September, 1999
Dear Prospective Member:
Thank you for your interest in our group. I want to take a moment to introduce
myself, and explain how you can get involved!
In November of 1995, I moved to Austria. Getting to know Austria was at times
not so easy. Being married to an Austrian made it simple, not speaking German
made if difficult! After a brief experience in Mountaineering, I openly asked
"Why not have a English speaking group of the OEAV in Vienna?" I kept
asking myself if there would be enough people willing to get involved in such
a group.
We had our first meeting on September 9th, 1999. Nineteen people
attended, and most of them were Austrian. If Austrians meet non-natives in an
English environment, both sides win. Austrians can practice English, and non-natives
can learn and experience Austrian life. The enjoyment of the alpine environment
and alpine sport is the main attraction of the group, and this is what the OEAV
wishes to further.
The OEAV was founded in 1862, and today works to support mountain sports, protect
the alpine environment and to help individuals to enjoy the outdoors. It does
this through maintaining 272 alpine huts and over 40,000 km of trails in Austria.
The membership is over 250,000 strong, with 193 sections.
Membership benefits in our group are not limited to speaking English! The club
has many opportunities for you to become involved and attend all types of planned
outings, regardless of the sport. Benefits include discounts on maps, books,
overnight stays in huts(both OEAV and partner organizations), various equipment
offers, and insurance for each member. This is not every benefit, however this
letter would be quite a bit longer if I were to go into detail.
Is membership in the OEAV required to attend the meetings? Yes and No. Section
Austria provides a meeting place, supports our mailings and the other administration
issues of the group. In turn we would like our group members have membership
within the OEAV. However if you are curious about our group, please join us
for a few events and then make a decision on membership. I would suggest you
attend a meeting and event to become more familiar with the people of the club.
They are the best "benefit" the club has to offer.
I hope you can join us for a visit soon!
Best Regards,
Tim Lang