Change demanded

Bizarre: Levy law jeopardizes safety on the mountain

Guided tours offer the highest level of safety. However, many can no longer afford price increases of 30 percent.(Bild: NKVB)

An international alliance is calling for legislators to classify Austrian mountain sports guides as self-employed. Otherwise, training courses would be canceled and mountain safety in Austria would be at risk.

The Austrian Alpine Association (ÖAV), the Tyrolean Mountain Guides Association, the DAV Summit Club, the Innsbruck Alpine School and the Dutch Climbing and Mountain Sports Association sounded the alarm at a press conference in Innsbruck on Thursday.

Finally solve the problem
They are calling on the future federal government to finally solve a problem that has existed since 2017: since then, Austria's mountain sports guides have increasingly been classified as dependent. As a result, alpine clubs or mountaineering schools have to hire them at enormous financial and bureaucratic expense, even if they only work for the client for a few days.

This regulation, which is unique in the EU, makes the work of mountain sports guides up to 30 percent more expensive. "Until now, we have not passed on these additional costs for training courses to our members," says ÖAV Secretary General Clemens Matt. In any case, the additional financial outlay could only be avoided if foreign mountain sports guides were employed instead of local ones.

It must be possible to legally classify self-employed local mountain sports guides as self-employed.

Michael Rosendorfer, Geschäftsführer Tiroler Bergsportführerverband

Bild: Floobe Medienproduktion

Mountain guides from Nepal in the local Alps?
"Would it make sense to bring in mountain guides from Nepal or South America so that the course or tour participants don't have to bear the additional costs?" asked Manfred Lorenz, Managing Director of the DAV Summit Club. For cost reasons, however, it will probably be necessary to hire foreign guides in future. However, these are often not as knowledgeable about the area as local mountain sports guides.

Increased risk of alpine accidents
This increases the risk of alpine accidents. And the higher costs in general could deter mountain enthusiasts from attending training courses - with unforeseeable consequences for safety on the mountain.

The Dutch Climbing and Mountaineering Association has drawn an initial conclusion. For the first time in 51 years, it will no longer be holding an ice course at the Kaunergrat Hut in the Pitztal Valley in 2025. The increase in costs makes this unfeasible and the course will take place in France.

Mountain guides consider career options
Michael Rosendorfer, Managing Director of the Tyrolean Mountain Guide Association, also sees the problem of losing mountain guides. "Many are already considering career options," he regrets.