountain guides, who, as tourism pioneers, were particularly targeted. A ban was issued, prohibiting any Sunday mountain hikes without prior attendance at Holy Mass . But even here, they found a way to overcome this: During this era, numerous mountain huts were given their own chapels, where mass was celebrated at the crack of dawn, so that planned hikes could be started on time.
First World War
With the start of the First World War, tourism and with it the mountain guiding industry came to a complete standstill . Even worse, when Italy changed sides in May 1915 and Austria-Hungary declared war, South Tyrol suddenly found itself on the front line . As this new front was practically made up of mountains, it was set up in the most impassable terrain and defended hardly. Now it was the South Tyrolean mountain guides who, as experts in difficult and impassable terrain and especially in the Dolomites, became the most sought-after soldiers for the spearheads in the front lines . A fact that was to cost many renowned mountain guides their lives. The best known example was Sepp Innerkofler , who was made into a war hero by war propaganda. His service in the war was only short-lived. However, he was responsible for a successful solo climb to the Kleine Zinne , from where he directed the Austrian artillery fire. He also climbed numerous peaks to carry out reconnaissance and observation missions or to surprise enemy patrols. However, he died on July 4, 1915, while attempting to overrun an Italian position on the Paternkofel with his " Fiegende-Zinnen-Patrouille". Until the end of the war in the fall of 1918, generals refused to admit the hopelessness of this front , which had barely moved for years. Soldiers and equipment were wasted completely senselessly in the mountains almost until the very last day of the war.
A new state
The mountain guide system in South Tyrol is in a huge mess after the war. Mountaineering is very low on people's priorities, and tourism practically ceases to exist. Many mountain guides eke out a living with part-time jobs as craftsmen or farmers. South Tyrol is now part of Italy , and the CAI (Club Alpino Italiano) is vying for the attention of South Tyrolean guides. Initially, however, most of the active but largely unemployed mountain guides decide to remain with the "Alpenverein". When all alpine clubs not belonging to the CAI are dissolved by decree in 1923, this decision becomes invalid. Mussolini soon takes another momentous step: since the fascist regime is not a fan of regional autonomy, the guide organization is centralized in 1930, and the "National Consortium of Mountain Guides and Porters" is founded. To make matters worse, before the First World War, hardly anyone ventured into the mountains without a mountain guide. But during this time, so-called unguided mountaineering also became increasingly popular – raising the standard of mountaineering to a level that would have been unthinkable just a few decades ago. All in all, these were difficult times for South Tyrol's mountain guides , a far cry from their golden age.
The Option and the Second World War
The Italian regime tried for a long time to make South Tyrol an Italian country. In vain. In 1939, Hitler and Mussolini agreed to make the recalcitrant South Tyroleans an offer: either stay in South Tyrol and become Italian, or leave and remain German. This option also poses a major question for many of South Tyrol's mountain guides: Are there even mountains in their promised new homeland? The figures from the national guide consortium are impressive: after accounting for the optants, only 7 guides and 6 porters are still registered in South Tyrol. This means that almost 90% of all guides and porters chose to emigrate – even slightly more than the 85% of optants in the general population. In retrospect, one must consider it a blessing in disguise that the outbreak of the Second World War thwarted these resettlement plans for an entire people. But a war is and remains a war, a war of suffering and death. Like all other areas of society, the Second World War left mountain guides in ruins . It is unknown how many mountain guides were among the 8,000 South Tyroleans who died. The end of the war in 1945 means a start from complete zero for South Tyrol's mountain guides.
A new beginning
The first important decision for mountain guiding in South Tyrol was the founding of the South Tyrolean Alpine Association (AVS) in 1946. A new mountain guide regulation was introduced and the trend was slowly improving. However, as late as 1948, almost half of all mountain huts were still unmanned. There were also no customers, as entering South Tyrol was fraught with bureaucratic hurdles. With the first statute of autonomy, the province of South Tyrol began to take mountain guide training under its wing and provide financial support. New mountain guides received their diplomas in the state parliament. The mountain guide group was founded within the AVS in 1956. With its own training and badge, it began to compete with the CAI. However, it wasn't until 1976 that this badge was recognized by the International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations (IVBV), which authorized AVS mountain guides to guide abroad. Meanwhile, tourism continues to grow, and the many young mountain guides who earned their diplomas in the post-war period and slowly but surely replaced the "old" ones are coming to terms with their work. They realize that they can't earn a year-round income from tours just outside their own backyard, and now they operate throughout the entire Alps. A new relationship with guests is emerging, who no longer select their mountain guides locally and thus constantly change, but instead become regular guests who take their guide with them everywhere.
IFMGA and "Bergführerverband Südtirol"
In 1965, the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA) was founded in Switzerland. The most important achievement of this association was that it opened the borders to mountain guides, initially across the Alps and then almost worldwide. They can practice their profession in all the mountains of the world, and the blue and white logo is recognized (almost) everywhere. With the second autonomy statute in 1972, South Tyrol de facto became a region with independent political responsibility in a whole series of areas, including "tourism and the hospitality industry", which explicitly included "mountain guides and porters". The "porters" were the first to fall victim to this autonomous regulation of the mountain guide system. They have now outlived their usefulness and are giving way to "mountain guide aspirants". In 1978, South Tyrol's first autonomous "Mountain and Ski Guide Ordinance" was finally passed. On November 29, 1980, another long-overdue step was finally taken: the separation of the Mountain Guides Association from the CAI and AVS. 110 of the 130 licensed mountain guides at the time voted in favor of founding the "Association of South Tyrolean Mountain and Ski Guides". All mountain guides in the region were now united under one association, and the region could also distribute funding directly to a single contact person. This model has proven successful; numerous mountain guide aspirants have now completed the training organized by the " South Tyrolean Mountain Guides Association " and are now among the most sought-after guides worldwide.
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