The Alpine Forum 2025

Welcome and the 1st Thematic Block

After a welcome by the President of the ÖKAS Peter Paal and an opening speech by the Tyrolean Governor Anton Mattle, the first thematic block followed on the topic of "Tourism, Sport & Ethics - From the 8000ers to the Alps".

Three presentations in the first block on the topic of high-altitude mountaineering transported the audience to the roof of the world, at least in their minds. The lectures dealt with the controversial topic of xenon intake, which is supposed to make climbing the world's highest peaks not only faster but also safer. Whether this is really the case was hotly debated in a subsequent discussion, but more on that in a moment.

In the first lecture, expedition provider Lukas Furtenbach reported on the 7-day Everest Flash expedition he carried out, the first Everest expedition in which the inert gas xenon was successfully used. Michael Fries, Chief Physician for Anesthesia and Surgical Intensive Care Medicine, then reported on how xenon works in the body.

After all, he was also the one who administered xenon to clients as part of the expedition conducted by Furtenbach.

Phillip Bruggers, on the other hand, dealt with a more local, but no less spectacular topic in his lecture. The Austrian alpinist and specialist for speed ascents reported on his projects on the north faces of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, where he managed two north face trilogies in one week in 2025.

The fourth presentation in the first themed block came from Urs Hefti, President of the Medical Commission of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, or UIAA for short. He posed the question: "Caught between commerce and values?" and addressed the topic of "drug abuse" in mountaineering. This has long been a problem not only in high-altitude mountaineering, but also here in the Alps.

The focus of the first block of topics, in particular the use of aids, was the subject of heated and sometimes emotional discussion in the concluding panel. In addition to the speakers, the legendary mountain guide Hanspeter Eisendle also took part.

Xenon - the ethical alternative

The stark alternative to Furtenbach's expedition style is mountaineering "by fair means", i.e. under one's own steam and with as few technical aids as possible. On stage, Philipp Brugger in particular clearly positioned himself in favor of such "more honest" and therefore also ethically fairer mountaineering. The UIAA also advocates this approach. In contrast to Furtenbach, mountaineers do not take any uninvestigated risks here. The UIAA even warns against the use of xenon, as it could possibly lead to impaired brain function or even worse. When confronted with these accusations, Furtenbach countered on stage that the UIAA was ignoring current scientific findings and that people were welcome to ask him and the anesthesiologist in charge, Fries, about the exact risks and benefits of xenon at any time.

Ultimately, both the camp around Furtenbach and the opposing camp, to which Brugger, Hefti and Eisendle belonged, invoked the issue of safety. Even if it seems paradoxical at first glance, Furtenbach's expedition style could be described as "uncompromising, but safe". Whether he can expect respect from professional alpinists with this approach remains to be seen. In any case, the discussion was very well received by the audience. We from PowderGuide also took part in a lively round of questions and discussions afterwards, before moving on to the second thematic block of the Alpine Forum.

Are we all (mountain) crazy?

The second block dealt with exciting psychological topics. Mountain and ski guide Hanspeter Eisendle posed the opening question of why we mountaineers are the way we are. He also explored the so-called "pull of the masses" towards adventure and the simultaneously growing demand for individuality.

In her second lecture of the block, Katharina Hüfner, a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapeutic medicine, examined when the joy of sport turns into addiction - a very exciting topic.

In the third lecture, Alexis Zajetz, psychologist and psychotherapist, explained what can lead to anxiety or panic on the mountain and how to deal with it. According to him, there is an important difference between fear and panic. He also gave the audience a psychological first aid kit to take with them.

The final discussion revolved around the question "What is 'normal' on the mountain?" The speakers were joined by Richard Oberndorfer. Over the last five years, he has climbed over a million meters in altitude, a large part of which he has done on ski tours. For many of us, that is an unimaginable number!

As we were so interested in the topics covered in this session, we will dedicate a separate PowderGuide article to them in the "Snow of Tomorrow" section.

After a well-deserved lunch break, the third topic block began. It dealt with the topic of "Mountain hiking", which is less relevant to PowderGuide but very important on the mountain: Accidents, route classifications and digital helpers". In addition to Susanna Mitterer from ÖKAS, representatives from the Alpine Police, the University of Innsbruck, the mountain guide association and the state of Tyrol also spoke.

Avalanches and other dangers!

All the more relevant for us winter sports enthusiasts was the last topic block. Gerhard Mössmer, a mountain guide working for the ÖAV, kicked things off. Using sober figures, he made it clear that in addition to avalanches, other dangers such as falls and cold await us mountaineers and skiers.

Peter Plattner, editor-in-chief of analyse:berg, also used an analysis of accident figures to show what can be done to prevent surviving a complete burial.

Stephan Birkmaier then spoke. He himself was completely buried by an avalanche on a ski tour in Norway and spoke on stage for the first time about this life-changing experience. With his calm, almost matter-of-fact manner, the presentation touched the audience, which is why some of the content will be discussed. A detailed version of the accident can be found here.

Together with his friends, Stephan Birkmaier gained some alpine experience in the Alps before they set off on a ski trip to Norway together in 2022. Despite their many years of experience, they decided to be accompanied by a professional mountain guide due to the unfamiliar terrain. In the lecture, it became clear that neither naive behavior nor a single serious mistake led to the accident, but rather the sum of many small mistakes proved to be fatal. Birkmaier dealt honestly with these wrong decisions in his lecture; to this day, he is not concerned with the question of guilt, but with dynamics that every person who has ever undertaken a ski tour has to deal with.

These dynamics include trust in others, implicit expectations, one's own gut feeling and many other factors. He gave a particularly impressive account of how quickly decisions were initially made on the day of the accident, but then relativized again because seemingly objective factors such as the good weather spoke against the decision. When Birkmaier described the moment of burial in his lecture, a very special atmosphere spread through the room. Despite the sober and precise narrative style, one could understand the powerlessness he must have felt at that moment.

The description of the time under the avalanche was also incredibly intense and did not leave us in the audience cold. The complete isolation under the snow, the loneliness of being trapped, but also the consequences. These are all strong arguments for investing a lot of time and leisure in preventing avalanche accidents.

As Birkmaier himself emphasized, he owed his life to the courageous actions of his friends and the medical first aid. As he himself put it: "Up until the avalanche, many things went wrong, but afterwards almost everything went right." The lecture deliberately dispensed with a simple checklist at the end, making it an absolute highlight of the Alpinforum 2025.

Birkmaier made it clear how important safety in the mountains is and what consequences we can face there.

As became clear at this year's Alpine Forum, the Austrian Board of Trustees for Alpine Safety is an important player in this. The numerous presentations and discussions testified to the experts' deep understanding of their subject matter. They not only provided the audience with knowledge at the highest level in an interesting and entertaining way, but also encouraged discussion, reflection and further research on the topics discussed.

For all those who want to delve deeper into the contents of this year's Alpine Forum, a conference volume will be published on the ÖKAS website, and you will also find a wealth of content in the ÖKAS specialist magazine, analyse:berg.