Membership in the Alpine Association of Slovenia is growing

Not only has there been an increased number of mountain visits, but the statistics from the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS) also show that more and more people are enthusiastic about the mountains. In 301 mountaineering associations or clubs, almost 64 thousand individuals were enrolled in 2024, which also indicates a trend of growing membership numbers. PZS President Jože Rovan emphasizes the importance of organized trips, which, in addition to experiencing nature and socializing, also offer knowledge and safety. On trips within mountaineering associations, there are practically no accidents, or according to data from the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia, there was less than one intervention per year in the last 15-year period.

The Alpine Association of Slovenia, after a decline in membership during the coronavirus period, has been recording an increase in membership over the last three years. The umbrella mountaineering organization brings together 301 associations, namely mountaineering societies, clubs, and GRS stations, with a total of 63,931 individual members (2024), the most in Savinjska, Gorenjska, and central Slovenia. Relative to the population of the Republic of Slovenia, this represents three percent of the total population. Nearly one-third of all PZS members, or more than 20,700 young mountaineers from preschool children to age 26, are young. The average age in the associations is 40 years, and the proportion of women in the mountaineering organization is 47.3 percent.



As of March 31, 2025, 49,238 individuals are already enrolled in PZS this year. Mountaineers cite discounts on overnight stays in mountain huts, benefits when purchasing mountaineering equipment, various types of insurance, and the opportunity to participate in numerous mountaineering activities and socialize within mountaineering associations or clubs as reasons for joining. The most common way to gradually acquire experience and knowledge is regular participation in organized trips led by volunteer PZS guides.

"The increase in the number of members shows that the operation of the Alpine Association of Slovenia is important to a large part of society. In the field of recreational activities in nature, including mountain huts and trails, PZS is one of the largest and most mass non-governmental, volunteer organizations in Slovenia. According to the latest data, 350 thousand Slovenes go to the mountains, so the challenge remains how to attract the remaining mountain world enthusiasts into membership," explains Alpine Association of Slovenia President Jože Rovan.



The head of the Slovenian mountaineering organization emphasizes "the importance of organized trips, which offer us, in addition to experiencing nature and socializing, also knowledge and safety, noting that there are practically no accidents on trips led by volunteer PZS guides." The Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia recorded 7,852 interventions in the 15-year period from 2010 to 2024, of which only 14, according to its data, were within trips of mountaineering associations, which is 0.18 percent or less than one accident per year. "It is precisely the professionally trained mountaineering staff who pass on their knowledge to other mountain visitors and thereby contribute to reducing the number of accidents in the mountains. Guides of the Alpine Association of Slovenia, mountain guides, instructors of mountaineering education, and alpine instructors are an investment in safer mountain visits - and that from an early age. We are proud that membership is also growing among young people, for whom mountaineering camps, mountain experiences, and socializing in nature are invaluable," adds Rovan.

Mountain rescuers intervened in 633 cases in 2024. GRZS statistics show that last year, the majority of accidents, almost three-quarters, occurred during hiking in the mountains (of which 62.6% during hiking on trails and 11.2% off-trail), 6.3 percent of interventions were due to climbing accidents, 4.1 percent in mountain biking, and 1.6 percent in ski touring. Twenty percent of the injured were aged 20 to 29 years - this age group was the largest, followed by 40- to 49-year-olds (19 percent) and 30- to 39-year-olds (also 19 percent).



An accident in the mountains can happen to anyone, and even the most qualified individuals are no exception, but there are very few incidents on organized mountaineering activities among mountain rescue interventions. Looking at the 2024 mountain accident statistics, there were almost no accidents or injuries among qualified personnel in Slovenia last year - one mountain rescuer and one PZS guide. A quarter of all interventions involved mountaineers who are members of mountaineering associations and alpinists, while three-quarters involved tourists, non-member mountaineers, and other mountain visitors. There are also very few accidents on organized trips (both of mountaineering associations and independently organized groups and tourist agencies), only just under seven percent, while there were 8.4 percent of accidents in climbing parties. Mountain rescuers performed the most, 43 percent of interventions, on trips of unorganized groups, followed by 39 percent on solo trips.