Club Alpino Accademico Italiano
| Club Alpino Accademico Italiano (CAAI) |
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| purpose | Promotion of the practice of mountaineering with high levels of difficulty on all mountains in the world. |
| Chair: | Alberto Rampini |
| Establishment date: | 1904 |
| Seat : |
Milan 
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| Website: | CAAI.it (Italian) |
The Club Alpino Accademico Italiano ( CAAI ) is an association founded in 1904 that brings together members of the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI) who have distinguished themselves in terms of mountaineering without the help of mountain guides . According to the statutes, it forms an independent section of the CAI.
history
The Italian Alpine Academic Association (Club Alpino Accademico Italiano) was founded in 1904 by members of the Ligurian, Turin and Valsesian groups of the Italian Alpine Association to unite mountaineers who had performed alpine activities independently, without the help of mountain guides. In fact, most of the alpinists at that time took the help of local guides who, in addition to good local knowledge, also had alpine knowledge and experience. The founders of the CAAI were convinced that well-prepared mountaineers could master challenging routes without outside help. To make this possible, they founded the first mountaineering schools.
The founding members were Ettore Allegra, Lorenzo Bozano, Ettore Canzio, Mario Ceradini, Teodoro Dietz, Hans Ellensohn, Giovan Battista Gugliermina, GF Gugliermina, Adolfo Hess, Adolfo Kind, Ernesto Martiny, Felice Mondini, Emilio Questa, Alfredo Radio Radiis, Ubaldo Valbusa Alberto Weber. The first president was Ettore Canzio.
In 1922, the CAAI merged with the Academic Alpine Association from Avigliano ( Club Alpino Accademico Aviglianese ) and the leaderless alpinist group of Lombardy ( Gruppo Lombardo Alpinisti Senza Guide ) while retaining the name . Lorenzo Borelli became the new president.
The CAAI made a significant contribution to the alpine development of the Alps in 1925 with the construction of several fixed bivouac boxes . These sheet metal constructions were set up in remote locations that were of mountaineering interest in order to be able to offer the alpinists emergency accommodation in areas that were not developed.
In 1930 the CAAI was dissolved by a decision of the fascist government and all sports associations reorganized. The members were sent to the respective sections of the CAI . Nonetheless, the following year the CAI re-established the Club Alpino Accademico as an independent section. The 1930s was the golden age of sixth grade climbing, when the climbers of the academic club opened spectacular new routes in the Alps and wrote mountain guides and mountaineering articles. Mountaineering “without a guide” began not only in the Alps, but also in the mountains outside of Europe. In 1934, the Accademico's first expedition outside of Europe was organized in the Argentine Andes .
The CAAI separated from the CAI in 1947 and rejoined it in 1954, as completely independent management was not possible from an organizational or financial point of view. It was reintegrated as a "national section", similar to the association of Italian mountain guides.
In the following years the CAAI continued to form the umbrella organization for the strongest Italian mountaineers, who became the mouthpiece of alpinism, especially with the opening of new routes and the publication of guides.
After Lorenzo Borelli, the following members held the office of President General: Adolfo Hess (1926), Umberto Balestreri (1929), Aldo Bonacossa (1933), Carlo Chersi (1947), Carlo Negri (1956), Ugo di Vallepiana (1960), Renato Chabod (1975).
From 1979 to 1991 Roberto Osio was President, from 1991 to 2000 Giovanni Rossi, from 2000 to 2006 Corradino Rabbi, from 2006 to 2015 Giacomo Stefani. Alberto Rampini has been chairman since 2015.
organization
Today the CAAI has set itself the goal of promoting alpinism with a high level of difficulty and its development, in harmony with historical factors, local traditions and with the greatest consideration for the environment. Maintaining alpine ethics and training are further cornerstones of CAAI's work.
It now forms a national section of the Italian Alpine Club and, according to the division of the Alps, is subdivided into the three groups "West", "Central" and "East", in which its members were originally mainly active as alpinists.
In order to be accepted into the CAAI, a CAI membership is also a prerequisite, as is at least five years of, but not necessarily continuous, alpine activity on a high level of difficulty. The application must be submitted by two members of the same group to which the candidate is applying for admission. The general assembly of the group then evaluates the mountaineering activity of the candidate and votes on his admission. The candidate is admitted if he receives at least two thirds of the total votes. Then the application is passed on to the central technical commission, which issues an opinion. The final decision rests with the board of the CAAI.
activities
The CAAI annually organizes a national conference on mountaineering-related topics (historical or current events) and group conferences. He organizes climbing meetings and takes care of the management of around twenty bivouacs in the Alps , which are always open and accessible to mountaineers.
He publishes the CAAI yearbook, a prestigious volume of reports, stories, historical insights, etc. Every year the Paolo Consiglio Prize is awarded to expeditions outside Europe that are exploratory, respectful of the environment and preferably carried out by young climbers.
Paolo Consiglio was a well-known mountaineer, an academic from the Italian Alpine Club, who, after his first important achievements at a young age on the Gran Sasso and in the Dolomites , devoted himself to mountaineering outside of Europe and undertook two expeditions in the Himalayas leading to the conquest of Saraghrar I - Summit (7349 m) in the Hindu Kush and Lal Qilà (6349 m) in Parbati (Himalaya).