We're stoked to announce that the Alpenverein Melbourne / Alpine Club Melbourne is a thing now! Last year we started this adventure and this month we put the final pieces together. The club is registered, has an ABN and is officially part of the Austrian Alpine Club and therefore also the wider Club Arc Alpine and UIAA family.
We've come a long way and it's always good to remember why we started this in the first place. Most of us are one way or the other a member of the Austrian Alpine Club since it comes with the awesome Alpenverein Worldwide Service (insurance for SAR, limited medical and unlimited repatriation).
"We're already paying anyway with no local benefits so let's make it an Australian thing."
 |
| Top of Ama Dablam with Cho Oyu in the back |
- Having a true Melbournian Alpine Club encompassing all mountain activities
- Providing a great insurance under the umbrella of the Austrian Alpine Club
- Bringing adventurers together with local trips and events
The Alpenverein Melbourne is an all-ages, all-inclusive club which does a baby-hike in Plenty Gorge as well as expeditions to high altitude peaks. Now while you can do the baby-hike on short notice, you can't do the same for major peaks in the Himalayas, Alaska or the Andes. The club is committed to provide a pathway for mountaineers to grow and achieve their long-term goal.
Diving into the mountaineering world can be a bit daunting and especially since Australia is lacking the big mountains and glaciers although we do have some great training grounds. There's plenty of knowledge across the member so joining the club gives you an opportunity to tap into that.
Cheers
Anna, Emil & Philipp
Find out more at
Glossary
AVM - Alpenverein Melbourne - Alpine Club Melbourne
AAC (UK) - Austrian Alpine Club (UK)
AVS - Alpenverein Südtirol - South Tyrolean Alpine Club
CAA - Club Arc Alpine
DAV - Deutscher Alpenverein - German Alpine Club
FFCAM - Fédération française des clubs alpins et de montagne - French Federation of Alpine and Mountain Clubs
OeAV - Österreichischer Alpenverein - Austrian Alpine Club
SAC - Swiss Alpine Club
FAQs
Here are the updated FAQs about the Alpenverein Melbourne (AVM) from the previous blog-post. Please drop the club a line if you can't find the answer you're looking for: adventures@alpenverein.melbourne
- Does the insurance cover trips here in Australia?
Yes. Absolutely. It's actually worldwide. You'll find more general information here. There's also a specific article which looks at insurances from an Australian point of view. - Is the insurance any different to the one of other sections of the Austrian Alpine Club (OeAV)?
No - all sections and groups of the OeAV have the very same insurance. Insurance-wise it doesn't matter if you're a member of the AAC (UK), the Section Vienna or the Alpenverein Melbourne. - Does the insurance include other leisure activities?
Yes. All leisure activities in general are included. However there are some exclusions like paragliding, high altitude mountaineering (above 6000m) or arctic expeditions. - Does the insurance cover backcountry, side country, off-piste, ski-touring or other out-of bonds adventures?
Yes. All of them. - Why wasn't the AVM initiated as part of the German (DAV), French (FFCAM) or South Tyrolean (AVS) Alpine Club or any other alpine club?
- Simple: The Insurance of the Austrian Alpine Club (OeAV) is better for Australian based activities
- Why is it Melbourne and not the Australian Alpine Club?
The Australian Alpine Club already exists but has a strong focus on snow sports. Mountaineering and Alpine Adventures aren't something the AAC does. On the other hand the names Alpine Club Melbourne or Alpenverein Melbourne have not been used prior to the AVM. - How does the AVM fit into the Victorian Club Landscape?
The club has the mandate to establish and maintain relationships with similar or the same goals. While building our membership base we're also facilitation cross-club events and create new partnerships. - Can I join without becoming an OeAV member?
No. The Alpenverein Melbourne is a local group of the Alpenverein Österreich - Sektion Innsbruck. If you join the AVM you're joining the OeAV. - Can I join if I'm already member of another OeAV section?
Unfortunately not. You'll need to switch to the Section Innsbruck in order to become a member of the AVM. - Is the Alpenverein Melbourne incorporated in Australia?Yes - we are registered with Consumer Affairs Victoria. The registration number is A0107950D. The ABN is 93 853 885 730
- How is the Alpenverein Melbourne be structured?
It's not much different from any other club you know. There are club rules, a committee and there are club events. - What is 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. The AVM is a local group within Section Innsbruck. See the diagram below. - Why Innsbruck - why not any other section?
This is the biggest section within the OeAV and we thought it might be hard getting this off the ground with smaller sections. We got and we still get a lot of support from Innsbruck so we think we made the right choice. - 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 do have some German native speakers as members. - What do we do about the language barrier when we need to communicate with Austria?
The current AVM Secretary is a German and the English of the guys in Austria is also pretty good. - How much does the Membership cost?
The prices for 2020 are:
Individual € 78
Family € 132*
Senior € 64
*Children are free if all parents (single or couple) are members of the same sections and the children are insured too. - For which time-frame do I sign up?
In general you're singing up for the calendar year however there's a spring special every year. If you join after the 1st September, you'll get the remaining year for free and just pay for next year. - Are there any local club trips?
Absolutely. They are listed on the club's website. - Where can I sign up?Right here - Registration Form - click on the link and on the upper right is the Union Jack to change the form to English.
 |
| Simplified Structure of the OeAV |
No comments:
Post a Comment