International Alpine Forum

Simultaneous interpretation: English - German - Italian

Moderation: Nicole Abler

14:00 Opening session

• Institutional greetings: Arno Kompatscher, President of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tyrol; Provincial Councillor Peter Brunner, Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tyrol; Roland Psenner, President of Eurac Research; Elena Sinibaldi, UNESCO ICH Focal Point, Italian Ministry of Culture; Alenka Smerkolj, Secretary General of the Alpine Convention; Claudio Corrarati, Mayor City of Bolzano/Bozen; Manlio Pellizon, Deputy President General of CAI – Italian Alpine Club; Georg Simeoni, President of AVS - Alpenverein Südtirol
• Presentation of the Forum programme and objectives.

14:45 Institutional opening keynote – dialogue

Shared responsibilities: Alpinism between UNESCO recognition and Alpine territories

• Dialogue between Manlio Pellizon, Deputy President General of CAI – Italian Alpine Club, Georg Simeoni, President of AVS - Alpenverein Südtirol and Provincial Councillor Peter Brunner, Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tyrol.

15:30 The Journey of Alpinism towards Recognition as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

• The communities of practice and the institutions that promoted the nomination process reflect on how and why alpinism came to be recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: a grassroots process built on shared values, international cooperation, and a strong sense of responsibility towards the mountains.

16:15 Coffee break & networking

16:45 Reading Mountains | On the Move: Young People’s Perspectives on the Alps

• A session curated by the Alpine Convention in collaboration with CIPRA International’s YOALIN – Youth Alpine Interrail Project
• Through stories and photographs, YOALIN participants share their experiences of sustainable mobility and their journey across the Alpine regions. By this, the session explores how young people move through landscapes, engage and connect across borders with different places and people. Images and testimonies invite to explore the Alps through the eyes of the next generation and encourage personal reflection.

17:45 Dialogue – The Alps, society and mountain culture

• Annibale Salsa and Bernard Debarbieux in dialogue with Roberto Mantovani

18:45 Sass Maor – The Dream in the Drawer

• A session curated by the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation. 
• Screening of the episode "Sass Maor – The Dream in the Drawer" from the documentary series "DOLOMITISMO. Vertical Stories", created by filmmaker and journalist Emanuele Confortin for the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation. The series explores the relationship between alpinism and the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site, intertwining the landscape and geological values of the mountains with the stories and experiences of the people who live, climb, and cherish them.
• Set in the Pale di San Martino mountain group, the episode tells the story of young alpinist Sofia Mott and her dream of repeating the historic Solleder-Kummer route, first opened in 1926 on the imposing East Face of Sass Maor. The narrative is enriched by the testimony of Manolo, one of the most iconic figures in climbing history.
• With contributions from Mara Nemela, Director of the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation, and filmmaker Emanuele Confortin.

19:30 Presentation of the nomination to the UNESCO Register of Good Safeguarding Practices (in progress): “Alpine Food Heritage: community-led cultural safeguarding programmes”

• Presented by Lombardy Region, Directorate-General for Culture – Archive of Ethnography and Social History.

19:45 Alpine Welcome Dinner

Simultaneous interpretation: English - German - Italian

Moderation: Nicole Abler

09:00 Keynote Conversation

Alpinism today: experience, ethics and the future of the world’s great mountains

• Dialogue between Eline Le Menestrel, Simon Gietl and Titus Prinoth
• Moderated by Linda Cottino

09:45 Coffee break

10:30 Scientific and cultural session “Changing Mountains”

Three concise, focused presentations as introductory inputs:

• Climate and permafrost: new alpine vulnerabilities - Volkmar Mair, Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tyrol
• Overtourism and new mountain visitors: freedom, limits and responsibility in today’s mountains - Harald Pechlaner, Eurac Research
• The contemporary Alps: designing between limits and possibilities - Ivan Bocchio, Eurac Research

11:15 Coffee break

11:45 Open dialogue “Voices of the Mountains”

• The speakers, Volkmar Mair and Ivan Bocchio, will engage in a dynamic and interactive on-stage discussion in a talk-show format, enriched by questions and contributions from the audience.

13:00 Lunch break

14:30 Experiential workshops (in parallel)

• The three afternoon workshops will offer participants the opportunity to explore in greater depth the topics addressed during the morning sessions: climate vulnerability, social responsibility in mountain areas, and the transformation of high-altitude Alpine architecture. The insights and outcomes generated during the workshops will contribute to the drafting of the International Alpine Forum Theses.

LAB 1 – Alpinism and climate change: practices, knowledge and responsibilities

• Objective: To explore how climate change is transforming mountaineering practices, technical knowledge and responsibilities in passing experience on to younger generations.
• Moderators: Volkmar Mair, Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tyrol; Adam Holzknecht, President of Aiut Alpin Dolomites and Lucia Felbauer, Land Tirol and DIGIWAY Project.

LAB 2 – Overtourism and new mountain visitors: expectations, behaviours and possible forms of coexistence

• Objective: To gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of overtourism in the Alps, the behaviour of new international visitors, and the influence of social media on tourist flows, while identifying strategies for management, communication and intercultural education that can foster a more conscious and sustainable use of mountain environments.
• Moderators: Harald Pechlaner, Eurac Research; Elisabeth Berger, Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tyrol; and Erwin Steiner, Mountain Guide.

LAB 3 – High-altitude architecture: tradition, innovation and identity in the mountain huts and bivouacs of the future

• Objective: To explore the role of mountain huts and bivouacs as cultural landmarks of alpinism and essential spaces for transmitting intangible heritage. The workshop addresses the contemporary debate between traditional, essential architecture and innovative new designs, reflecting on identity, proportion, simplicity, landscape, sustainability and perception.
• Moderators: Ivan Bocchio, Eurac Research; Georg Simeoni, President of AVS - Alpenverein Südtirol; Carlo Zanella, President of the Italian Alpine Club CAI - South Tyrol; and Manuel Agreiter, Mountain Hut Manager and Mountain Guide.

15:45 – Presentation of the results of the experiential workshops 

• Curated by the moderators Volkmar Mair, Harald Pechlaner and Ivan Bocchio.

16:00 Coffee break

16:15 Flash Talk – Alpinism 2050: Imagining the Future, Shaping Change

• Presented by Roland Benedikter, UNESCO Chair in Interdisciplinary Anticipation and Global-Local Transformation of Eurac Research.

16:30 Round table: Safeguarding Alpinism as Intangible Cultural Heritage

• Representatives of institutions, communities of practitioners and mountain regions discuss strategies for safeguarding alpinism as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

18:30 Presentation of the International Alpine Forum Theses

• Presentation of the International Alpine Forum Theses, a document summarising the principal reflections emerging from the meeting and proposing guidelines for the future of alpinism as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
• Curated by Florian Zerzer and Marcella Morandini, Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tyrol, and Thomas Streifeneder, Eurac Research. 

19:00 Simon Messner: A Reflection on Alpinism

• The allure of great mountains and perhaps the central question of mountaineering: how to find a balance between self-interest and responsibility. Personal reflections by Simon Messner and a screening of excerpts from the film “Aus dem Schatten”. A special event exploring the meaning of contemporary mountaineering through heritage, identity and new perspectives.

Simultaneous interpretation not provided.

Moderation: Nicole Abler

10:00 WALKING THE HERITAGE 
Messner Mountain Museum Firmian, Bozen/Bolzano

• A walking conversation among representatives of leading Alpine museums, unfolding through the exhibition spaces of the Messner Mountain Museum Firmian. 
• The different stops along the route will provide opportunities to discuss the preservation of the tangible and intangible heritage of alpinism, the transmission of values and knowledge to younger generations, and the role of museums in safeguarding and interpreting Alpine culture. 
• A dynamic and informal dialogue, in which the museum's collections and spaces become an integral part of the conversation, moving beyond the traditional panel format.

In dialogue:

• Magdalena Messner – Director, Messner Mountain Museums (Bozen/Bolzano, Italy)
• Daniela Berta – Director, National Mountain Museum (Turin, Italy) 
• Beat Hächler – Director, ALPS – Swiss Alpine Museum (Bern, Switzerland) 
• Ana Katarina Ziherl – Curator of Mountaineering History, Slovenian Alpine Museum, Gornjesavski Muzej Jesenice (Mojstrana, Slovenia) 
• Gerald Zagler – Head of Culture and Public Relations, Archive of the Austrian Alpine Club, Archiv Österreichischer Alpenverein - (Innsbruck, Austria)