G A R D E N A - Snowevents

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Roped together for the
„LIA DA MONT GHERDËINA“
Giovanni Di Vecchia
I once had the pleasure of meeting Flavio Pancheri in his
workshop in Ortisei. Pancheri was a respected mountaineer
and president of the Gardena Section of the Italian Alpine
Club, the CAI, and held various other prestigious titles.
Many years ago, he had been „first in line on the rope“,
leader of a group of local men who wanted to found one
single Alpine Association in the Val Gardena, a club which
would bring together all the members of other various local
clubs. But this was no easy project at the time even
though there was a single cultural identity in the predominantly
Ladin valley. Pancheri knew such an organisation
would prove extremely important and successful over the
coming years especially when, as in other parts of the region,
a section of the Italian Alpine Club was founded in
Val Gardena in the year 1954 and well as a section of the
German-language Alpenverein of South Tyrol, the AVS.
These two distinct groups, one catering for mountaineers
from the Italian-speaking part of the population, the
other for the German-speaking population, had similar, if
not the same interests, aims and operational functions.
The two clubs often worked side-by-side and many members
belonged to both clubs. Co-operation between the
two associations continued over the years and they often
promoted the same projects and programmes until, in an
assembly held on 4th. December 1977, it was agreed to
found a combined association, the „Lia da Mont Gherdeina“.
Article no. 2 of the association‘s rules approves the
foundation of the club and its composition „of members
from the Val Gardena who are already members of the
CAI or AVS and who have equal rights and duties within
the association“. Article no. 4 states that an annual assembly
must approve of biannual elections of a manage-
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