Naturfreunde Alpine Squad: A springboard for young mountaineers

The Alpine Squad offers young women and men the opportunity to channel their passion for alpinism into targeted training and practical experience.

Strong together: Alpine squad in action

Over the course of five rounds, participants have learned to hone their skills in sport and alpine climbing, ice climbing, ski touring and high-altitude touring to a professional level. The selection process is careful: for each round, two teams of six members each are formed. The women's team started in 2024, underwent a year of training in various modules and undertook its final expedition to Georgia in autumn 2025. On a journey of more than 3,400 kilometres, mainly by public transport, the young female mountaineers reached the mountains of Georgia, ready to put what they had learned into practice. This year, the men's team followed, whose training began in April 2025 with a selection camp and started in May with a sport climbing module in the Salzkammergut.

More than just technique: personal development in the mountains

Training in the Alpine Squad goes far beyond technical skills. In addition to core alpine skills, participants receive training in alpine and expedition medicine, first aid in the mountains and the professional use of social media. The programmes not only promote safe behaviour in the mountains, but also personal development, a sense of responsibility and teamwork. Participants learn to assess risks correctly, make informed decisions and find a balance between the pressure to perform and the joy of being in the mountains.

Climate change and high-altitude tours as learning fields

The high-altitude tour modules, in which young mountaineers learn to ‘re-read’ the high mountains, are particularly formative. Changes caused by climate change, such as melting glaciers, thawing permafrost and increasing rockfalls, pose particular challenges. Participants are trained to obtain up-to-date information, plan tours carefully and react flexibly to unforeseen conditions. In this way, the Naturefriends Alpine Cadet programme is not only a place of training, but also a laboratory for responsible mountaineering in times of climate change.

Passing on responsibility: alpinism with attitude

The programme has a lasting effect beyond the individual teams. The skills learned and the attitude towards mountain sports are carried back into the community, making alpinism as a whole more professional and safer. Many graduates remain loyal to mountaineering or pursue a career as mountain guides, in mountain rescue or in other alpine professions. The combination of practical training, personal development and social responsibility makes the Naturfreunde Alpinkader a unique initiative in German-speaking alpinism. With its combination of sound training, unforgettable experiences and the teaching of values such as sustainability and respect for nature, the Alpine Squad programme offers young people not only the opportunity to achieve excellence in the mountains, but also to shape their role in alpinism in a conscious and responsible manner. The programme is thus not only a springboard for individual career paths, but also an important stimulus for the entire mountaineering community.

Detailed information on the Naturfreunde Alpine Squad can be found at alpinkader.naturfreunde.at

Image source: Naturfreunde Österreich