Report of the Fourth International Congress of Alpinism in Cortina d'Ampezz (Italy) September 9th to September 14th, 1933

Publication Year: 1934.

Report of the Fourth International Congress of Alpinism in Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy) September 9th to September 14th, 1933

The Congress was opened on September 9th by S. E. Angelo Manaresi, President of the Italian Alpine Club and of the Fourth International Congress of Alpinism. Immediately afterwards there was a general assembly of the representatives of the Alpine Clubs and Societies when the various members of the four sections were elected. The four sections were I Alpinism, II Alpine Tourism, III Science related to Mountains, and IV Art related to Mountains. Your representative was made secretary of the section on Science related to Mountains (III). At the same time the constitution of the U. I. A. A. (L’Union Internationale des Associations D’Alpinisme) was drafted. The constitution and by-laws of the U. I. A. A. were discussed on several occasions and finally approved at the last meeting.

The representatives spoke as a rule in the language of their own countries. It was, however, decided that all of the report would be published in the four official languages, that is, French, English, Italian and German. Your representative at the last meeting of the U. I. A. A. accepted for the American Alpine Club the affiliated membership (see article 4 of the by-laws).

The various sections then met during the following days and various papers were read and discussed. Several of these are of great practical importance. Your representative feels that a point of great importance which has not been given enough emphasis is the organization of a uniform system for emergency squads to help Alpinists in case of accident, and we propose herewith that such point be made part of the program of the next International Congress, which will take place in the late summer of 1934 in Switzerland.

On the afternoon of September 14th your representative presented three movie reels of climbing in the Canadian Rockies and for many of the members it was the first view of this important region.

The most pressing question, that is the opening of frontiers, was forcibly kept out of discussion, or at least it was not discussed nearly as thoroughly as it should have been.

The Congress closed with a dinner offered by the Italian Alpine Club to the representatives of the various Alpine Clubs.

M. M. Strumia.