Land of Mountains
Hiking and mountaineering are popular leisure activities with the Austrians. Almost 450,000 people belong to the ten Alpine and mountaineering clubs, which are united by the umbrella organizations of the Austrian Union of Alpine Associations (VAVÖ). The largest of these clubs are the Austrian Alpine Association (ÖAV), the Friends of Nature and the Austrian Tourists’ Club.

Austria has a network of hiking paths covering thousands of kilometers, which extends from the Vienna Woods in the eastern part of the country to the Bregenz Forest in the west. Some 730 mountain huts and refuges are available to the hiker. There are ten long-distance hiking paths and three of the long-distance European trails cross Austria and are maintained by the Alpine clubs.

Famous Alpine mountaineers have been involved in nearly all the expeditions seeking to climb the world’s highest, and most difficult summits. Austrians were frequently to be found on first ascents in the Himalayas and the Andes.