The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) has registered 150,000 members – a record for the club founded in 1863, thanks to the growing interest in hiking, ski touring and other mountain sports.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch
The SAC External linkis now the fourth biggest sports association in Switzerland, behind football, gymnastics and tennis, and membership continues to increase.
“150,000 is a record number. Growth is around 2-4% a year,” SAC managing director Jerun Vils told Swiss public radio, SRF, on Tuesday.
Vils said SAC members particularly appreciate the club’s environmental work and special offers for mountain tours and reasonably priced mountain huts.
The club has benefited enormously from the recent boom in outdoor mountain sports, such as hiking, mountaineering, rock climbing, mountain biking and ski touring.
“There is a trend to go back to nature, to the mountains. It’s got something to do with so-called Swissness and being healthy,” said Vils.
While only 25% of the Swiss population hiked regularly in 2000, today the figure is 44%, according to a recent study, which cited the umbrella organisation for Swiss hiking groupsExternal link. The increase is particularly noticeable among families and couples aged 30-45. Hikers hit the road for about three hours on average, and typically do about 20 hikes a year.
Popular Stories
More
Culture
Documentary portrays Swiss teenagers forced to return to parents’ homeland
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
The continuing appeal of Switzerland for British VIPs
This content was published on
May’s office did not provide any further details of the trip, but May has spoken previously of her love of walking holidays in Switzerland, a destination also favoured by her German counterpart Angela Merkel. “We’ve walked all over the country. However, we have two favourite areas in particular: Zermatt and the Bernese Oberland,” May told…
This content was published on
While only 25% of the Swiss population hiked regularly in 2000, today the figure is 44%, according to a study flagged up by the newspaper Schweiz am Sonntag on Sunday – which cited the umbrella organisation for Swiss hiking groupsExternal link. The increase is particularly noticeable among families and couples aged 30-45. Hikers hit the…
This content was published on
By the end of September there had been around 2,400 accidents in the Swiss mountains, 330 more than during the same period last year, according to provisional figures supplied by the SAC on Wednesday. The number of fatalities also increased – from 106 to 150. Particularly striking was the increase in accidents in July and…
This content was published on
“More than a Mountain Sport” — the motto chosen by the club to celebrate 150 years in existence is certainly appropriate. The club, founded 15 years after the birth of the modern federal Swiss state, has played an important role in forging a national identity, according to mountaineering specialist Anker. Anker has notably edited the…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.