The Tölzer Alpenverein section is experiencing a real boom and now has over 8600 members. Apart from that, there were also a lot of positive things to report.
Bad Tölz – The Tölz section of the German Alpine Club is on the upswing. At the turn of the millennium, the association had 1800 members, ten years ago already 4055. Currently there are 8648, with another 360 in the first four months of this year alone. These and other success stories were presented by Benedikt Hirschmann's board of directors on Wednesday at the well-attended annual meeting in the Franzmühle parish centre in Tölz.
A lot of life in the section
"There is a lot of life in our section," said Hirschmann, pleased with the large number of visitors and the work done: hiking and mountaineering, ski touring, mountain biking and sport climbing are becoming increasingly popular, with many offers also aimed at families, children and young people as well as people with disabilities. "The house is full," he emphasized with a view to the climbing center on the Flinthöhe, where 21 groups supervised by volunteer instructors meet regularly.
By the way: Everything from the region can also be found in our regular Bad Tölz newsletter.
Nature conservation officers Christiane Danner and Kilian Stimm are involved in the section's climate projects. This is not only about Ramadama participations, tree planting and actions for environmentally friendly behavior in nature, but more recently also about a self-critical emissions balancing related to the association and its activities: "At the 800 events of the association last year, 35 tons of CO2 were released, which are mainly attributable to individual transport," Danner and Stimm have calculated. On the association's website, they invite members to contribute their ideas for more sustainability in the association.
30 members have already taken on voluntary sponsorships
The commitment of association members to the preservation of the alpine trail network was reported by trail consultant Hanspeter Mair. "Well-maintained paths are living nature conservation and our calling card," he emphasized. Intact and well-marked paths would also have a steering function to protect the untouched areas. 30 members have already taken on voluntary trail sponsorships. "But we need even more committed people," said Mair.
Hut consultant Max Nichtl introduced the new innkeepers of the "Tölzer Hütte", who were personally present and are already in the middle of preparations for the reopening of the hut after the winter break. "We want to stay longer," assured hotel manager Andrea Held and carpenter Benno Schödel.
Lump sum for expenses for hut warden decided
Max Nichtl also informed about further renovation measures carried out in the sanitary area of the hut and announced a modernization and expansion of the photovoltaic system. At the suggestion of the board, the meeting then decided on an annual lump sum of 840 euros for Nichtl. "What our hut warden does goes far beyond the normal level of voluntary board work," Hirschmann explained this step.
Financially, the association is "very well positioned" despite the high investments in the major hut renovation, emphasized treasurer Peter Wiedemann. This is also due to the sharp rise in membership fees. Of the three divisions "Ideal Association", "Climbing Centre" and "Hut", only the latter closed 2022 with a small minus. With a total budget of around 580,000 euros, a surplus of 98,500 euros was generated. For 2023, Peter Wiedemann predicted an increase of around 60,000 euros. There was a lot of praise from him and also from the chairman for the part-time employees of the office who keep the "small company" Alpenverein running. The resulting personnel costs account for just under 15 percent of the total budget. (rbe)
You can find even more up-to-date news from the region at Merkur.de/Bad Tölz.
