Berg 2011 is the annual yearbook of the Austrian, German, and Southern Tirolean Alpine Clubs (‘Berg’ is the German word for mountain). This illustrated book contains a collection of articles that describes and discusses various aspects of the interaction between human society and mountains. It is divided into six chapters, with each chapter presenting several short articles written by different authors. The topics of individual chapters range from the history, development, and future directions of alpine museums and alpine outreach to reports on the modern mountaineering and climbing scene. Thoughts on the connection between alpine landscapes and culture are presented as well as biographical sketches of renowned European alpinists during the first half of the 19th century and reports on recent alpine club activities and hiking recommendations for the ‘Verwall’ area in western Austria. A very detailed hiking map (1∶50,000 scale) of the recommended area accompanies this book. The book is written in German for a general audience, and in particular for the reader with an interest in the history of the three alpine clubs and in present-day activities of the three alpine clubs and their members.
As the Austrian and German Alpine Museums are celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2011, this yearbook has a strong focus on the history and future direction of alpine outreach. This includes the main question of how mountains and people's alpine experiences have been brought into a museum in the past, and how they will be presented to the public in the future. The review of past museum strategies and outreach concepts is a beautifully illustrated journey into the past 100 years of alpine club history. An entire section is dedicated to travel and expedition reports to various destinations worldwide. The more exotic trips include a ski(!) touring trip to the Namib desert, a sailing/mountaineering trip to the Monte Sarmiento on Tierra del Fuego island, and a climbing trip to the Karakorum. This book also offers hiking descriptions for the less far-traveled mountain enthusiast in the European Alps, for example in Gesause National Park, in the Glockner and Ammergauer Alps regions, and in the Valais of Switzerland. A real pleasure to read are the biographical sketches of early to mid-19th century alpinists such as Lino Lacedelli who completed the first ascent of K2 and Paula Wiesinger Steger, one of the best female alpine skiers and climbers in the 1930s.
Besides these very classic and traditional themes that the reader probably anticipates when reading the annual yearbook of any alpine club, this book surprises the reader with a very interesting article on the benefits of sport climbing for patients with multiple sclerosis. Also, a highly controversial topic, the use of doping in alpine sports, is discussed in this book.
This book is very easy to read—as long as you are proficient in German. Personally, I particularly enjoyed the collection of historic photos and illustrations that provide direct visual insight into the history of alpinism. In my opinion, this book provides a great overview of the various aspects of human activities in and interactions with mountain landscapes. And this wide variety of different alpine topics guarantees that most likely every reader with a connection to and enthusiasm for alpine regions will find a section to read that sparks her or his interest.
