Alpine Awareness Camps

With the INTERREG project 'AAC – Alpine Awareness Camps', the 'Association for Information on Alpine Hazards', known through its SAAC initiative, is setting new standards for sustainability and digitalisation in alpine outdoor sports. The Alpine Awareness Camp in the Kaunertal is more than just a place for adventure - it is a platform that sharpens awareness of the unique alpine environment while placing sustainable practices at the centre of the experience.

ALPINE AWARENESS CAMPS is a cross-border Interreg funding project developing, testing, and rolling out a new approach to sustainable, digitally supported tourism - through a series of Awareness Camps and a dedicated digital platform accessible to a wide audience.

The project responds to the challenges posed by the steadily growing trend towards outdoor sports. Skiing, biking, climbing, and other popular outdoor activities in open terrain not only carry an increased individual safety risk, but also place growing pressure on nature and the environment, and lead to conflicts between different interest groups.

The aim of the project is therefore to raise awareness of the sensitivity of alpine ecosystems and to create targeted opportunities for qualification in sustainable and responsible outdoor sports. At the same time, solutions are being developed for cross-border digital networking of tourism services. Both the camps and the platform are jointly developed and tested by Austrian and Bavarian partners, and made available to key tourism stakeholders in the programme region - such as tourism associations - for their own qualification purposes.

Project outputs at a glance:

• Study on sustainability awareness and qualification needs in outdoor sports: for universities, tourism associations, and regional authorities
• Didactic and content concept for AAC formats (Awareness Camps, Train-the-Trainer Workshops, Awareness Events): for tourism associations and other multipliers
• 6 pilot camps on the themes of SNOW, BIKE, and CLIMB: for participants and pilot destinations
• 2 cross-border impulse events for regional partners and two Train-the-Trainer Workshops: for the qualifications of mountain guides and outdoor guides
• Digital platform with integrated sustainability tools: for the outdoor sports community, tourism associations, and regional management bodies
• Project lead: Verein zur Information über alpine Gefahren (Association for Information on Alpine Hazards)

Project Partners: Universität Innsbruck, TVB Kaunertal, TVB Kitzbüheler Alpen Brixental, Allgäu GmbH
Project Code: BA0100043
Funding programme: INTERREG VI-A Bayern-Österreich 2021-2027
Total cost: € 456.310,00

Camps & projects in the Kaunertal nature park and glacier region

• Winter - SAAC Avalanche Camp on the Kaunertal Glacier in December 2024
• Summer - SAAC Climb Camp in June 2025

AAC Project Study on Sustainable Outdoor Sports

'Gaining insight through action and practice' (from an expert interview, AAC partner region Allgäu)

Over recent months, a study on sustainable outdoor sports has been developed as part of the Interreg project 'Alpine Awareness Camps' (Funding programme: INTERREG VI-A Bavaria – Austria 2021-2027; project code: BA0100043). In two phases – quantitative, using a questionnaire, and qualitative, using expert interviews – key content components were identified that are particularly relevant to the further course of the project, especially for the design of the educational content elements. The resulting implications, figures, data, and facts from the study, as well as detailed study results (in German), can be found here.