Swiss Alpine Club
Encyclopedia
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It was founded in 1863 in Olten
Olten
Olten is a town in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland and capital of the district of the same name.Olten's railway station is within 30 minutes of Zurich, Bern, Basel, and Lucerne by train, and is a rail hub of Switzerland.-History:...
and it is now composed of 111 sections with 110,000 members (2006). These include the Association of British Members of the Swiss Alpine Club.
History
The Swiss Alpine Club was the first Alpine club founded in continental Europe after the foundation of the Alpine ClubAlpine Club (UK)
The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
(1857) in London. One of the founders and the first president of the Club was Dr. Melchior Ulrich; other members were Gottlieb Samuel Studer
Gottlieb Samuel Studer
Gottlieb Samuel Studer was a Swiss mountaineer, Notary public and draughtsman.Studer was the son of Sigmund Gottlieb Studer...
and Dr. Simler. The inaugural meeting was held in Olten
Olten
Olten is a town in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland and capital of the district of the same name.Olten's railway station is within 30 minutes of Zurich, Bern, Basel, and Lucerne by train, and is a rail hub of Switzerland.-History:...
.
With the increasing number of climbers, steps had to be taken to make the approach to the mountains a little less complicated and exhausting. Until mountain huts were built, there had been no choice for the climbers other than sleeping in the highest chalets or in a bivouac under some overhanging rocks and, in both cases, firewood had to be carried up. The Swiss Alpine Club during the first twenty-five years of its existence contributed to build thirty-eight huts
Alpine club hut
Alpine club huts or simply club huts form the majority of the over 1,300 mountain huts in the Alps and are maintained by branches, or sections, of the various alpine clubs.- Purpose and facilities :...
, of which the oldest was the Grünhorn hut on the Tödi
Tödi
The Tödi , or Piz Russein, is the highest mountain in the Glarus Alps and the highest summit in the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. It is located on the border between the cantons of Graubünden and Glarus...
(1863), followed by the Trift hut, near the Dammastock
Dammastock
The Dammastock is the highest mountain in the Urner Alps in Switzerland. Its summit ridge forms the border between the cantons of Uri and the Valais. It is the highest summit in the canton of Uri...
(1864). The Matterhorn hut was built in 1865, the Mountet in 1871, the Weisshorn hut in 1876, the Concordia
Konkordia Hut
The Konkordia Hut is a mountain hut located in the Bernese Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is owned by the Swiss Alpine Club....
on the Aletsch glacier
Aletsch Glacier
The Aletsch Glacier or Great Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Alps. It has a length of about and covers more than in the eastern Bernese Alps in the Swiss canton of Valais...
and the Boval hut in 1877.
Timeline
- 1863: Foundation of the club, after the Alpine ClubAlpine Club (UK)The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
(1857) and the Austrian Alpine Club (1862). - 1863: Construction of the first mountain hut: the Grünhornhütte
- 1864: First publication a journal which will be named later, Die Alpen, Les Alpes
- 1900: The SAC is composed of 43 sections and 6000 members
- 1905: Opening of the Swiss Alpine MuseumSwiss Alpine MuseumThe Swiss Alpine Museum is a museum dedicated to the nature and culture of the Swiss Alps. It is located at Helvetiaplatz 4 in Bern.-History:...
in Bern - 1907: Women are not allowed in the club
- 1963: The club is constituted of 44'500 members (men only)
- 1977: Foundation of the central office in Bern
- 1980: Fusion with the Women Swiss Alpine Club (founded in 1918). The total effectives reach 75‘600 members.
- 1992: The first cultural prize of the SAC is attributed
- 1994: The SAC officially promotes competition climbing
- 1996: Abolition of the central committee
- 2006: The SAC receives the Milestone tourism prize