I am a Member of a Mountaineering Organisation

Membership in a mountaineering organisation is a value in itself, and voluntary work a token of respect and courage.

Mr. Ivan Lampreht, landlord at Kumen, is a patriot and a keen mountaineer. Not only did he become a member of the Podravje Section but also his wife and son. All three proudly wear the badge of our club. Glory to them! (Planinski vestnik, 1906)

Membership in a mountaineering organization brings its members several benefits: they are provided with year-round opportunities for recreational and guided activities, learning and exploration, good companionship, experience of the mountains and the versatility of the mountaineering lingo. Education and training is of utmost importance; the best and most diverse mountaineering programs are those provided by the Youth Commission of Planinska zveza Slovenije (PZS; Alpine Association of Slovenia). The mountaineering organization trains its members in safe mountaineering.

The tradition of looking for climbing companions and joining into clubs started in the mid-19th century when the first Alpine Clubs were set up in various parts of Europe. In Slovenia, organized mountaineering was first practised within foreign alpine clubs, in particular the Deutscher und Österreichischer Alpenverein (DÖAV; German and Austrian Mountaineering Society) and the Österreichischer Touristenklub (ÖTC; AustrianTourist Club). The DÖAV had Section Krain (Carniolan Section) and showed low tolerance towards the Slovenes. On account of extreme German nationalism on the one hand and the wish to preserve the Slovenian appearance of Slovenian mountains on the other, Slovene patriots soon felt the need to establish their own mountaineering organization. In Bohinj, devout Slovene mountaineers set up a club called Triglavski prijatelji (Triglav Friends) as early as 1872, which is believed to be the first mountaineering club in Slovenia. Unfortunately, the activity of the club soon died out due to disapproval of the government. In 1893 members of the Pipa (Pipe) club initiated the formation of Slovensko planinsko društvo (SPD; Slovenian Mountaineering Society), which has been active ever since as Planinska zveza Slovenije (PZS; Alpine Association of Slovenia). At first, the SPD’s main task was defense against foreign influence, and expansion of Slovenian mountaineering efforts. Local sections of the SPD were established, huts were built, paths were laid-out. Climbers, whose primary goal was consistent promotion of climbing, would also organize into clubs. The main climbers’ organisations of the time were the Dren climbing club and the club Turistovski klub Skala. After World War II, all the activities of the SPD were transferred onto a new organization, Planinska zveza Slovenije. The organization connects mountaineering, climbing and other clubs that have evolved from the former society sections or were set up anew, several of them founded by the Slovenian minorities in Italy and Austria and by Slovenian workers abroad.