Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
When and where does the club meet?
What is the OeAV and do I need to be a member?
Do I really have to speak English?
What are the hikes or other activities like?
What do the "Technical" and "Physical" Requirements in the trip descriptions mean?
I am only coming to Vienna for one semester. Can I get membership for just half a year?
How do you organize transport for the events?
Can you organise a private hike for our group?
Can you help me organise my trip to Austria?
What data do you have about me, and what do you do with it?
I want to be added to the mailing list. What should I do?
I sent you a mail, but didn't get a reply. Why not?
I want to leave the Alpenverein. What do I need to do?
Am I a member of the Sektion Alpenverein Austria?
When and where does the club meet?
We meet every first Monday of the Month at 7 pm at the Alpenvereinshaus, Rotenturmstr. 14, 1010 Vienna. Please come along! (no registration necessary)
What is the club?
It is a group that has formed within the Austrian Alpine Association (Österreichischer Alpenverein or OeAV) with English as the main language. Do you know of someone who would like to be involved in the Alpine Club (OeAV), who speaks English? Please let them know that they -and you too- are welcome in our group!
What is the OeAV and do I need to be a member?
The OeAV is the main Alpine Association in Austria ("Alpenverein" in German). To join in our activities you need to be a member of the Alpenverein. A membership has many advantages, see here.
Why are we doing this?
Because we enjoy hiking in the mountains. Maybe our proficiency in German is not where we would like it to be. We support the Alpine Association.
What will we do?
Our main goal is to help individuals to become active in the Austrian mountains. We have a lot of events, see them all on this page: www.alpineclubvienna.org/hiking_in_austria/events
Do I really have to speak English?
Mostly, yes. We have members from many countries all over the world so the common language is English. But of course it is not forbidden to speak any other language.
We currently have members from USA, France, UK, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Bosnia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Venezuela, Belgium, Canada, Bulgaria, Ireland, Estonia, Romania, Uzbekistan, Japan and Austria....
Do you only offer hikes?
We do mountain hikes, climbing, snowshoe hikes, ski touring, simpler hikes and occasionally simpler bike tours (on or off road). We also run mountain related courses in the english language, for example avalanche courses, first aid, high alpine mountaineering ("Rock and Ice") and climbing courses. As these courses are run by qualified mountain guides, there is a fee for participation in the courses.
What are the hikes or other activities like?
Events are categorized into levels of difficulty and duration so you can choose something that fits your abilities. If you are unsure, feel free to contact the trip organiser.
What does it cost me?
Generally there is no fee to take part in any individual event (apart from the courses). Organisers may not demand a fee for the organisation. The only costs are the annual Alpenverein membership, and any general costs related to the event (e.g. transport, accommodation, food & drink, equipment hire etc). Note that as an Alpenverein member, you receive a 50% discount on the price of sleeping in the Alpenverein huts (also outside of Austria), and discounts in huts run by other mountain organisations (Naturfreunde, ÖTK).
What age are you?
Our members are generally between 25 and 60, but we do have older and younger members too. So pretty sure you'll find somebody of your age. But anyone from the age of 18 upwards is welcome - and where suitable children under 18 are welcome to join when accompanied by a parent.
What equipment do I need?
Not sure what to bring? Check out a sample Gear List. What to take and what not to take is always a problem. Use this not as a rule but a guide. Just remember that others do not bring extra rain gear nor a spare walking stick.
What do the "Technical" and "Physical" Requirements in the trip descriptions mean?
We use the same ratings as the Alpenverein. Here is an english translation of the legend.
I am only coming to Vienna for one semester. Can I get membership for just half a year?
Unfortunately not. The Alpenverein only offers membership for a whole calendar year. Students under 27 however do get a reduced membership rate. Please see our membership page for details. If you are only joining for 1 year, please remember to give notice of your intention to leave the Alpenverein in good time (before the end of September), otherwise your membership will be automatically extended.
How do you organize transport for the events?
It depends on the events. Some events can be reached with public transport. For other events we car-share, sharing the cost of the fuel. Sometimes it may be necessary for somebody to hire a car, as most of our members do not own a car. In this case the costs of the hire car are shared by all participants who are not travelling in their own cars. We appreciate it if people would indicate in the registration if they are able to organize and drive a hire car. Transport details for individual events will be communicated by the trip organizer to the partipants.
Can you organise a private hike for our group?
No, unfortunately not. The events we organise are intended for our members. As most of us are not certified hike leaders or mountain guides, we would not be entitled to lead groups of paying guests.
Can you help me organise my trip to Austria?
Probably not. If you want some hiking ideas, mainly around the Vienna area, take a look at our archive. Otherwise, you would be better off contacting the regional tourist information offices.
What data do you have about me, and what do you do with it?
The Alpine Club Vienna maintains a mailing list of its members. Until May 2018, members on this list signed up personally at one of our meetings or online. The data provided during sign-up includes Name, Email address, Telephone Numbers, Postcode and Nationality. This data is only used for internal purposes (newsletter, organisation of our events and statistics), and with the exception of our newsletter service provider, currently Mailchimp, it is never passed on to anyone else.
We have a contract with Mailchimp that they will adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with respect to our data. Their privacy policy can be found here. It is possible to unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time by clicking the link at the bottom of the newsletters. Please note that unsubscribing from the ACV mailing list is independent of any data the Alpenverein or Alpenverein Austria may have about you, has no effect on your membership status of the Alpenverein and will not prevent you from taking part in our activities.
I want to be added to the mailing list. What should I do?
Please click the link "Get our new events in your mailbox, subscribe to our newsletter" here, or in the footer of our website.
Are you the VIC hiking club?
No. The VIC hiking club is the hiking club of the United Nations in Vienna and you need to be an employee of an international organisation to participate in their events. We, the Alpine Club Vienna, are a part of the Alpenverein in Austria and anyone who is a member can participate in our events (subject to suitability) - and anyone can become a member!
I sent you a mail, but didn't get a reply. Why not?
There may be many reasons. First of all, this is a group run by private persons, in their free time. Sometimes it takes a bit longer to respond to your mail, but I always try to answer genuine enquiries. It is also possible I overlooked certain mails - if so, I apologize - please write again if you don't hear back within a few days.
However, we don't respond in principle to commercial or spam mails - e.g. offers of partnerships with travel agents, offers to revamp our website (we actually quite like it the way it is!), requests to provide resting places in our bank account for the estates of recently deceased rich relatives etc etc.
I am coming on holiday/short term business trip to Vienna and would like to join one of your events. Can I join?
Normally I'm afraid not. Our club is more than just a few people going on a hike together - we are a group who meet regularly and many of us have become very good friends, and our events are intended for our regular members (including new members who may join future events too). We are not tour guides for visitors to Vienna. We strongly discourage simply joining the Alpenverein just in order to take part in one of our events - there is no guarantee that you would be able to join the event even if you have joined the Alpenverein. Also, for our more demanding events, we like to already know you and your abilities beforehand, which is not usually possible for short term visitors.
Please search the internet for commercial or other offerings instead.
I want to leave the Alpenverein. What do I need to do?
Alpenverein membership is provided on the basis of a calendar year, so there is no possibility of leaving during the year. If you want to leave the Alpenverein at the end of the current year, you must inform your Sektion* in writing by the 31st October at the latest. This can be done by post or email. Otherwise the membership will be automatically renewed, and the membership fees for the following year must be payed.
*This is the process for the Alpenverein-Austria (our Sektion). For other Sektions, please check with your Sektion - I do not guarantee that the process and/or deadlines are the same. See here for contact details of the Alpenverein Austria, and here for the german page on the Alpenverein Austria website regarding leaving (Austritt)
Am I a member of the Sektion Alpenverein Austria?
This can be seen by looking at your membership number (e.g. on your membership card). If it starts with 102, you are a member of Alpenverein Austria.
I am not an OeAV member, but a member of a different mountaineering association. May I join your events?
Events that require membership, require membership of the Austrian Alpenverein (OeAV). We do not accept membership of other Austrian associations (e.g. Naturfreunde, ÖTK) or generally foreign mountaineering associations.
At our discretion, we may accept however DAV, AVS or SAC members for occasional events, as there is an agreement between the OeAV and these associations, but if you want to regularly take part in our events, you need to join the OeAV (preferably our "Sektion" via our ACV website).
